Anacortes - part five: Bellingham, New Hike at Washington Park, North Cascades National Park

 

Diablo Lake at North Cascades National Park

Roger here...  This post features a quick visit to the nearby city of Bellingham,  a return to Washington Park for a new hike, and an all-day trip to North Cascades National Park.

BELLINGHAM, WASHINGTON...

Our very dear lifelong friends, Jay and Nancy, had told us many times about the many good things that  Bellingham offered.  Since we were only 30 miles away, we hopped in the SUV to check it out.  A young bicycling couple (residents of Bellingham) that we met on the Guemes Ferry told us that Whatcom Falls and the Fairhaven neighborhood of Bellingham were the two sites we should see for a short visit.

We started at the Whatcom Falls City Park.  A main walking trail intersects the park with various offshoots.  Our hike started at Whatcom Falls.  It was easy to find.  We just followed our ears.

The falls were the showcase of the park, but from my perspective, as a lover of architecture, the moss-covered stone bridge built by the WPA next to the falls took equal billing.

We hiked along the main trail for about an hour on the wide flat surface.  Easy hiking.  The hike through the green forest was a quiet and calming experience on a cool day.  

Near the end of the hike we took a slight detour to walk near a pond.

We then drove to the attractive Fairhaven neighborhood.  It was lunch time so we were seeking a place with outdoor seating so our dogs could join us.  Skylark's fit the bill.

Before the delicious meal I enjoyed  a Bloody Mary while Dianne sipped a blueberry - mint mojito.

WASHINGTON PARK...

Dianne wanted to re-visit Washington Park.  She wanted to see a glacial gouge in the landscape that was not visible from the main trail.  I figured out a way to find it using some of the less-developed trails in the park.  

We drove to an obelisk-like monument honoring the man who donated the land for the park.  Then off we went.

We had been warned that it would be easy to get lost on the poorly marked secondary trails.  More about that later.

The early vistas were similar to the ones we had seen previously on the Serpentine Rock.  The main difference was the absence of the unique bright white clearly-defined fog banks.  Same amazing views, different feeling.

The view of the shoreline below was new to us.

At one point we crossed more of the serpentine rock from the viewpoint above.  As explained in a previous post, the serpentine rock (extremely old) got its name from the cracking that resembled the scales of a serpent.

When I googled serpentine rock after our first visit here, I was puzzled by the description of a greenish rock.  The rocks I saw were more of an orangish-brown.  

During this visit Dianne and I noticed that there was indeed greenish rock underneath the orange veneer.  Orange-brown is the color of the surrounding soil.  Mystery solved?  Maybe?  We could certainly be wrong.

Note the greenish portion in the center of the rock.

The photo of me below was taken just before I made the wrong decision on an unmarked trail division that took us all the way down to the water level (where we did not want to go).  Oh well, it was something new.

After backtracking (one of the things I hate to do) we eventually found what we believed to be the glacial gouge.  Since it was not labeled, we were not sure.  The photo below is really not all that impressive, but the hike was fun and getting lost added interest.

Getting back to the SUV was also a mini-adventure.  Navigating the map on the unmarked trails was perplexing.  We eventually arrived at the park road which took us back to our vehicle.  

We needed an energy boost after the hike so we stopped at one of the ubiquitous drive-thru espresso establishments for a pick-me-up.

NORTH CASCADES NATIONAL PARK...

When I was younger, much younger, I was leafing through a national park book.  I daydreamed about seeing them in person.  When I saw the photos of North Cascades National Park, going there became an obsession.  When I first organized this trip, NCNP was on the agenda.  Then I read about the challenging roads for RV trailers --- not willing to take the risk.    I investigated driving up from Leavenworth to see it, only to discover that it would be too far away for a day trip.  

Had we spent August on the Olympic Peninsula, a visit would have been out of the question.  But, through serendipity our August plans led us to Anacortes.  When I discovered that the park was only 60 miles from our August home in Anacortes, I began planning a day trip in the SUV.  The dogs went with us, so there was no hiking, but there was ample time to see the west end of the park. 

The trip up was uneventful (a good thing).  We stopped in the small town of Concrete for cinnamon rolls.  Dianne insisted :-).

(OMG, they were so-o-o-o-o good!  -- D.)

We followed the Skagit River pretty much the entire day.  The scenery changed when we entered the park.  Our first tall mountain views were from pull-outs along the road.

The visitor center near the town of Newhalem provided a better map and a short walk to better views.

A mile or so past the visitor center I walked a short distance along the gorge trail and saw this cool little waterfall far below.

We observed several jaw-dropping views of the gorge with its turquoise river.

The turn-around point of our trip was at the Diablo Lake view point.  There were more mountain views...

... as well as the "star of the show," the iconic views of Diablo Lake.  (It truly is that color - unreal.)

Did I mention that it was windy at the viewpoint?  Dianne decided to document it.  

There was more of the park to the east (where there had been a wildfire), but it was time to head back to Anacortes.  Driving in darkness is not my forte.  

Bucket List Item - North Cascades National Park.  CHECK!

We still have another week in Anacortes.  More to come.

PET PICTURE  OF THE DAY...

Bandido is trying to figure out how to get to the mallard ducks on the other side of the pond at Whatcom Falls Park.