Blaine

Day: 51
Destination: Blaine, WA
Route: Highway 97 Alt west; Highway 197; Highway 153 west; Highway 20 west; Highway 9 north to Route 546.
Miles Ridden: 275 Total Miles: 11,575

Points of Interest:

• Winthrop, Washington
• North Cascade Mountains

A truly great day! We left Lake Chelan wearing tee shirts and sunscreen. Warm and clear, not a cloud in the sky. We turned west on Highway 153, and began the climb into the North Cascades. The first 35 miles or so was a true cornucopia of sights. Farms, high desert, pastures, horses, cows, even a deer which ran towards Bud from the shoulder. But the highlight of the afternoon, before we crossed the Cascades, was a town called Winthrop. This little town came as a big surprise to us, since we certainly were not expecting a complete town which looked like it was built in the 1800's. Every building, except two small hotels, had been remodeled. The sidewalks were made of wood, the facings of all buildings were made of wood, and the signage and writing on the exterior walls gave a very old appearance. We walked the town and took several pics. Re-doing the town was apparently the dream of a man who owned a lumber mill. When he died, his wife took on and completed the project. Very cool.

We left and began the accent up the Cascades, and the ride was simply amazing. High speed twisties, rolling hills, snow all around us, jagged crevices and walls, rivers and streams, waterfalls, and beautiful lakes. It took several hours to cross the Cascades, and we enjoyed every minute of the ride. On the northwest side of the range, we decided to avoid Highway 5 and instead took Highway 9, a two lane road which meandered for miles. At the end of the road, we suddenly came across the inlet leading to the Pacific Ocean at Blaine --- our fifth and final "corner."