The Dalles, Deception Pass State Park, North Cascades National Park and Grand Coulee Dam
After leaving the Quileute area on the Northwest coast, we headed East of Seattle to the
Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest and specifically The Dalles campground. Located just a dozen or so miles North of
Mt Rainier, The Dalles is a small, no hook-ups campground located in an old growth stand of Douglas Fir and Hemlock along the White River. Being as how the campground had just opened for the season two days before we arrived, we were pretty much the only people there for our 4 day stay.
 |
| so far, one of our favorite sites - The Dalles |
 |
| we sat here for hours |
 |
| one of many walks through Dalles Campground |
The sites are spaceous, and ours, set amongst the towering fir trees ,was on the bank overlooking the river. After we set up, we took our chairs over to where we could read, relax and watch the river. As the temps would be dropping into the low 50's, upper 40”s at night, we deployed the solar panels to help the battery system surive the next few days. This was going to present a challange due to the aforementioned towering trees let little light in to the forest floor. (The batteries had several years on them and the load was too much. After having them fail testing at a dealer later on that week, we opted to upgrade to a pair of 6V deep cycle batteries which provide many more hours of use for dry camping needs.) Our first morning at The Dalles we drove further in towards Mount Rainer (the park not as yet open for the season) and over to Crystal Mountain Ski Resort.
 |
| Crystal Mountain Ski Resort - big time operation! |
The road to the ski area gains quite a bit of elevation over the course of several miles, and you arrive at a beautiful, full service, modern ski resort with numerous trails of varing difficulty. Ski season was over and frisbee golf had not a yet started. Nothing was officially open, but we talked with one of the employees and they were most informative about the hiking trails and all that could be done at Crystal Mountain.
As we descended the mountain, we decided to go check out the stores in the village of Greenwater. One,
Wapati Woolies, was very quaint, selling tee shirts, hoodies, hats, regional items, latties and.....milkshakes!!! It was a beautiful spring morning, sunny, temps in the low 60”s and no crowds. So.....I got a cup of coffee and Cindy got an expresso bean milkshake. Both were excellent. We returned again for latties on the morning we departed and added a biscotti so we wouldn”t pass out from hunger. There are drive up lattie-expresso shacks everywhere in the Northwest !
Some of you may know that one of our favorite TV shows is Northern Exposure. (The one with the moose walking down the street) The town used for the exterior scenes is Roslyn, Washington.
 |
| Fleischman's Office -Much fun in visiting this small town |
 |
| Stop by if you're in Roslyn - Brick Burger was GREAT! |
 |
| Bar at the Brick - truly is a local social gathering point! |
Located two hours away from our campsite, we had to go check it out. Even ate lunch at “
The Brick”. So much fun and a beautiful drive over I90 to get there.
 |
| que the Moose and start the theme |
 |
| downtown Cicely, er...Roslyn WA |
 |
| home of Chris in the Morning - KBHR |
Our planned stay at The Dalles was cut short by the need to get the RV to a dealer located nearby and repair a clean water leak that appeared to be coming from the water heater. I had spent some time troubleshooting the problem, and there was no leak if the water heater was bypassed. We had been without hot water for almost two weeks but now our appointment was near. We found Poulsbo RV listed as a Winnebago dealer, called ahead to give all the info I could and they were waiting for us. Jeff, the Service Writer took great care of us, got it right into the shop and within half an hour called us to confirm my diagnosis- a loose connection at the water heater. He was hoping to be able to reach it without pulling the unit. (There were able to do so and we were on the road within 3.5 hrs of arrival, including an upgrade to 6V batteries)! Thanks Jeff and the tech who did the work. You guys provided some stellar customer service. While waiting for our repairs, Jeff told us of a dog park just up the road from Poulsbo. We took the dogs over and discovered that it is a 30+ acre park on a former NIKE Missile site!
