Day 3 - July 10:
We stayed in Winthrop last night so that we could visit North Cascades National Park today. I was rather disappointed. We drove so many miles and it wasn't worth it. 95% of the park is wilderness area and can only be accessed by those backpacking in. We saw some lovely scenery as we drove around the outer edge of the park.
There are lots of glaciers but no access. Most of the "lakes" are actually dams and reservoirs.
It WAS beautiful and if you are in that area anyway then it is a nice park to visit and a lovely drive. But, not so much worth the hundreds of miles we drove to see it. Ah, well!!! Winthrop was worth it. :) Another mistake we made -- when we reserved our hotel rooms we didn't make sure that they were on the ground floor or that there was access to an elevator. So far we have had to carry 2 suitcases, a cooler, a box, and our backpack/purse either up or down stairs to our rooms. Not smart for people with bad knees and shoulders.
We did like this road sign -
Our stop the next day was Mt. Ranier and we got a glimpse of it this afternoon. A nice way to end a long and tedious drive.
Day 4 - July 11:
Today we drove into Mt. Ranier Park. We spent most of the day at Sunrise in the northern end of the park. It was so beautiful. These are some sights as we drove into the park on the way to Sunrise:
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Our first easy hike was partially over snow.
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We picked up a flower booklet at the visitor's center and tried to identify them on our walks.
Unfortunately, we were swarmed by mosquitoes and had no bug spray! Poor Kent had huge red welts all over his neck and arms by the time we got back down. We ran straight to the little store there and bought some spray. End of problem. Well end of MORE problem.
We had lunch at a picnic area in the park - thank you tax dollars - and then we went on a second hike. This one was to Emmons Glacier. It was amazing.
I knew that my friend, Yvonne Harrell, was doing a similar trip with all of her family. So, I texted her from Sunrise to see where they were and what they were doing. They were also at Mt. Ranier - but on the opposite side from us!! We had some fun texting back and forth but never got to see each other.
We had reservations on that other side - at the Paradise Inn. So, we had a nice drive through the park to the lodge. Our last stop was at a place called the Grove of the Patriarchs. It was an old forest and was so beautiful that we found ourselves whispering as we walked through it.
Here is what the inside of the lodge looks like. I'll tell you the rest tomorrow:
We stayed in Winthrop last night so that we could visit North Cascades National Park today. I was rather disappointed. We drove so many miles and it wasn't worth it. 95% of the park is wilderness area and can only be accessed by those backpacking in. We saw some lovely scenery as we drove around the outer edge of the park.
There are lots of glaciers but no access. Most of the "lakes" are actually dams and reservoirs.
It WAS beautiful and if you are in that area anyway then it is a nice park to visit and a lovely drive. But, not so much worth the hundreds of miles we drove to see it. Ah, well!!! Winthrop was worth it. :) Another mistake we made -- when we reserved our hotel rooms we didn't make sure that they were on the ground floor or that there was access to an elevator. So far we have had to carry 2 suitcases, a cooler, a box, and our backpack/purse either up or down stairs to our rooms. Not smart for people with bad knees and shoulders.
We did like this road sign -
Our stop the next day was Mt. Ranier and we got a glimpse of it this afternoon. A nice way to end a long and tedious drive.
Day 4 - July 11:
Today we drove into Mt. Ranier Park. We spent most of the day at Sunrise in the northern end of the park. It was so beautiful. These are some sights as we drove into the park on the way to Sunrise:
Our first easy hike was partially over snow.
Unfortunately, we were swarmed by mosquitoes and had no bug spray! Poor Kent had huge red welts all over his neck and arms by the time we got back down. We ran straight to the little store there and bought some spray. End of problem. Well end of MORE problem.
We had lunch at a picnic area in the park - thank you tax dollars - and then we went on a second hike. This one was to Emmons Glacier. It was amazing.
I knew that my friend, Yvonne Harrell, was doing a similar trip with all of her family. So, I texted her from Sunrise to see where they were and what they were doing. They were also at Mt. Ranier - but on the opposite side from us!! We had some fun texting back and forth but never got to see each other.
We had reservations on that other side - at the Paradise Inn. So, we had a nice drive through the park to the lodge. Our last stop was at a place called the Grove of the Patriarchs. It was an old forest and was so beautiful that we found ourselves whispering as we walked through it.
There was a sign before this bridge that said "One person at a time". Should we have been worried??
Here is what the inside of the lodge looks like. I'll tell you the rest tomorrow:
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