Sixth Day of our trip
Miles driven today: 224.4; Total miles for Trip: 2,667.8
Gas Mileage today 33.1 mpg, average of 30.8 mpg for trip
Total elapse driving time 41 hours, 53 minutes, 29 seconds
Wake to full
sun it looks to be a very warm one, 60’s. Breakfast: eggs, sausage/bacon, yogurt, shared
muffin, banana, coffee to go. Leaving
around 9AM today as we only have about 200 miles to go and our hotel check in is
3PM. Across the bridge we enter the
Cascades moving away from the Columbia.
Even this far north its size and volume have great effect on the area’s
climate. The higher mountains further on
still have some snow on them. The amount
of snow pack determines water for growing because it is extremely arid.
We follow
the Wenatchee River supporting crops but the valley narrows as we climb; the
river is swift and high with snow melt.
Many of the higher peaks (10-11K) are snow covered and the sides are
heavily treed. We see a dramatic water
fall from the spring melt that likely will disappear by August. It’s a bright sunny day and a very pleasant
drive. We pass through the town of
Leavenworth; it has reinvented itself into a Swiss Alps theme and a big tourist
area. We pass through a couple high
passes; one of which takes us to snow level at a ski resort. As we decline the effects of the ocean can be
seen in the lushness of the plants. We
stay in the mid 70’s the rest of the day.
We join up with Rt 5 in Everett, heading north. The highway is its usual four lane busyness. This is the Skagit River Valley with acres of agriculture and cattle. We pass over a few large rivers that form estuaries with the ocean. Mt Baker is in view and very clear; one of the glaciated volcanoes in the state.
Mt. Baker
We take Rt 11 known as the Chuckanut Drive that offers an alternative driving into Bellingham. The first part is flat farmland bordering the ocean, tsunami warnings are posted. A few miles in we are stopped, a huge landslide has occurred. We returned to Rt 5. Once in Fairhaven (suburb of Bellingham) we drive the Chuckanut from that end. Gorgeous close valley and forested drive, very curvy and narrow. We drive to Taylor Shellfish Farm, a one-way narrow track through the woods, down a steep hill, it required a traffic light to allow traffic to move. We reach the business; there are very casual shed type buildings that serve as the café with outdoor dining as well on the water. We can see islands and Olympic Mountains. Oyster beds are floating all around. We get a selection of Washington oysters and a salad. Very expensive but a very authentic experience.
The road is closed ahead so we turn around and stop at Larrabee State Park to check out the facilities and amenities. Great place to camp. We check into Fairhaven Inn in the middle of town. This is a boutique hotel with beautiful antique facility and decor. Our room is large, 2 queens, with a balcony overlooking the Bay; we can see the ferry terminal in the near distance.
Pictures of our room
They offer us a free glass of wine; they have set up a small outdoor area bordering the street for drinks. The bar, café, library and reception areas are lovely.
Interior Pictures of Black Cat Building
We stop at the multilevel book store that includes a restaurant. We walk through the city green that is across from the hotel.
It has
cooled off and it should make sleep relaxing; the gulls are still calling. Tomorrow we will get on the ferry. Reports say Anchorage is having very rainy
and cool season so far. Bummer for
Dean’s baseball games.
We are
thankful for good weather and safe driving.
Nighty night.
No comments:
Post a Comment