The Ryan RV Express: 28AUG09

Friday, August 28, 2009

28AUG09 - Winthrop, WA

Rather than driving straight north on I-5 to Vancouver, BC, we decided to take the Highway 20 through the North Cascades National Park. This highway is also known as the North Cascades Highway; and although a north Cascades route was approved in 1895 (that’s right – 1895), it wasn’t completed until 1972. It transverses some of the most rugged terrain in the Cascades. In fact, the highway is closed six months of the year due to snow. The forest on the wet west side is totally different (tightly packed pine trees, with little open areas) than the much dryer east side (loosely bunched Douglas Firs, with lots of rocky open areas). It is a very scenic drive for those not in a hurry. And we actually saw two sets of Sasquatch (ie Big Foot) foot prints across the road!

This area on the western side of the Cascades receives some of the highest snow falls in the continental USA, and is home to the highest number of glaciers in the USA, outside of Alaska. We stopped at the National Park information center to view the exhibits and watch a film about the still unexplored wilderness areas of the North Cascades. For those into serious hiking you can access the Pacific Coast Trail here, the trail extends from just inside Canada to the Mexican border.

http://www.nps.gov/noca/index.htm

http://www.byways.org/explore/byways/2230/

http://www.fs.fed.us/pct/

We decided to spend the night in Winthrop, WA. Winthrop used to be at the end of the western portion of the highway before it was completed. The citizens realized that when the highway was completed, many potential tourists might just drive straight through town if there was not a reason to stop. So they decided to “remodel” their town as an “old west” town. In our opinion it is OK; but Leavenworth, WA, previously discussed in this BLOG did a better job with their “Bavarian” theme. Winthrop is home to the oldest saloon in WA, Three Fingered Jacks. But Dan feels any place that advertises Family Fun with pizza and ice cream, is no longer a true saloon!