Erwin was the first one out of the bed, got things readied for our trip to North Cascades National Park. Edith was lazyboned, but Erwin made her get out and get going. Erwin has to have his coffee, so he prepared a pot of it. Few motorhomes and other RVs were already gone. There was a cargo van parked in front of us few feet away and they were deaf. No, we did not go to them and say hi to them.
We were getting low on cash, so we stopped, on our way back to I-5, at Bank of America.
From I-5 Exit 232 we are now on Cook Road going to meet SR 20 in Sedro Wooley, WA
The drive on SR 20 was very lovely and captivating. We stopped at North Cascades Parkway Visitor Center to look around, take a hike and to ask questions about campground.
After getting information from the ranger we went outside and took a short stroll to Sterling Munro Viewpoint (330 ' boardwalk trail).
Newhalem Creek Campground is near the visitor center and it has two loops, and we wanted to see what Loop 'A' sites are like. We liked site #5 and it was vacant. We parked the Lil' Home on it, drove the Jeep to kiosk to register. One night fee is $16, but for Seniors over 62 years old or those having Eagle Pass card pay only $8 a night. We did not have small change on us, so we put in $10.
After getting information from the ranger we went outside and took a short stroll to Sterling Munro Viewpoint (330 ' boardwalk trail).
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| Inside the Visitor's Center at North Cascades |
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| On way to Sterling Munro Viewpoint |
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The Picket Range |
After getting the LH leveled up and slideouts out we went back to State Route 20 going East to check out several overlooks/viewpoints. The first stop was Gorge Creek Falls trailhead. We hiked about 1/3 of a mile, saw a couple small waterfalls.
Next stop was to go to North Cascades Environmental Learning Center. The parking lot was really really full, but we managed to find one tight spot that the Jeep could fit into. If we had driven our LH we won't be able to park it anywhere. Anyway, there were lots of bathers there and the view was gorgeous!
Diablo Dam, we drove on the bridge to the other side, checked out campground. Not suitable for our LH, too small spaces and uneven terrain.
Then to Diablo Lake Overlook and the wind was very overpowering. You can see all trees leaning in one direction because of the mountain winds. Since those trees are exposed they are sculpted into whichever way the wind blows. It was a good thing that today was a lovely day.
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| Wind sculpted trees |
Next one was Ross Lake Overlooks, but after we parked and walked a bit we decided not to continue and drove away.
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| We did not see fires, but it may have been put out before we got there |
We had enough to see for the afternoon and were on our way back to the campground. Since we were in a national park there is no grocery store and we needed to get few breakfast items. The nearest store was like 35 miles away, so we stopped at Shell Gas stayion in Marblemount to pick up eggs and milk.
Leaving Marblemount, WA Edith took over driving because Erwin started to feel tired and sleepy.
After supper we played a new game we bought last week. It is Tri-ominos (3 sided domino). Erwin won the first game.
Since it was cool and pleasant we went out for a short walk around the campground. There were no hookups at all sites it got little warm in our bedroom, so we opened the window by each side of the bed. Nice gentle breeze came in.
Around 11:45 pm Edith got up to check out the stars and the Milky Way, but the sky was not pitch black yet. She went back to bed disappointed.
Miles driven:
LH - 87
Jeep- 120
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| Today's route: A: Bellingham WA B: I-5 Exit 232 C: Sedro-Wooley, WA D: North Cascades Nehalem Creek Campground, WA |
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