Day 49 July 18, 2019

View from the top of Washington Pass

Henry's notes for today:

Going up Washington Pass

Day 49: The 5th and final day of consecutive passes. We awoke to a cool and overcast day with a 10 mph westerly wind. This would not help us. Knowing that any food options were 60 miles away, we ate our breakfast at camp and then headed out onto the North Cascades Scenic Highway.

We did it!

We climbed 16 miles to Washington Pass at 5477 feet, a 3300 foot elevation gain. We took lots of pictures to celebrate crossing our 5th mountain pass in as many days. Getting across Washington is not easy! There was an additional loop we rode at the top to reach the visitor outlook. The mountain scenery was majestic. The descent was cold, windy, and punctuated by intermittent rain. All of us had to pedal to go downhill. We felt robbed not to be able to coast downhill; that's supposed to be the payback for the hard work of the ascent!

Can't forget Rainy Pass!

There was another mini-pass we had to climb after a partial descent. It's aptly named Rainy Pass at 4855 feet. Descending further, we joined into the Skagit River valley with its 3 sequential dams: Ross, Diablo, and Gorge. The glacial silt-laden water was a beautiful translucent green. We finally reached Newhalem (pop. 52), where the only food was at the local market, which was merely a glorified convenience store. We glumly chewed on the snacks we purchased there. Not impressed and looking for more substance, we asked the locals, who suggested that we ride 15 miles further to the Marblemount (pop. 203) Diner, which baked their own pies. Eyes lit up at the mention of that. We had a great dinner there, and everyone enjoyed some pie for dessert. Rob ordered pickle pie, which was unexpectedly delicious. He sure looked happy consuming it and was unwilling to share. Alas, it was a long day, and we had 10 more miles to go before reaching our campground in Rockport (pop. 109). We showered, which restored all of us to Level 1 cleanliness. Since meeting Rob, he has added the terms Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 cleanliness to our vernacular. 1 is socially acceptable; 3 is something mothers and spouses would frown at. There have been minimal outposts of civilization in the Cascade mountains. Tomorrow, we will encounter the opposite as we approach the I-5 corridor and Puget Sound.

Ross Lake

Diablo Lake

Maps of today's ride:

https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/3859759915#.XTKLRVGWjng.email

https://www.relive.cc/view/u3675697072