11
July 2010
We made it out the door before 8, but had to get gas immediately, so
didn't actually get started until after.
A straight shot on I-90 to downtown Seattle wasn't horrible; there are
stretches of that interstate where the speed limit is changeable via
electronic signs; today they were 65.
My old GPS was somewhat confused; fortunately the new one knew right
where to go, even if it took me a couple of wrong turns to get there.
And there was street parking right in front of the Klondike Gold Rush
NHP, at least for motorcycles. We talked to one ranger while the other
went looking for the stamp station; he allowed as how there was a
smaller National Park, in an apartment in Pittsburgh, but theirs was
the smallest at least in Washington.
I'm glad I had the GPS to route me back to the freeway; I'm not sure
how long I would have stumbled around otherwise. Traffic up I-5 was
Sunday morning light; we didn't have quite enough gas to make it all
the way up to Blaine, so stopped when we saw a sign from the freeway.
At Blaine, we followed the GPS off, and around / through a couple of
roundabouts to the gas station that was one of the official 'proof'
sites. While I was looking for the number on the outdoor phone booth
(missing), the attendant came out with business cards that had their
number on it. Seems they recognize "Four Corners" riders (see a lot of
them) and are prepared for the eventuality.
I knew where City Hall was (for the picture) but on the way over saw
the Blaine Public Library and stopped there, for a bit of variety. We
went past the old city hall on the way to the post office, and it had a
new facade, so there would have been variety there, after all.
After dropping the envelopes in the mailbox, we headed south again,
then west on US 20, the Cascade Highway, to a stop at the North
Cascades National Park headquarters, where they had stamps for four
different areas. We were only going to be 'visiting' one of them, so it
didn't feel right to stock up. (We may be sorry when we end up one
short.)
Then out onto the 'Cascade Loop' which was pretty crowded--it was
Sunday looky-loo drive time. And there was plenty to look at; they
advertise themselves as the "American Alps."
It wasn't until we headed out the east side that the weather finally
heated up to semi-uncomfortable; up to that point it had ranged from
delightfully cool to almost uncomfortably cold. And I'm afraid hot may
be the operative word from here on out, although I confess we haven't
turned on a TV since we left San Diego, so have no idea about what
weather we may or may not be heading into.
I'd set Twisp as the day's destination and thought that might be
pushing it; in the event we both felt we could have gone another hour
or so, but didn't have a good idea of what lay ahead. So after getting
gas, we're at a quonset hut motel, where the wi-fi is iffy, but
groceries are right up the street.
State: Washington
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