Pacific Northwest Aug 2019 - Day 13 North Cascades National Park & Mount Vernon

[katiebaz]

Our plan for today was to drive the scenic highway through North Cascades National Park, stopping for hikes and sightseeing. Sadly the weather had other ideas and heavy rain was forecast so we knew the day was probably not going to go as planned.

Breakfast at the hotel was limited and a bit rubbish with only biscuits and gravy on offer, so we decided to pass, check out and head back to Sheri’s in downtown Winthrop for breakfast instead. We picked up the most amazing cinnamon rolls and doughnuts as well as some sandwiches for later and headed out on the road to the North Cascades, hoping the rain would hold off for a while.

For the first part of the drive, it did stay dry but the sky was definitely getting darker, especially as we gained altitude. We stopped at the Washington Pass overlook which was stunning and had a walk around taking some pictures of the views. The rain started to come down and we quickly headed back to the car. As we drove on the heavy rain predicted started to lash down and sadly the views of North Cascades diminished. North Cascades is a large national park, but most of it is Wilderness and only accessible by hiking. It is known for grizzly bears too so we had only planned a few short hikes, but sadly theses were looking highly unlikely in the rain.

Our next stop was Diablo Lake - which should look stunning but hard to see in the driving rain. We did venture out of the car for a quick picture but ended up back in the car, but at least we had our fabulous cinnamon rolls to cheer us up. This was our only day of rain, but still a shame it had to happen on our one day in the North Cascades and as we were on a tight schedule we couldn’t change things around in order to see it another day.

We drove on and stopped at the Gorge River and had a short walk in the rain to the overlook before heading to the visitor centre where we were hopeful for another walk. Sadly the rain was still coming down really heavily and our waterproofs were more shower proof, so this put pay to this idea. Instead we had an aimless wander around the Visitor Centre, along with lots of other people who like us weren’t sure what to do in the rain! We took in a couple of the informative films about the park, which looked stunning the in the Sunshine, bought the obligatory fridge magnet and then ate our lunch in the car.

Although early, we decided to press on to our destination for the evening, which was a town called Mount Vernon. Before heading to our hotel, we decided to do a big shop in Walmart stocking up on t-shirts, socks, candles and food for our next two nights in Seattle as we had an Air B&B apartment booked.

Our hotel for the night was a Best Western and the owner who checked us on was really friendly, chatting about our trip and offering us free cookies to cheer us up in the rain. Our room was really nice and we decided to have a swim and chill in the hot tub, despite the rain. That night we drove to Olive Garden for dinner as we do love an Olive Garden, especially the bread sticks, and had not visited one for ages. Our server, Nick was super friendly too and we had a great chat about England, our trip and his plans to travel. It did amuse us though that he was really taken with Steve’s watch and said how much he loved the unusual design. We didn’t have the heart to tell him that the watch was only £15 from Argos and the design was down to the fact that a bit of moisture had got in and fogged up the watch face…..

After filling up on bread sticks and pasta we headed back to our hotel to watch TV and plan our next couple of days in Seattle. It had been a shame that our day in the North Cascades had been marred by the rain but it was our only rainy day and we had experienced the best cinnamon rolls ever – so it wasn’t all bad.

[CrispyA]

Such a shame about the rain - really frustrating when you don’t have long to explore either. The park does look lovely. Love the watch story!

[katiebaz]

Originally Posted by CrispyA

Such a shame about the rain - really frustrating when you don’t have long to explore either. The park does look lovely. Love the watch story!

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We would love to have explored more of North Cascades and it was such a shame we couldn't move it to another day as this was our only day of heavy rain.

[smithlane]

I love that slightly misty photo of Diablo Lake, very atmospheric!
Such a shame the weather didn't behave for you but that giant cinnamon roll looks so good though. One of the best things about holidaying in the US is their cinnamon flavoured products!

[Sparksy72]

Sometimes the weather thwarts the best laid plans, your photos look beautiful and quite moody. A good cinnamon roll is such a treat and a bonus dinner at Oliver Garden is a great way to spend an evening. Those breadsticks and salad are delicious.

[katiebaz]

Originally Posted by smithlane

I love that slightly misty photo of Diablo Lake, very atmospheric!
Such a shame the weather didn't behave for you but that giant cinnamon roll looks so good though. One of the best things about holidaying in the US is their cinnamon flavoured products!

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I totally agree and love a cinnamon flavoured product! The rain was a shame but you are right it was still beautiful in the mist.

[katiebaz]

Originally Posted by Sparksy72

Sometimes the weather thwarts the best laid plans, your photos look beautiful and quite moody. A good cinnamon roll is such a treat and a bonus dinner at Oliver Garden is a great way to spend an evening. Those breadsticks and salad are delicious.

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We do love an Olive Garden and I am dreaming of those breadstick now...