We awoke early to an absolutely gorgeous day on Sunday. We had been talking about driving north to take a look at a piece of property located a few miles outside Sedro-Woolley, WA, and this seemed like a perfect day to go for a drive.
This beautiful 1/4-acre lot is set up perfectly for an RV. Full hookups, a little shed plumbed for a washer and dryer. Beautifully landscaped. Even though we are not really looking for property, the idea of a home base in the Pacific Northwest is always in the back of our minds. What drew us to this little gem is that it sits atop the banks of the beautiful and fast-moving Skagit River, one of our favorite places.
We hit the road around 7:30 a.m. And after making our usual stop at Starbucks, we were soon on our way. We didn't go far before we drove into a huge fog bank and we stayed in the soupy conditions until just before we arrived in Sedro-Woolley.
The lot we went to see with the neighbor's fifth wheel for a little perspective.
We found the property easily and it was every bit as wonderful as we thought it would be. As luck would have it, the neighbor to the north was spending the weekend in his RV that he keeps on his lot, which is very similar to the one we were visiting. Stan was very forthcoming with information which we appreciated.
The Skagit River view.
On this gorgeous day, the river was flowing 12 to 15 feet below the property, but according to Stan, when the snow melts and the river rises, it can wreak havoc on the unstable riverbank. While it is rare that it rises enough to actually overflow it's banks and flood the property (although it can in a bad year) the fast flowing river can do damage by ripping out trees and eating away atnthenproperty. Getting permits to stabilize the banks is difficult and costly. Too bad, it coul have been a contender.
Since it was still fairly early in the day, we weren't ready tonturn around and go home. Backtracking the same route home just seemed boring. Our only other option was to drive the North Cascades Loop, which we knew would make for a very long day, but we didn't care.
Incredible vista along the way...
We made our way northeast out of the Skagit Valley and began the long slow climb over Washington Pass (Elev. 5,477) and Rainy Pass (Elev. 4,860) and down the curvy roads into the Methow Valley. Along the way, we were treated to beautiful views of towering granite walls, lush carpeted green valleys, thick forests, gorgeous blue lakes and blue skies filled with interesting wispy white clouds. We passed through numerous small communities bustling with rafters, campers, bikers, hikers and picknicking families, all enjoying the warm sunny weather and the scenic surroundings.
This was a pretty typical view out our car window.
We entered the Methow Valley at Mazuma, a sleepy little town with a General Store and much else. Not too far from there is the Freestone Inn, a beautiful lodge we have visited on a couple of occasions. We wanted to see if it was still in business, given the state of the economy. We were happy to see people buzzing around, and that a few vacation homes have been built around the little lake since our last visit there.
We took a much-needed lunch break in Winthrop, the little town that looks like the set from a Western movie, with false-fronted wooden buildings, hitching rails and board sidewalks. It is a very touristy town, and it was teeming with people, which made parking difficult. We managed somehow and chose a restaurant with the one all-important amenity- air conditioning. Yeah the temps in the valley were reaching 100 degrees, quite a bit more than the 50 - 60 degrees we had previously been enjoying.
Linda waiting for her burger in Winthrop.
After lunch and a walk down the main drag I Winthrop, we continued on our trip, winding our way along the river and the many, many fruit orchards as we made our way toward the Columbia River Valley and Wenatchee. At Peteros, we could see tons of activity at the waterfront park, so we decided to go see what all the fuss was about. There was a festival of sorts going on but the big draw was the hydro boat races. These things are loud and fast and lots of fun to watch. The only way tonlaunch the boats was by setting them in the water with a crane, so there were a few onshore to see up close and personal. The real action, of course, was on the water and there was lots of hooting and hollering and cheering on of all the drivers.
Hydros at the waterfront festival.
Back out on the road, we made our usual stops at the open fruit stands, although there didn't seem to be much in season at this time. Peaches and plums mostly. In and around the orchards, there was no activity and it was clear a few of the smaller fruit warehouses had gone out of business. I confess ignorance as to harvest times, but it was the "For Sale" signs out front that made it clear that the inactivity was more than just it being off season.
As we followed the mighty Columbia River, we couldn't resist taking a look at properties for sale. The truth is we are just not drawn to the Columbia like we are to the Skagit River. The latter is a beautiful milky emerald green that flows through a lush forested landscape, whereas the Columbia is a muddy lue surrounded by desert. It's not that it isn't beautiful, it is just a different kind of beautiful. And yet, properties were much more expensive, probably due to the fact that there are many more recreational opportunities on the Columbia.
Our next stop was the Beebe Bridge Park just east of Chalen. This is such a beautiful park, not a weed or sticker to be found in the acres of grass. It was here we decided we wanted to dip our toes in the river. With temperatures finally hitting the 100 degree mark, we just knew it would feel wonderful, and it did.
Linda cools her heels in the Columbia River at Beebe Park
At this point in our trip, we had a decision to make. Do we hookmupmwith I-90 and fast track home or do we take Highway 2 and leisurely make our way home through Leavenworth, over Steven's Pass, through Monroe, Carnation and finally home to Sammamish?
We stopped just outside Leavenworth to look at these breathtaking rapids.
We took the long way home, of course, as we nearly always do. It was 8:30 p.m. When we arrived home after our 13-hour vacation. We both agreed we had had an amazing day.
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