7/28/17 All over again


I have fallen in love again, but with an old flame.There are so many facets of Washington, that even with its flaws it still is a gem. We experienced all its faces today.

In BC we were constantly reminded of fire and had to restructure our routes because of it on several occasions. No mention of it in Washington rode us into our closest encounter yet. The fire cloud that awed us in the night spewed smoke and ash into the valley in the morning. The fire appeared to be in our planned direction, but we took off anyway,  expecting to be turned back at any point. Never reaching the road, the smoke gave us passage and then disappeared in an instant as we rode through. 

Traveling route 20, one of our favorites, we soared out of the desert and into the Northern Cascades. Cool ice capped glaciers abruptly appeared and snow edged the road at points, even though it was 78 degrees. Following the Skagit River, the sinuous road gave Rascal free rein as we rose in elevation and crunched to a stop over Lake Diablo. A reservoir created by one of three dams on the Skagit, facilitating water supply to Seattle, its beauty is at odds with its practicality. We looked down on impossibly blue glacial water, cupped in a circle of dense forest. Snowcaps provided the backdrop. Here we stopped for lunch, quietly assimilating our surroundings.

The rest of the day we spent oohing and ahhing at each curve of which there were enough to keep bike and man busy. Glaciers and waterfalls created by their melt fluctuated the temperature from 85 to 60 instantaneously. It was a ride of many peaks and valleys.

And we ended the day in another valley. Trying to avoid Seattle, we stopped in Arlington, a city at the foothills of the Cascades. The first time we rode in Washington, I proclaimed my love for it. Then other trips, other infatuations and new experiences intervened. Riding here again has rekindled my romance with this state of deserts, glaciers, rivers, ocean, fruit and of course wine. And it rode us well today, showing off all the jewels in its overflowing treasure chest. How enriched we are!


That's ash on the bike

Visability: poor

78 degrees and snow. 


Lake Diablo

Christmas card ?

Devil by a blue lake 

I think we're getting better at selfies

Oh the Northern Cascades

This at every turn 

Glacial beauty 

How lucky to be on this water 

Cascades!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

7/30/17 Rainier

Image
Poised to climb a mountain, we geared up and galloped out into the day. Smack in the middle of a fruitful valley we were bombarded with signs for growers large and small. Cherries were the main sell and not being able to resist them any longer, we pulled over. Just from the cooler, the Raniers  were cold and juicy. We entertained ourselves through the rest of the dry heat by scarfing down the cherries and spitting the seeds into the wind. So fitting that we demolished the Rainier cherries on the way to Mt. Rainier! Route 12 took us along the Natches River where fishermen stood waist deep, angling the waters for trout. An increase in elevation brought trees and refreshing air as we swerved our way upward. A glance over my shoulder caught a white peak. Miles later, Rainier deigned to make another, more open appearance. Flirting with us for miles, this volcanic giant loomed larger at every turn. And we weren't even in the park yet! My "Granny Pass" to the Nati
Read more

6/29/17 The Wanderlust is a serious disease

As soon as the sun refuses to set, our roots shrivel and we yearn for another run. Tomorrow we kick off the nation's birthday by putting the boot to our kickstand and heading north. Mink Pond for the weekend, then up into the Great White North. New territory, new adventures and us together again on the road. The anticipation is electrifying.
Read more

7/27/17 They let us back in!

Image
It was time to say good-bye to Canada and British Columbia, but we needed to squeeze out one last drop of pleasure before we left. A warm welcome of a day shooed us out of a Merritt onto highway 97c. The ascent into the mountains surprised us with a dramatic drop in temperature. I tucked in behind Jules and shivered gladly in my sleeveless shirt, trying to collect all the cool, knowing that the next valley would snatch it away from me. Invigorated, we ate the curves for breakfast, and scaled the mountain with ease.  The Okanagan Valley stole our chill, but the lake gave us respite as we took our wine and cheese break under a willow tree. Lake Okanagan, 84 miles long, is surrounded by vacationers cooling off from the heat, fruit trees and vineyards. As happy swimmers, kayakers and jet skiers played around us, we relished our moment in the shade. Remembering our ascent into the hellish temperatures of the valley from last year, we savored every breeze from the lake. Out into t
Read more