Early to Mid-July 2021

North to Bellevue, Bothell, and Beyond

We made a stop in Bellevue to pick up some items that we’d ordered. We were contemplating heading east from there, but hadn’t made any reservations. We spent a couple of nights at Lake Pleasant RV Park near Bothell. This is where we met Carrie and Rob, two enthusiastic campers, who are also living in a van full-time. They, along with other friends, said that we shouldn’t leave Washington without seeing places like Anacortes, Deception Pass, and Whidbey Island. Our travel schedule is our own, so why not change course?

It came as no surprise that we couldn’t find an available campsite for the Fourth of July weekend. We took a gamble and decided to drive to a marina in Anacortes where RV parking is first-come, first-served. We got there early and we lucked out.

We arrived on Saturday, July 3, and were immediately pleased by the friendliness of the marina staff. The city of Anacortes runs the marina and is striving to make it a destination-worthy port. All the marina slips were full, and nearby eateries were bustling. The bath house, laundry building, and facilities were brand new and clean.

We settled in and discovered that we were within walking distance of town and the Saturday Farmer’s Market. We stopped in and bought some of the best strawberries we’ve had all summer. We also got tayberries, which are a cross between blackberries and red raspberries. Really sweet, almost seedless. Yum.

At another market booth, we met Sujin, who is originally from Korea. Sujin makes at least a dozen kinds of kimchi in her family business in Anacortes. Kimchi is a condiment that accompanies most Korean meals. The philosophy is that fermented foods are cleansing and healthy for you. It’s usually made from napa cabbage, salt, scallions, red pepper powder, and garlic that’s combined and allowed to ferment. There are lots of variations: ginger, carrots, cucumbers, radishes. We sampled several types and settled on two. One contained cucumber and seaweed. It might sound odd, but it was absolutely delicious.

The next morning, we walked into town to watch the Fourth of July parade. What a great event for this town. Lots of vintage cars, fire engines, goofy car horns, crazy red, white, and blue costumes, and kids waving American flags. That night, the town shot off its fireworks display from a barge out in the marina bay. It felt so good to be able to celebrate with a town, after the forced isolation of last year and Covid.

We stayed an extra day in order to make a day trip to Deception Pass and Whidbey Island.

The scenery was gorgeous, and we enjoyed the small towns along the way. Many of the towns have their own harbors and waterfronts. I even spotted a well-camouflaged baby seal on the gravel beach in Coupeville.

We especially liked Langley. There are lots of high quality artisan galleries and shops, even a petite sculpture garden. It was a good way to round out our visit to that area. Next time, we’ll venture further afield by taking ferries out to the islands. It’s good that there’s always something for next time.

East of the Cascades

The Cascade Range runs north and south, roughly dividing Washington into western and eastern. There are three major dams in the North Cascades National Park. We explored one, the Gorge in Newhalem. Although the Inn and General Store were still closed due to Covid, we hiked the hillside garden trail.

We camped at the Colonial Campground North, which wasn’t our first choice, but turned out to be a great site. I think our spot was one of the best – a shady campsite, right on the creek.

We continued on Route 20 through the North Cascades National Park and up and over Rainy Pass. This area is sometimes called “The American Alps.” Its peaks sport snowy caps all summer.

It was chilly and drizzly going over the mountains. The scenery was breathtaking.

At Twisp, we headed south and stopped at Entiat Lake for a few days. Here’s where we really experienced the difference between east and west of the Cascades.

East of the Cascades is much more desert-like. In Entiat, the daytime temperatures soared back up into the 90s. Towns, homes, nurseries, wineries, farms, and golf courses tap into rivers and underground sources for irrigation water, so things are green. There are lots of flower gardens, colorful landscaping, and hanging baskets. A closer look reveals drip irrigation or automatic watering systems. The mountains are a kind of fuzzy sage color, unlike the evergreen covered mountains west of the Cascades.

We left the Cascade area and drove east, heading toward Spokane, along long stretches of road through older ranches and fields of wheat. Huge boulders, left over from glaciers, are scattered on roadsides and in farmer’s fields. It’s mindboggling to think that these are just small remnants of a much larger ice flow.

Coming into Spokane was an eye-popping return to civilization. Miles of sprawl and any kind of retail you’re looking for. We parked near Riverside Park, and then went to Clinkerdagger, a waterside restaurant, for lunch. From our table, we had a lovely view of the river cascading over the rocks – a good place to celebrate our 38th anniversary. It was also a great way to top off our fabulous time in Washington state.

Next Up: Heading east into Idaho and Montana