North Cascades Highway

Wednesday, August 7th

I wanted to photograph the wheat harvest in eastern Washington, specifically around Pullman where the Chase The Snake ride takes place.

The plan was to ride along SR-20, also known as the North Cascades Highway, at least when crossing the mountains. Initially I thought of spending the night at Grand Coulee Dam to see/photograph the laser show on the spillway. But since that continues until the end of September, I decided to do that on another trip. So the first night's stay would be Colville, which is located in north eastern Washington, an area that I have not visited. I made a reservation before leaving home, which turned out to be a good idea, as at least the motel was full that night!

North Cascades Highway

I rode the Cascade Loop in May. It's a very enjoyable road to ride, and does not have all that much traffic - at least during the week, when I prefer to travel. It proved even quieter than I expected, a nice bonus. It was also somewhat cool, for mid summer. I had a sweatshirt on most of the way to Coleville. It was cool at the top of the passes, and some of the later ones were also wet! Not enough to stop and put the rain gear on - it was just a local shower at the top of the hill.

Ross Lake, North Cascades Highway - quite full

Ross Lake is now full - there was a good snow pack this year! Compare this view with the photo taken in May. (It's the bottom image on the page)

Washington Pass

The peak of the road is at Washington Pass. On the May ride, the lookout area was closed, and there was a large amount of snow on the ground. The snow has now gone, and the lookout area was open for business.

Tame birds at Washington Pass Overlook

These birds obviously know where to get food! They were not afraid of humans. I even saw one perched on the windshield of my bike. I was hoping the bird was going to be caught short :-) I don't know what type of bird this is.

Early Winters Spires at Washington Pass Overlook

Early Winters Spire looks nothing like it did in May, as shown at the above link.

Early Winters Spires as backdrop to facilities block at Washington Pass Overlook

A view of the facilities block - a nice, very solid (to survive the snow) building, fitting nicely into the environment.

Deer

As the road descends into the Methow Valley, it traverses a deer migration route. Deer are not road smart, and seem to have a death wish. Vehicles and deer do not get along well. This sign provides some additional incentives to slow down. Fortunately, deer are mostly a problem at night when they come out to forage. Details of the sign show that this has been a much worse than average year. Perhaps the heavy snow pack contributed.

Colville