in the POD - over the mountains (again) and through ......

Skagit River, North Cascades Mountains, WA.

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Two days and 566 miles later

 - ultimately not that far - 

but we have already gone through at least four distinct weather regions. 

We left Lummi Island early in the morning catching the first ferry of the day to the mainland. Rain and really cold temps followed as we began our climb into the North Cascades. 

But .... was it beautiful!!

We climbed higher and higher and the moss got deeper and deeper on the branches of the trees that hung leaden with the weight. 

Carved into the mountains the road was lined with towering Ponderosa Pines and winded its way ever so slowly into the snow capped horizon that we saw in the distance.

The Skagit River running below us was teal blue (!!!!) 

So clear and looking so COLD.

(There is no color filter or correction on the above photo! It was really that color!

North Cascades National Park, WA

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There were more shades of green than I could have imagined and it filled the vistas surrounding me. The green crept its way across the floor of the forest, up over rocks and trees. Dream like. 

Sensuous.

Timeless.

waterfalls at every turn

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 The forests were so heavy with dampness and the sound of the cascading falls was omnipresent. At every turn there were waterfalls - low, high... everywhere.

The drive was spectacular! Every turn - of which there were many - was a mouth agape "Oh My!" moment. 

At one stop along the way we even saw a herd of elk in the distance. One of them was obviously on watch. He was aware of our presence and stared directly at us while the others slowly moved into a tight group. We needed our binoculars to see them close up - but it was a siting none the less.
I have seen elk!

In the clouds

Ross Lake National Recreation Area, WA

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Close to the summit of the Cascades was Ross Lake, a reservoir created in the early 40's as part of the Ruby Dam built for hydro-electric power. Okay - not a natural lake .....but still spectacular.

Ross Lake National Recreation Area, WA

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Washington Pass, summit 

North Cascades Range, WA

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And then just a few miles up the road ..... snow. Lots of it! The banks on the side of the road were at least 6' high!! And, of course, it was snowing!!!!!!

and - it was kind of beautiful.

and then we headed back down the mountain into eastern Washington.

It was a different world.

Winthrop, WA

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Winthrop, WA. was dry, high desert. I felt like we were in Santa Fe, NM with lots more greenery and taller trees. And it was dry and warm! Truthfully, all the moss in the Pacific NW was beginning to make me jiggy - both my eyes and body needed to "dry out" for a spell.

high desert, Methow Valley, WA.

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containers for shipping 

apple, cherries, and pears

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Desert Yellow Daisy

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We camped for the night at Lake Roosevelt. The POD sat on the top of a bluff overlooking the lake and the surrounding mountains and we watched as the rain clouds skirted us to give us a glorious sunset.

We were the only campers there!

Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area

Spring Canyon Campground

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The morning rose early and as I looked up from my coffee cup I saw a family of three deer quietly enjoying their breakfast as they slowly made their way up the hill. 

Following close behind was a gaggle (?) of quail. Up close their coloring was quite beautiful and their quick pace and bobbing head were delightful to watch.

a family of white-tailed deer 

sharing breakfast with us at the campground

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Eastern Washington 

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After all the mountains, dampness, and did I say... moss? The landscape of eastern Washington was so different from what I ever expected. Washington state is the 3rd largest agricultural exporter in the nation. Who knew? The farm lands here on the eastern side are both irrigated and dry land farms growing

wheat, hops, apples, pears, and cherries. 

We climbed again, this time out of the eastern Washington valley and skirted up through the panhandle of northern Idaho; 

Lake Coeur d'Alene - OMG - huge, beautiful, and went on forever..

Wallace and Osborne - old silver mining towns nestled between the mountains.

Following the Coeur d'Alene River and its tributaries we wound our way up to another summit and immediately crossed into Montana, the Big Sky State, to meet up with more snow and a few 

snow squalls.

As I sit here tonite in the high desert of rolling hills of Montana outside of Missoula I am surrounded by snow capped mountains. I have no idea what the weather holds from this point out. 

I see from the web that only the northern access road in Yellowstone National Park is currently open....

Uggh - we are a week too early! 

Maybe that's okay.

Means we will have to come back.

Let's see what tomorrow holds.

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