 |
| Seattle docks |
 |
| Seattle Skyline |
 |
| Stadium |
We actually were scheduled to return to The Dalles, however a combination of a rainy forecast and the fact that we were halfway to our next destination led us to change our plans. The weather report showed much better skies to the North for the entire weekend. I called the Washington State Parks number and found that I could get a spot for that night at Deception Pass State Park on
Whidbey Island (our planned next stop) but only for that night. Victoria Day Weekend was approaching and British Columbia was on its way down to the States!! We grabbed the site and then scrambled to get one of the last 3 sites at a private RV park (North Whidbey RV) literally right across the road. Now we just had a 2 hour drive past Seattle and Everett to Whidbey Island and our home(s) for the next week. The drive up I5 was a bit congested but after Everett, things cleared out and after crossing one of the most picturesque bridges in America, we pulled into
Deception Pass Sate Park for the night (we had reservations for more nights in a few days).
 |
| Great Place -many sites in tall, tall Douglas Fir and Cedar Trees |
 |
| Deception Pass Bridge - one of two spans seen here. beautiful. |
 |
| Built in the mid 1930's, first bridge to Whidbey Island |
 |
| looking West from Deception Pass Bridge |
Again, this is one of the top State Parks per National Geographic and it is a pretty amazing place. Eagles (we had a nest that we watched from our campsite), Navy F18 fighters from Whidbey NAS, scenic farm lands, the Deception Pass Bridge, fresh Seafood, beaches, etc!!
 |
| F18's based here practice through out the day |
 |
| WWII PBY -Oak Harbor WA |
 |
| Eagle's on nest from our campsite |
While at La Push, our neighbor shared several local eateries to try for fresh seafood. We managed to hit most of them, since soon, fresh seafood was not going to be on the menu.
 |
| Expresso stands in the Northwest are everywhere |
 |
| just North of the bridge - good Dungeness Crab Cakes! |
I had grabbed a local freebie newspaper ( a great way to find out what's happening in the area) and discovered that there was a Sailfest that weekend at Coupeville, the next town below Oak Harbor where DPSP is located. Coupeville is the oldest town on Whidbey Island and has a quaint downtown area. We drove down Saturday morning, cruised the Shoppes, checked out the ships and had a bite to eat. We followed this up by continuing a bit farther down the Island and checking out Fort Eaby State Park (the is a early 20th century Coastal Artillery fort there as well as a light house) This appears to be a great kite flying area and there were numerous kites a lot.
 |
| lighthouse at Ft Eaby, WA |
 |
| Bell to notify a whale has been sighted - Coupeville WA dock |
 |
| Coupeville visitor center, restaurant and Harbor Master |
 |
| downtown Coupeville |
We had moved back into DPSP after the weekend and occupied the site we had booked months before. From here, we could watch the Eagles, go to the beaches and continue traveling about the island. We did drive to the Southern tip one day and up to the Northern tip to Anacortes for dinner another day. Whidbey is a great destination and you could spend 4-5 days in the area easily.
 |
| Cindy checking out stones on West Beach at DPSP |
 |
| site 10 - complete with Eagles nest! |
 |
| North Beach at DPSP |
 |
| there is some really nice farm land on the island |
 |
| a walk on the beach is a good thing |
 |
| tour boat heading to transit Deception Pass beneath the bridge |
 |
| sunset DPSP West Beach |
Whidbey Island was a great place and we would return if the opportunity presents itself. However, it was time to start eastward. Next on the list,
North Cascades National Park. Located in Northern Washington , near Mt Baker, NCNP is very remote, quite pristine and beautiful. The drive put us on RT 20 from Deception Pass right to the Park (later we would continue eastward on RT 20 to our next stop). NCNP is home to hundreds of glaciers, three power company dams and their lakes, all kinds of wildlife and the small company town of
Newhalem. Created in the early 1920's for the construction crews and service personnel needed for the dam, Newhalem today is quaint, still running the hydrogenation plant and an easy walk through the woods from the NCNP campground. The general store has the basics, as well as some fun snacks and coffees.
