Tuesday, August 18: We left at 7:30 this morning and drove north beyond Seattle. Traffic was heavy but we were able to use the express lane so that helped quite a bit. After we got beyond the heavy traffic we stopped for breakfast at an IHOP and had a short FaceTime chat with Lisa and Zeke while we were there.

We stopped in Sedro-Woolley for some park information and advice on the best stops to make in the North Cascades National Park.

Our morning coffee break was a bit later than usual (about 11:00 AM) but we found a nice spot at the Rockport State Park.

Next we stopped at the Nehalem Visitor Center where we could see smoke rising from the hillside across the road from the entrance.

Up the road a bit at the Gorge Dam we followed signs that said “Falls and Gardens” across a bridge over the Gorge Creek. We were able to get some nice footage of the Ladder Creek Falls from there. The gardens there were originally established in 1925 by a superintendent of Seattle City Light to showcase the wonders of the electricity produced by the dam.

One of the recommended stops turned out to be a bit of a disappointment. The Gorge Creek Falls were little more than a trickle. We found a lunch spot at a campground on Gorge Lake.

We stopped at the overlook above Diablo Lake and then Ross Lake. The Skaggit River that we had been following and Gorge, Diablo and Ross Lakes were an awesome aquamarine color. With the wonderful weather today - brilliant blue skies with just a few wisps of clouds the views we gorgeous!

We had one last break at the Rainy Lake picnic area. Our last stop through the North Cascades was at the Washington Pass Overlook. The views from there in every direction were fantastic.

Great photo spot!

The spot Jim was taking the above photo from

Our stay for the night is in the town of Winthrop at the Rio Vista Hotel. Our room has a deck overlooking the confluence of the Methrow and Chewuch Rivers. The town was originally  founded in the late 1800’s and the modern day town has retained the flavor of an old stagecoach stop. We shall have to explore some of the interesting shops in town in the morning.

View from our deck