Today we decided to go up WA-2 through Stevens Pass in the Cascade Range east of Monroe, WA. Our very tentative schedule has us going to Leavenworth, WA, in a few days which is only about 100 miles going through Stevens Pass, maybe 225 miles going through Snoqualmie Pass or about 400 miles going up the Columbia River. Going up the Columbia is basically a flat land drive but Snoqualmie Pass is 3000 feet and Stevens is 4000 feet at their respective summits. Stevens looks like a good way to go but the weather may stymie that route. If it snows a little, Snoqualmie may work out. If the weather turns completely to shit, we’ll be heading up the river.
Today we left our camp spot at Thunderbird RV Resort in Monroe and headed east up the pass on WA-2. It is a one-lane road through gorgeous stands of timber, flower-filled meadows, dramatic mountains and spectacular, clear rivers. We passed through little communities called Sultan, Gold Bar, Baring and Skykomish as we putted up the pass. On the way up we passed a cataract of water that crosses under the highway called Deception Falls. About 5 or 6 miles from the summit, the road got quite a bit steeper and we entered snow fields on both sides of the road which got deeper the closer we got to the pass. People were skiing at the top.
We turned around just past the summit and headed back down the hill toward home but stopped at a small parking lot for Deception Falls where we hiked up to the falls and ate lunch. There is a great deal of water coming down the cataract under the highway bridge such that speech is pointless because all you can hear is crashing water. This is a great place for a picnic. There is a lot of spray – wear boots or waterproof shoes.
We pulled off the highway and went on a little sightseeing tour at Skykomish which is a cute little town of about 100 folks with a unique train station right in the middle. One side of the train station has regular BNSF train tracks, some with parked train track snowplows and track repair equipment. On the other side of the train station some locals have built a garden railway that has tiny little tracks and tiny outdoor model train equipment. There are also a couple of old wood hotels and some Hobbit-sized houses here that are very attractive.
After a while we got back on WA-2 westbound and drove back down to Monroe, arriving about 5:00 PM. We have some neighbors and friends, the Merbachs, that live across a small canyon from our residence in San Diego and they have a son who lives in Monroe so we barged in on them for beer and food. Skyler and his wife, Jess, have a brand new daughter who’s name is not able to be spelled by idiots like me but she is a cutie. This is the first time we have seen these long-time friends in 2 years and the first time ever to see the baby. All three seem content here in the gorgeous little municipality of Monroe. We all walked (well, one got to ride) to a restaurant / bar in Monroe called Adam’s where the prices were fair and the food was good. Peg and I walked the Merbacks back home before bailing and going back to Thunderbird to sleep. This was about maximum activity for one day for us old people.
There are some pix of today’s fun if you click here