Day 14. Wow! Washington.

We knew today was going to be fun as we were crossing the Cascade Mountains in Northern Washington. However, we weren't prepared for this:

 First, we ascended Washington Pass. The tiny speck on the road is Tom!

 The winding road is the path we took.

There are some serious mountains up here!

The history of the Washington pass is quite interesting. In 1893 the new state of Washington set aside $20,000 to build its first official highway. It was to be used by miners to haul ore out of the mountains. Workers, earning less than $2 a day managed to rough in 12 miles of roadway, only to see it all washed away in the floods of 1897!! Better progress was made in the 1960's with the use of heavy equipment. The final 63 miles connecting the East road with the West road took 35 separate contractors 10 summers! It was finally completed in 1972 and made a National Roadway in 1984.

We pulled ourselves away from the scenic overlook and travelled along the twisty route. We have been amazed at how little traffic there seems to be on these roads.

The owner of the Twisp River Suites where we stayed last night had told us not to miss the Diablo Dam overlook. He was right!!

Ultimately, we wended our way down off the mountains and at one point were below sea-level. Finally we crossed the bridge to Fidalgo Island and landed in Anacortes for the night.

We need to be up early for new adventures tomorrow!

Trip: 157.7   Odometer mileage: 3559