 |
| our site at NCNP - lightning strike burned 7000 acres in 2015 |
 |
| inside Visitor's Center NCNP |
 |
| just behind Visitor's Center - Picket Range Observation Area |
We setup and deployed our solar panels. This is all dry camping and we were excited to try out our new 6V battery setup. We would be here for 5 nights , and would need the heater blower for the gas furnace in the night as temps were to be in the upper 40's low 50's. (Plenty of sunshine greeted us daily and by sundown the batteries were fully charged.)
 |
| Baldwin Loco for Power Station - Built near Philadelphia PA! |
 |
| Cooper on River Trail - Skagit River |
 |
| Many Trails to choose from - or...go Back Country if you desire |
We got the slides deployed, carpet and chairs out and then hopped in the Jeep to hit the Visitors Center. Nice film about Grizzly bears, got the scoop from the Ranger showing us trails we could hit with the dogs, and then we walked out the newly renovated boardwalk to the Picket Range Viewing area - impressive!
 |
| along Link Trail into Newhalem = logging was big 100 years ago |
 |
| Falls next to Power Station |
 |
| Gorge Power Station = still on line over 90 years later |
 |
| heading East from NCNP on Rt 20 |
It was Memorial Day Weekend, and the campground filled up Friday for the long weekend. I spoke with many nice people, and one group of 20 somethings had two people from PA! one was from York and the other graduated from Penn State - again a small world.
On one morning we took Cooper and CJ on the Link Trail into Newhalem, on another we took them on the River Trail. Cooper always ready to wade into the water and get a drink!
We stopped at the 1920 vintage Gorge Power Station and hiked behind it to see the Ladder Falls. I visited the Power Station Museum and learned more about the construction of the Power station and dam. Again - a big deal and amazing what was accomplished back then. There wasn't even a road into the area when they started!
We took the drive East on RT 20 to Wintrop, enjoying the magnificent views through the Park along the way. Being Memorial Day Weekend and that there was a Rodeo going on in Winthrop, the place was packed. We fortunately talked to a local who told us how to avoid a lot of traffic and on the way back home, stopped at a Cider Tavern for lunch. Cooper and CJ were welcomed on the deck.
 |
| Diablo Lake East of NCNP |
 |
| Downtown Winthrop WA after Memorial Day Weekend! |
 |
| Washington Pass RT 20 East of NCNP |
The campground emptied out Monday morning and by the afternoon, we were back to being pretty much alone. One of the benefits of being retired, get to stay after the weekend. We took walks, read and I worked on the Jeep , replacing a rear shock that the rubber bushing moved out of place, resulting in a somewhat irritating knock/rattle for the past two months. No rattle now!
North Cascades National Park was great, nice campsites (all dry camping), great views, rivers, quaint town nearby and remote. We would go back again if in the area. A stay of 3-4 nights would be nice.
 |
| East of the mountains - Apple Country |
Wednesday morning we pulled up stakes and headed to our last stop (originally not in the plan) in Washington -
Grand Coulee Dam. Built in the 1930's as another part of FDR's New Deal, this is the largest dam in the US. Almost a mile wide and 550 feet tall, it provides irrigation, flood control and generates huge amounts of electricity for 11 states in the Western part of the USA.
 |
| Grand Coulee Dam - larges in the USA - 1 mile across |
 |
| 60 ft below water level, these pumps provide irrigation water for thousands of sq miles |
 |
| one of many houses built for engineers at Grand Coulee - works houses not as up scale |
We took the tour, and that night went back for the Laser Light show. There is also a great Visitors Center with many artifacts and a 40 minute movie showing the construction of the dam. It opened just prior to the attack on Pearl Harbor and was able to provide the much needed power for Boeing, the ship builders in Portland and the aluminum producers in the area working on providing arms for the Allies.
we'll be heading out again, still more to see and experience
til then take care
Cooper and CJ
