More from the big trip to Seattle! Almost done now… 
Featuring the North Cascade Loop, beaches and a waterfall.
Day 9; September 9, 2011 – North Cascade Loop and Winthrop
As my mum wanted to see “Western City”, we added that one to the North Cascade Loop that we wanted to do anyway. The Loop features some beautiful landscape – our stops were at the Washington Pass Overlook and the Diablo lake dam.
That’s the Diablo Lake. Look at the colour of that water!
Some more pictures of the lake and the surroundings:
Next stop: Washington Pass Overlook!
It was a hot day already… and as we got closer to Winthrop, it only got hotter! We reached the 100°F, but what was even worse were the hot winds. Winds are supposed to bring a little chill – not make it even hotter.
Winthrop itself was quite fascinating and fun. Like a bit of the old Western times got preserved…
We had out lunch at the “Three Finger’s Jack” saloon.
There were oldtimer cars all around. Must’ve been some kind of meeting near by.
Desert… on the way back to Seattle and the other side of the Cascade Mountains!
Day 10; September 10, 2011 – Crystal Mountain and the Silver Falls; Ashford, WA
We wanted to see more of Mt. Rainier, but we didn’t want to join all the crowds… so we took a gondola up Crystal Mountain instead. Which offered a great view of Mt. Rainier and all the surrounding mountains. Even though it was a little bit hazy due to the forest fires on the Olympic Island.
Gondolas!
The Mountain.
Surrounding landscape.
Afterwards, we made our way to Silver Falls in the Mt. Rainier national park. Not to be confused with the Silver Falls in Oregon!
It involved a 1 mile “hike” through the forest, but that wasn’t too bad. It was just too bloody hot! Still, we made it… and it was worth it. Again with the turquoise water! And little rainbows.
Pretty!
Day 11; September 11, 2011 – Ocean Shores; Pacific Ocean
Originally, the plan was to drive all the way to the Olympic Island. But we postponed that to the next time when can stay there overnight. The drive would’ve been too long for a day trip to make sense.
Instead, we went to Ocean Shores, because we all still wanted to see a beach and the Pacific Ocean. The first beach we got to was pretty awful – it was full of cars parked all the way up to the shore:
WHY????????????????????
Which also resulted in dirty water. We first thought the dirt was just sand and/or the ash from the forest fires. But later, when we saw a natural beach, the water was crystal clear. So I guess all the cars contributed to the dirty water.
See:
Is that really what people think of as an ideal beach?!
We drove onwards to an Interpretive Centre, which was just some miles down the road. It was awesome, very informative and very hands on. And staffed with very nice and friendly people, who were willing to answer any question we had.
It’s a little gem! And it’s free! We did leave a tip. If you ever find yourself in Ocean Shores, WA – go there.
Nearby, were some natural beaches. We had a temperature drop from the 90s to the 60s, with some very chilly winds. We only drove 4 miles! Still, it was beautiful as ever and we found a lot of sea shells and even more crab shells! One of the crab shells still had an eye in it. Ew.
Again, if you ever find yourself at Ocean Shores, WA – don’t bother with the “touristy beaches” that are right in town. Go those extra few miles to the Interpretive Centre and the really beautiful, car-free beaches. Just don’t forget to bring a jacket with you!
