All of our necessary shopping being completed yesterday, we had today open for some exploring the gorgeous back roads of the Upper Skagit Valley. We started upriver on WA-20 but crossed to the south bank road and followed it to Rockport. We covered this territory a few weeks ago when we were here and thought it was very pretty. It still is.
At WA-530 we turned north into Rockport. Once we got east of Rockport, we turned off onto some substantially skinnier roads than 20. Mount Baker and it’s substantial glaciers are visible from many spots in this area. Turn around and you will see the turquoise waters of the Skagit River. It is beautiful country. There was very little traffic.
We tried to get some widely-touted cinnamon rolls in Marblemount but failed. The bakery seems to sell out early in the day and we are averse to jumping up at the crack of dawn to drive 15 miles for a tasty heart plug. They gave us a card with a phone number and if we want to try again, they will set some pastry aside for us if we call before their supply is devoured. Along the roads east of Marblemount there are a few farms, massive forests of conifers on the high ground and hardwoods close to the river. We spotted a bald eagle. The hardwoods create gorgeous canopies that make for long drives in the shade. Waterfalls can be spotted where the road passes near rock cliffs and creeks slide under the road about every mile or two. There are many widely-scattered classic old houses set back from the roads.
We were going to stop at a place called the Rockport Pub but they had a sign out front on which was written “Hippies Enter By The Back Door.” My hair is getting a little long and Peggy’s hangs past the middle of her back so we put the throttle down and figured we would try elsewhere. On our way back downriver, Peggy pulled out at Rockport State Park where we pulled over for a hike through a tiny patch of old-growth forest. It may be the only old-growth forest around here because everything else we have seen had been logged at one time or another. I was an old-growth logger back when men were stupid and sitting in a beautiful grove of giant trees without hearing a chainsaw is quite serene.
We still had some time left for exploring so we chose to explore the Birdsview Brewery close to where our RV is set up near Concrete. Birdsview does not offer a porter so we were not entirely delighted although their ale was tasty. Before we could get hammered, we drove the mile home and did the rest of today’s drinking there.
We have pix. Click here