Riding the North Cascades Parkway

There is something satisfactory about taking a room in a motel because it is cheap and provides reasonable shelter for the night, but when you see families living in a single room with two beds, a countertop with a microwave, and a bathroom that includes only a toilet and bathtub/shower, then it crosses into the realm of sadness. To see a child leave the motel room with his backpack so he can catch the school bus on the street points out the depths of poverty that many in this country, and in Canada, face.  The fridge is what many would refer to as a 'beer' fridge, and when your belongings can fit into a single motel room, it's nothing short of tragic.

 

When some people have so much, I am amazed that there doesn't seem to be enough for those people to have enough to be able to live in something more than the abject poverty that seems to be so endemic in our society.  The Sterling Motel, where we stayed in Burlington, WA last night is one of those places where people one step from homelessness make their final stand. I hope the woman who asked for a cigarette for her mother, but who smoked it herself is able to avoid that fate, but the way the system is set up both in Canada and the United States, I hold no great hopes.

 

The morning began in a rather leisurely manner with the crew enjoying a cup of good coffee before leaving the motel. We left Burlington by a rather circuitous route before reaching Highway 20 and heading east through little places with names like Sedro-Woolley, Concrete, Newhalem, and Mazama.  The highway ran through a canopy of trees and the new leaves were still that early spring bright green as we gained altitude.  For the first part of the ride the clouds hung low over the landscape but as we rode further east and gained altitude the low hanging clouds dissipated to a high and sullen overcast.

 

 

This is where we're headed.

 

Getting ready to roll

 

Having a 'bolt' at the rest stop.



 

As we continued to climb and head east we began to see patches of blue and the temperature began to rise. At our first stop at a roadside park we met two couples who were doing a ride from the Tri-Cities. One of the men had a GoldWing with just about every electronic and other accessory that he could hang off a motorcycle, including quite a few LED lights. No one could say that they didn't see him coming

 

Continuing on we stopped at Newhalem where there is a small store and display area that gives a sense of what it was like to live there when the Ross Dam was being built in the early 1950s. On display along the highway was a 1928 Baldwin steam locomotive which was used to bring supplies to the construction area during the time the dam was being built. It was retired in 1954 and refurbished in the 1970s.  The bell is brightly shined and when it is rung, it continues to reverberate for twenty or thirty seconds.

 

 

 

Close as I'll ever come to being in the cab of a steam locomotive

 



 We carried on to Gorge Falls, a narrow rivulet that cascades down a narrow defile on the side of a mountain. Further on we crossed Gorge Lake and continued to the lookout over Diablo Lake which has almost emerald green waters.  We met a couple who were riding from British Columbia and heading to Anacortes.

 

 

Gorge Falls

 

Gorge Falls

 

Creek enters Ross Lake

 

Roadside waterfall

 

Diablo Lake

 

l. to r.Tom, Kerry, Garry, Jim

l. to r. Tom, John, Kerry, Jim

 



 

Diablo Lake

 

Our trusty steeds



The highway climbs into the snow zone and before too long we were in an area where the snow came down to the road and extended below us on the slopes. The highway itself twists and turns with the terrain and the peaks are rather jagged.  The combination of rugged peaks partially covered with snow is a sight that is awe inspiring. Considering the small amount of traffic, it seems that people have yet to really discover it.

 

 

This is a great way to spend a spring afternoon



 

 

Riding above the snow line in mid May



 

There are extraordinary waterfalls, large and small along this section of highway as the snow melts in the spring sun.  The state has thoughtfully made a large number of pullouts where anyone who wishes can stop and enjoy the beauty of these mountains.

 

 

Big Red above the snow line

 

Waterfall in the Cascades

 

Mountain vista in the Cascades

 

Still snow left in the mountains.

I had dropped behind the other guys to stop and take photos, many of which I include here so I was later arriving in Winthrop, a small town that has been built with a western theme. Apparently, the first novel of 'The Virginian' series was written in Winthrop in the late 1890s. The 1960 series of the same name was inspired by the novels, I believe.

 

Garry & Jim, back in the saddle again

 

Winthrop Emporium

 

Local watering hole

 

Two local characters in Winthrop

 

Winthrop street scene

 

Bikes on the main street, Winthrop

 

We met in Winthrop, had lunch, strolled along the boardwalk, and took photos before hitting the road and heading east again. Past Twisp we turned south on State Route 153 where we saw the remains of the huge fire that burned for weeks near Twisp last summer. Mile after mile as we rode, we saw charred tree trunks with the occasional stand to pines laying in jumbled masses on the ground having been cut down, perhaps to stop the fire. It was somewhat depressing to see how all the vegetation had been burned away, leaving only soil and rocks in places.

 

At the junction of SR153 and Highway 97 we headed south to Wenatchee, stopping at the Wells Dam, part of the dam system on the Columbia River.  From there it was a fifty mile run to East Wenatchee where we were fortunate enough to find a room at the Cedars Inn.  apparently, there is a music festival in town this weekend and there are also several baseball and softball tournaments this weekend.  This is in addition to the 'Run for the Border' which will have about three hundred riders taking part. Wenatchee is a busy place this weekend.

 

Tomorrow we will head south probably into Oregon and then carry on to Idaho or Utah. We haven't figured that out yet.  But this trip is about five guys and a ride. Everything else is a bonus so however it plays out, it will be great.

 

Burlington, WA to Wenatchee, Wa