Since everything we had yesterday from the Stehekin Pastry Company was so good, there was some serious discussion about returning for breakfast again this morning. However, with no transportation, we would have had to hoof it 2 miles there and 2 miles back before our ferry departure at 10:40AM. The timing seemed a little tight, so sadly I can't provide a report on their biscuits and gravy.
I guess we'll just have to come back!
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| Just geese, no ducks |
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| Spending quality time with old friends is such a blessing! |
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| Our room was on the first floor, 2nd from right |
Then we checked out and waited on the patio of the lodge until it was time to board the ferry. Our departure was slightly delayed because one of the passengers thought he had time to go for a short hike. Doh!
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| So long, Stehekin! Until next time... |
We arrived back at Fields Point Landing around 12:30PM, about 20 minutes later than expected. Because we still had a lot of driving ahead of us, we said goodbye to RH and C in the parking lot (we'll see them again when we come back to Seattle on Thursday) and hit the road.
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| 215 miles (4.5 hours) |
In Twisp, WA-153 turns into WA-20. From here west to Sedro-Woolley, this portion of WA-20 is also known as the North Cascades Scenic Byway. It's called that for a good reason! The road climbs up into the mountains through alpine forests, passing through Ross Lake National Recreation Area before descending into the Skagit Valley.
Soon after crossing over Washington Pass, we saw scores of cars parked along both sides of the road. We must have been passing by a popular trailhead, possibly for the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail. I guess it shouldn't be surprising, considering that it was a beautiful Saturday afternoon for hiking.
We didn't spend much time in Ross Lake NRA, stopping just long enough to get pics of the entrance sign and from the scenic overlooks for Ross Lake and Diablo Lake.
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| Ross Lake NRA, Lake Chelan NRA, and North Cascades NP are all managed as part of the same complex |
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| A layer of smoke was hanging over Ross Lake... |
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| ...and was even worse over Diablo Lake |
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| R's iPhone captured the turquoise color of the water better than my DSLR |
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| Thunder Arm of Diablo Lake |
In Newhalem, we stopped at the Skagit Information Center for passport stamps, but they didn't have staffing for this location. The North Cascades National Park Visitor Center a little further down the road closed for the season YESTERDAY! Ugh. By the time we approached the Wilderness Information Center in Marblemount, it was already past their posted closing time so we didn't even try to get the stamps. And I knew that the headquarters in Sedro-Woolley was only open weekdays, so I just waved at the office as we drove by.
I'm 0-for-4 in stamping attempts today. 😭
We arrived at the Holiday Inn Express in Burlington with daylight to spare. This will be our home base for the next two nights. A free stay, thanks to IHG Reward Points - yay! After unloading our stuff, we checked out the online reviews for local restaurants and decided to go with Railroad Pub & Pizza. It was located next to the railroad tracks (of course!) and had a great vibe inside with vaulted ceilings and huge open garage doors to let the evening breeze flow thru.
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| Pretzel with beer cheese and meatball pizza - yum! |
After dinner, we headed over to Fred Meyer to restock our groceries/snacks and then went back to the hotel to turn in since we were exhausted. Besides, we have an early ferry to catch to San Juan Island tomorrow morning!
*Update 11/3/2022 - I sent out self-addressed stamped envelopes requesting the stamps I missed and have gotten them back from two locations! Woohoo!
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