Scary On

We rise with the birds and it was the same on day 3 of our trip. We headed out early to check out the island bathing in the morning light. The weather was chilly and air clear. Our first stop was at the Deception Pass State Park, probably the most photographed place in the island. It is a sight to take in, pristine waters, tall trees and the hanging bridge.

As we drove around the island, we realized that most of the island is mountainous and the vegetation is far from the tropical beachy island types. The coniferous and ferns doted the area making it feel like those summer destinations of Ooty and Kodaikanal which we used to frequent as kids.

We were back at the Heron House for breakfast and the it was a view to take in. Its located along the western side of the island and is on the water. The foggy water with herons, gulls, ducks, loons and geese dotting the water, it was just awesome. A wonderful breakfast and we were off.

Our plan for the day, was to head to the Olympic Peninsula and take in as much as we can. It was a big plan as the only way to reach the Olympic Peninsula was by means of the ferry. A good 60 minute drive along the Fidalogo and Whidbey Islands to Keystone for the ferry, 30 minutes on the ferry, another 1 1/2 hours drive to reach Port Angeles – the closest town to the Olympic National Park and back by nightfall to Heron House.

The drive along the islands to Keystone starts along the western coast of the Fidalgo island and then crosses over the Deception pass bridge into the Whidbey island as we head south on Hwy 20. Whidbey island in contrast to the Fidalgo island is considerably flatter, with a more rolling terrain and agrarian land. The main town on this island, Oak Harbor seems more like a regular suburban town than the touristy Anacortes. After an hour long drive, we finally arrived at the Ferry station. A short wait later, the ferry arrives and we are loaded in. Parking the car, we climbed up to the passenger deck to take in the views of the strait as ferry pulled away.

In about half an hour, we had reached Port Townsend on the Olympic peninsula and were quickly back on the road towards Port Angeles. The nearly 50 mile drive took about an hour and a half due to the twisting and turning road. The strait runs on one side of the road, and the lush hills adorn the other side all along. There are numerous lavender farms and wildlife viewing areas along the way, but we kept going as time was limited this trip. At Port Angeles, we turn towards the mountains and get on the road to Hurricane Ridge.

The Olympic National forest is known for it interesting mix of ecosystems, with rainforests, beaches and high mountains thrown in. Our first destination was the mountains. Climbing the road to hurricane ridge, we first pass through miles of lush forest and as we ascend, the vegetation changes to conifers and lush grassland with a lot of wildflowers.

As we reach the top, at about 5500 ft above seal level, the fog was thick, visibility was really short and the brisk wind is chilly. Shortly, however the fog lifts ever so slightly to reveal a beautiful vista of meadows and peaks. On a clear day, we should be able to spot Mt. Rainier, but the fog is thick enough to deny us that sight.

A few photographs and a hot cocoa at the Hurricane ridge visitor center later, we are back on our way down. Back at Port Angeles, we grab a quick lunch and decide that we need to head back to Port Townsend to catch a timely ferry back to Anacortes. We missed the rain forests and famed beaches of the Olympic Peninsula but there is always the next time. We make it in good time for the ferry and trace our way back to our B&B. This is when the realization strikes that the trip is coming to an end and we are to fly back to Houston the next day!

A relaxing dinner and packing of our suitcases we were all set for the next day.

Day 3 ends and H-town here we come!

Waking up on day 2, we were refreshed and raring to continue on our way around the Cascade Loop. But first, there was breakfast. After devouring the fresh breakfast served by our hostess, we spent some time photographing from the porch and then we were off.

The plan for the day was to reach Anacortes by nightfall, stopping along the way at the many quaint towns and scenic viewpoints that dot the loop. The first thing we noticed was the landscape had changed dramatically from the first day. The mountains were as massive as behind us, but now apparently on the leeward side, the land was noticeably drier and pines had given way to shrubs. The stream still flowed by the roadside and it was contrasting to note the flowing water on one side and dry land on the other. Our first stop was barely 20 minutes from Leavenworth. The small town of Cashmere is apparently named after Kashmir, due to its beauty! The town is known for its special candy made from apples and apricots, called applets and cotlets. Driving around, the town felt like it was from a wild west movie.

Cashmere, WA – the apple town. Notice the dry mountains in the picture below. We were in the leeward side now. The River Wentachee flows along.
It joins the River Columbia at Wentachee, a few miles from Cashmere.

Our next stop was at the town of Wenatchee, specifically the famed Ohme gardens. This private garden has a beautiful landscaped and paved area with many small pools and awesome views all around. It is filled with conifers and it stood out in the dry scrub landscape all around it.

Ohme gardens, rugged landscape turned green

Leaving Wenatchee we took Hwy Alt-97 towards Lake Chelan. There are so many scenic vistas on the way, with the Columbia river flowing by the roadside. The Columbia is a massive river and it flows all the way into the Pacific Ocean near Portland, Or. We saw a couple of dams to harness the river and the large reservoirs they formed were the hub of water sports and activities.

Views along the road, dry mountains and dammed water.

We arrived at the town of Chelan, on the southern tip of Lake Chelan just in time for lunch. After a quick bite at a Thai/Italian(!!) restaurant, we took a walk by the waterside. Lake Chelan is a huge lake actually the third deepest one in the US and the town itself is similar to any typical American town on the lake. It thrives on touristy activities like water sports and rentals, waterfront shops and restaurants.

Lake Chelan

The drive from Chelan to the North Cascades National Forest is dotted with small cowboy towns like Pateros, Methow, Twisp, Winthrop and Mazama and along the way, we got on Hwy 20 West. Upon crossing Mazama, we entered the 70 mile stretch of the North Cascade national forest. This is a gorgeous stretch as the landscape changes to magnificent peaks with ice at the top and coniferous vegetation start to appear. Along the way are two glacial lakes, Ross Lake and Diablo Lake. The distinctive color of each lake (Ross is teal, Diablo is jade) is caused by finely ground rock dust suspended in the water and reflecting the green of the forest and the blue of the sky. Beyond the lakes, the road descends fast, and there are a couple of waterfalls as we head out of the national forest. There are numerous hiking trails and if you have sometime hit the trails.

Outside the national forest, it was more rural landscape that we sped through to reach our destination. The landscape had quickly changed to
flat land and we crossed the bridge into Fidalgo island where Anacortes is situated. Islands always remind you flat lands with pretty beaches all around and palm trees swaying but Anacortes is not the flat beach side we expected. Ups and downs, narrow roads, mountains on one side, sea on the other, it was a sight! We quickly found our destination, Heron House Guest Suites and checked in. Too tired to do anything else, we hit the sack.

And that was day 2.