Newhalem, WA

Wednesday, October 2

This morning, we woke up at the KOA campground in Winthrop, Washington — a small town just east of North Cascades National Park. This small town looks like it’s torn from a page in a travel magazine. We took a quick spin around Wintrop when we arrived last night and discovered it’s adorable Wild West theme. All of the buildings and sidewalks are made of wood and designed like an old 1800’s town. It feels like you’re stepping back in time! It’s easy to see this is a tourist destination for outdoor enthusiasts hiking, mountain biking, fishing and river-rafting in the summertime in/around North Cascades National Park and cross-country skiers in the wintertime. We happened to be there during the “off season” in October when there weren’t as many people around.

Except for a handful of RVers, we were the only people staying at the KOA in Winthrop. Based on all the kids activities the campground offered (but were not closed for winter), there must be a lot of families who vacation here. Tory and Aden would have enjoyed playing with some kids on the bouncy pillow, in the pool or on the playground on property. Unfortunately, there weren’t any other kids on this beautiful fall day.

As we woke up and got moving that morning, I got the kids breakfast and did school with them in the RV while Andi went to the campground shower house. Then, packed up the RV and drove into the town of Winthrop to spend the morning walking around downtown before heading on to North Cascades National Park.

On our way into town, we passed by the Winthrop Fish Hatchery and decided to stop. Andi has fond memories of visiting fish hatcheries on vacation when he was a kid, and he’d read good reviews online about this one. This fish hatchery looked closed when we pulled into the empty parking lot and then by chance, an employee pulled up in his truck and invited us in to learn about what they did there.

Inside the very fishy smelling building, the Operations Manager named Jeremy told us about the life cycle of salmon and trout they raise on property. It was interesting to hear about his work while simultaneously keeping a watchful eye on Aden who kept dipping his hands into big tanks of tiny trout.

Jeremy took us outside to see other tanks where bigger salmon and trout live and then into a laboratory where biologists come to harvest eggs and do various tests/measurements.

Toward the end of the tour, Jeremy led us to the creek where salmon were being released. There was also a large trout pond where we watched the fish swim. Jeremy brought some fish pellets in small cups along for Tory and Aden to feed the fish and told us that once a year, kids from the area come for a free fishing day at the hatchery.

We thanked Jeremy for his time — he was one of the most friendly people we’d met on this trip! — and continued into the town of Winthrop. Andi followed the signs in town that led us to a RV parking lot where we parked and then made lunch in the RV. There were quite a few restaurants in downtown Winthrop that sounded appealing to Andi and I, but we were growing tired of buying $10 lunches for the kids who inevitably refused to eat them. Eating “at home” in the RV was just easier.

After lunch, we walked around downtown Winthrop. The sun was shining and the temperature was just about perfect for a fall day in Washington. We walked along Main Street, stopping for espresso in Kind Grinds and in an outdoor store where we bought Tory a cool purple ball cap.

Geocaching is always good motivation to keep Tory and Aden moving along, so we hunted for one in downtown Winthrop near the Visitor’s Center. This was a sneaky one disguised as a pipe fitting at the bottom of the Winthrop Welcome sign. There was a small black film capsule glued to the underside holding the geocache log and a few trinkets. Three cheers for Mom finding this one!

We walked along Main Street for a little while longer, stopping in at Lariat Coffee Roasters to have some fresh coffee ground for Andi and by Sheri’s Sweet Shoppe for homemade salted caramel chocolates and root bear ice cream. We could have spent a lot more time exploring in the town of Winthrop, but it was time to move onto North Cascades National Park.

Everything we’d read about driving west in Washington recommended taking Highway 2 (also known as the North Cascades Scenic Highway) which connects the eastern part of the state in the Methow Valley to the Skagit Valley in the west, traveling over the Cascade Mountain Range. Within minutes of driving on Highway 2 outside of Winthrop, it was easy to see what all the fuss was about. The landscape along Highway 2 was breathtaking, made even more so by the gorgeous fall colors. Andi pulled over in a turn-out and flew the drone to capture the true beauty of what we were seeing.

As we climbed higher into the mountains, the temperature began to drop and the terrain changed from rolling foothills to alpine forest. Without an official entrance marker, I didn’t realize we were in North Cascades National Park until Andi pulled over at the Washington Pass Overlook (elevation 5,477). The kids screamed with glee as we saw SNOW! outside our RV window. We left the RV in the parking lot and walked along the short trail to the viewpoint.

The trail to Washington Pass Outlook was paved with a handrail, which was good because it was sheer cliffs down below. Before us were expansive views of the Liberty Bell Ridgeline. Tory and Aden could have cared less about the beautiful view — they were too busy throwing snowballs at each other! We couldn’t stop laughing as Aden pelted us all with snowballs and then Andi shoved a big ball of snow down his pants! I’m sure the other tourists around us thought we were nuts.

Tory was in heaven at Washington Pass. She is a cold-weather girl at heart and loved seeing and playing in the snow. She even took a snowball “home” with us and was determined to keep it in the freezer. Me, on the other hand — brrr! I was glad to descend back down the mountain to lower (warmer) elevation.

We continued along the North Cascades Scenic Byway until we reached the Ross Lake Recreation Area. It was a warmer 54 degrees here without any snow. This recreation area bisects the north and south sections of North Cascades National Park and includes three reservoirs (Ross Lake, Diablo Lake and Gorge Lake) which make up the Skagit Hydroelectric Project. We stopped at another scenic overlook so we could stretch our legs and take in a view of the gorgeous blue/green water in the distance.  

I got a weird vibe from two guys near the overlook area. They were muttering things to the kids under their breath and just acting strange, so I told Tory and Aden to get back in the RV. We ate an afternoon snack of Goldfish and apples and then continued on our way toward camping sites in the national park.

First, we stopped by Colonel Campground, but it was closed. We ventured farther along to Gorge Campground on Diablo Lake which was open and looked beautiful, but there was no cell service. We don’t need cell service, of course, but it sure is nice to be able to watch a show on Netflix before bed and do school in the morning with internet access. Andi and I decided to continue onward to Goodell Campground in Newhalem. This national park campground was technically open for the fall season, but there were no services (bathrooms, showers, running water). We didn’t need those amenities anyway since we had our RV and were only staying one night.

This side of the Cascades was so different than where we’d camped the night before. The temperature was in the low 60’s and the forest was wet and mossy. I loved how moody it felt! What a crazy weather day we’d had waking up in dry, sunny Winthrop, then crossing the mountain pass in the snow, before ending in a wet, humid rainforest. One of the best things about cross-country RVing is the progression of travel — you see the landscape changing before your very eyes.

After we set up our RV in a campsite, we walked down to the Skagit River which flowed alongside the campground. There was a little cut-through to the water through another campsite which opened up to a beautiful river flowing through the mountains. As we got closer to the water we noticed salmon running in the water! The beauty of homeschooling in action today as we discovered the full life cycle of a salmon, from both in a fish hatchery to death on the Skagit River.

We learned later that the Skagit River is the very end of the salmon’s inland journey back to their spawning grounds. Most all of the fish we saw swimming upriver were fighting with their last bit of strength to reach their destination, decaying before our very eyes. Others weren’t as lucky or had maybe already fulfilled their reproductive duties and were washed up dead on the sides of the river. It was really special to see this natural life cycle happening before our very eyes.

Back at camp, Andi grilled brats for dinner and we settled in for the night listening to light rain fall outside our RV. Today was an unexpectedly awesome day! We saw so much beauty in northern Washington and could’ve easily stayed for a week exploring. Alas, tomorrow we’re continuing west — to the ocean!