Day 1
Some of our very best friends from college live in Bellingham, Wa. We drove up to see them and attend church services there. It had only been 24 years since we last saw them. Here we are with Joe and Debbie. Joe preaches for the church in Bellingham.
Nan and Joe take the prize for the least change since college. Debbie and I have changed the most in the hair department. Hers straightened out and changed colors, mine turned grey but mostly turned loose.
Day 2
After leaving Joe and Debbie's we went sightseeing in the North Cascades National Park and in Olympic National Park. The North Cascades has a driving loop that takes you from valleys into mountains and from the lush green mountains into almost desert like areas. We did the whole loop and ended up in Seattle that night.
Mt. Baker is a very prominent feature in the landscape north of Seattle. Almost everything is named for it.
At the beginning of the North Cascades Loop is the valley area. There is beautiful farmland, quaint little church buildings (though not many), and rivers full of melting snow.
Climbing higher into the mountains we came into the snow capped areas we had seen from below. It is interesting to be next to 8 feet of snow and be hot in a long sleeved shirt. The temperature was great and so were the views.
One of the nice sights was Diablo Lake. Here are two shots.
We met a cyclist at the Diablo Lake overlook. He had started from Mount Vernon that morning at 4 a.m. and had already travelled 70 miles. He was asking other folks if they had any water because he was running low. We gave him the leftovers of a Sobe drink and another person had a bottle of water they gave him. He was headed to Winthrop to be with family and friends. He looked to be about our age and Nan and I both admired his endurance. From that point forward in the trip we thought of everything from the perspective of biking the Loop. We figure the guy died along the way - we would have!
Now here is the way to travel the Loop. This cool little truck followed us for miles.
The best place to bike the Loop is from Washington Pass down to Winthrop. It is downhill all the way and must be about 40 miles long. That's my kind of biking. Winthrop is in the valley on the east side of the Cascades. The town is set in a western theme. We ate there at the little place pictured below. You can see Nan in the window.
Leaving Winthrop we drove through the valley and then back up into some mountainous areas. These areas were desert like areas. You can see how different it is to the green valleys and mountains at the beginning of our trip.
Day 3
The last day of our sightseeing took us to Olympic National Park. Believe it or not, the mountains were actually warmer than ONP. That is because ONP is next to the Pacific Ocean. The wind blowing in from the ocean keeps the temperatures cooler. It also adds to the fog and cloudiness that is often covering ONP. The temperature was about 60 or lower at ONP while in the Cascades it was 60 to 70 degrees.
ONP has several different ecosystems. There is a typical mountainous area, a rain forest and the Pacific Coast. Part of this area is like the huge forests in California. You get the idea from this next photo. The sign identifying this tree simply says, "Big Spruce Tree." Somewhat of an understatement.
There were some nice wild flowers along the way.
The rain forest is really cool. Pictures do not begin to represent what we saw. The water running down from the mountains is so clear that when I took a picture looking down into the creek, the stones and wood on the bottom didn't appear to be in water. Moss covers everything and, of course, there are mosquitoes picnicking on every visitor.
Like I said, moss covers everything! Here is a more impressive look at the rain forest.
The last ecosystem, and the coldest, was the beach. The beach is not sandy like you might expect. It is covered with smooth stones and huge trees that have been turned into driftwood.
Well. That about does it for the travelogue. Nan and I really enjoy the opportunity to see this wonderful country of ours. We continue to be impressed with the creation God has placed us into and our faith in Him is continually increased as we witness His handiwork.
By the way. No moose in Washington state that I could find. We did see signs indicating the chance to see elk. We didn't. We did see a deer, an otter, several interesting birds, and some really weird people (in downtown Seattle). The quest continues.
