Day 8 of our 10 day road trip started with crossing the border back into the United States. You can read about the 3 days in Montana here and our time in Canada here.
We crossed the border at the Langley – Douglas center. It took about a half hour or so which wasn’t too bad. First top state side was for coffee in Ferndale at Woods Coffee. I ordered the largest size chai they had. We started to go east toward North Cascades National Park on Route 20. It was about an hour and a half from Ferndale to the entrance of the park.
On the way, we stopped at Cascadian Farm Organic which is a brand you’re probably familiar with. They have a home farm in Rockport and you can pick up snacks and treats for your trek into the park. I grabbed a wrap and a drink to save for when we were in the park.
The park has a great entrance sign which we pulled off to take photos at. We then went to the visitor’s center and then headed toward Diabolo Lake. There’s a resort nearby called Ross Lake Resort that’s not accessible by car. You have to take a ferry, then a resort truck to get to the the resort. There’s no phone or internet service and this place is booked full a year in advance. So if you’re interested in staying there in the future, better get planning.
Diablo Lake is a teal blue, and really contrasts against the dark evergreens and grey rocks. Throughout the park is hiking, climbing, and camping opportunities. There are some waterfalls you can get out and check out as well.
We drove along route 20 through the mountains for about an hour before coming to an intersection in Winthrop, Washington. I’d never been before and had no idea what it was until we got there. Once we parked and walked over to the main street, I was in love.
Winthrop is a Old West styled town with a population of about 450 people. It was inspired by Leavenworth, Washington which has a similar look. Downtown includes the Washington’s Oldest Saloon, many shops, an old gas station, and outdoor activities. We popped into a few stores, grabbed a bit to eat at Sheri’s Sweet Shop and sat outside to eat. I had a corn dog and it was a highlight of the trip.
We had a longer drive ahead of us to loop back toward the Seattle Airport where our hotel was for the night. It was about 4 hours from Winthrop back to Seattle so we were tired once we got to the hotel. I did some research to prepare for the next day’s adventure of Olympic National Park before going to sleep.
