Day 4 - North Cascades National Park

With nothing concrete on our schedule today, we drove 2 1/2 hours north of Seattle to visit the North Cascades National Park.  This park's alpine landscape includes jagged peaks, glaciers, waterways, and forested valleys. Established as a national park in 1968, the North Cascades mountain range has long been known as the North American Alps.

We left our inn about 9:45 am and were greeted with blue sky peeking through the clouds along with a bright sun!  We stopped for a convenience store pick up just outside Darrington and discovered an amazing view of a snow capped mountain rising behind a farmer's barn.

We soon turned onto the North Cascades Highway (Highway 20) which follows along the Skagit River.  The water appeared emerald green in many places and numerous waterfalls fed into the river.  Rip rap, boulders, and downed trees lined the banks as well.

After a traditional photo with the National Park entry sign, we entered the historic company town of Newhalem.  It's owned by Seattle City Light and serves as a town for the employees of the Skagit River Hydroelectric Project.  It was a unique town with homes that all looked very similar, shared common space, and recreational facilities.

As we got further into the park, more and more waterfalls were flowing with snowmelt, further feeding the Skagit River.  An overlook trail was our next stop and it offered amazing views of Gorge Lake, the dam that created it, and the Skagit River below.  The trail was full of moss, lichen, fern, and something similar to Spanish moss.  The Gorge Creek Falls were also nearby and provided an excellent photo opportunity.

Further into the park, we came to Diablo Lake.  Its dam had a single-lane road across the top which led to further buildings owned by Seattle City Light and an Environmental Learning Center.  I maneuvered our car back across the dam and then continued further up into the mountains.  The Diablo Lake Vista Point was our last scenic pullout and it did not disappoint!  A bit further up the road, we arrived at milepost 134 where the road was closed while crews working to clear winter snow and avalanches.  The rest of the highway usually opens in May.

It was now late afternoon and we needed to head back to Seattle.  We followed Highway 20 back to I-5, before heading back south.  Along the way, we came to a Wildlife Viewing Area which was full of a herd of elk.  This reminded me of the inside joke I have with the Hansens:  Cue the Elk! 

We had eaten a late lunch, so a late dinner was also in order.  As we approached Seattle, we decided we should try Toulouse Petit (a New Orleans style restaurant) which we had seen 2 days ago near Seattle Center.  After struggling a bit to find parking, we arrived and had an amazing meal.  A cajun-flavored meatloaf and salad for me, while Carolyn had one of "the best dinners ever":  a seafood gumbo.

We leave Seattle tomorrow and start the traveling portion of our journey.  We are looking forward to the new adventures awaiting us.