August 25-27, 2007 - We arrived in Anacortes, Washington from Victoria, BC and, after savoring a "burger and two beer" lunch
special for a total of $7.50 at a cute little bistro, we headed out over the Northern Cascade mountains towards Idaho. It was a
beautiful drive. We stopped for photos at the magical Diablo Lake where the water is a brilliant turquoise.
While admiring the
view, we turned and
saw there was
another 2007 Lynx
travel trailer parked
nearby. What a
surprise! We saw
only a handful of
Lynxes all year -- an
'05 and a few from
the 1990's. Where
are all the others?
After climbing through the trees for miles and miles we came
across a scenic viewpoint at Washington Pass. This is no ordinary
pullout. Set back a half mile from the road there are bathrooms,
picnic tables with water spigots and a charming paved walking trail
along a spectacular ridge overlooking the winding road far below.
We took our time at this spot.
The road over the Cascades was completed in 1972, and many of
the towns along the way took that occasion to dress up a bit for
the tourists. The very cute town of Winthrop was refurbished
during the 1970's to reflect its western mining heritage, and today
it is a wonderful walking town.
When we arrived we
discovered they were
hosting a fiddling
contest. Fiddlers
from all over the west
had come to
compete. The kids
played really well.
Music seemed to be appreciated everywhere. We stopped in
another town to pick up some goodies at the farmer's market,
and a group of musicians was entertaining people there as well.
Leaving northern Washington we crossed into northern Idaho
where we discovered the delightful Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes
bike path.