One night, two days

Thunder Knob Trail
Situated in the North Cascades it starts off at a campground and makes its way through deep moss, lush undergrowth, and the damp forest floor. After a bit, the scenery starts to change as it becomes more dry and arid like an eastern mountain climate. Mountain peaks with snow predominate the views higher up and the scrub brush springs up everywhere. The switchbacks are not steep but crisscross the mountainside. Once on top, there are a few well-placed benches to sit upon while enjoying lunch and the view of Lake Diablo, Mount Ross, and David's Peak. To the south is Colonial Peak.
Somethings I wish I would have brought:  hammocks because there are trees at the top perfectly placed for one or two hammocks and the sounds are peaceful.  Something more substantial to eat than cuties.  I'm thinking cheese and crackers would have fit the bill.  Also, the crackers might have tempted the yellow-throat-ed bird a bit closer for a photo.

Nehalem and the Dam
At the Nehalem, there is a very short walk called the Trail of Cedars along with Ladder Creek Falls just up the road behind the dam.  Both of these offered a nice place to stretch our legs and read up about the history of the area. The signs along the Trail of Cedars explained about the growth of trees and there were very clear examples of new growth and old growth.  We found ourselves looking around for each example and I felt like I was on a little bit of a treasure hunt. The marks left by a fire 50 years ago was evident.  This is the 75th anniversary of the story of Smokey the Bear. Granted that happened in California but still applicable to today.  Just down the road at the dam, we wandered behind it, climbed to the highest viewpoint for the ladder falls and had it almost to ourselves.  Unfortunately, the footbridge across was closed to renovations otherwise we would have done a little loop.  Beautiful moss covered rocks, logs, and cement structures giving it an abandoned and old world feel to it.







Winthrop was the quintessential western town.  A couple of blocks and we covered the main street. It had cute antique and home shops, saloons and restaurants, clothing stores and mini golf.  Our hotel was on the other side of town across the bridge along the river. The next morning, I grabbed some coffee and made my way down towards the Adirondack chairs facing the river for some quiet. With my journal, my camera and a blanket in hand I spent the next 45 minutes thinking and writing. Eventually John joined me and we made our way to breakfast and then back to town to take in a few more shops.  Being on vacation I needed ice cream as well and wasn't disappointed at all. Pretty soon it was time to make our way back home. There were a few more trails and look outs that I wanted to stop at before getting over the pass.  The first trail was Cutthroat Lake.  We started off in a snow filled parking lot and made our way along the trail, following the tracks in some areas and walking on bare trail in others.  The lake was tucked away surrounded by peaks on all sides.  We were alone. It was incredible.  It wasn't difficult just out of the way and worth it. I just felt so small in that space. The shore of the lake was covered with snow so it made it difficult to tell if the snow made it out to the ice crusted lake or not.  The next stop on our way was the Washington Pass Overlook.  It was closed and we needed to walk about 1/2 mile.  So worth it. I could see the whole pass and the road winding its way to the top. Again we were alone and as we came around the corner and our view was no longer blocked by pines, we gasped when we saw it.  How could I not have been here before?  It only took 18 years to go.  I approached the barrier and barely leaning over I felt as if I could look straight down.  We wandered the area a bit, walking along the trails, checking out other sights with barriers but that first view was the best.  This is worth a spot, even when busy.