I baked a ham.
Washington State is the location where the books and movies of the Twilight saga are based. The pacific northwest, because of its cloudy and rainy weather, is supposed to be the best place for vampires to live. We all know how vampires hate the sun and I’m getting to understand why they like it here so much.
Even if there was any sun I would not hardly know it. I’m camped in a national forest campground surrounded by towering mountains and tall cedars that blot out every section of sky. This far north and this late in the year means the sun is already low in the southern sky, and if it ever penetrates the clouds, it has to fight through an impenetrable forest canopy to ever reach my solar panels.
North Cascade National Park is very pretty. The Glacier carved valleys are filled with cascading waterfalls and greenery hanging from shear cliff faces.A lot of the park can only be explored on foot. You get a glimpse of the beauty as you drive Route 20 through the park but no roads take you into the wilderness. I learned there are over 300 glaciers in North Cascade compared with 9 in Glacier NP.
Where Vampires live!
The Pacific Crest Trail winds up through the park. I stopped and talked with a couple of thru hikers who told me you have to hike 8 miles into Canada before you come to a back road where someone can pick you up. Hikers that arrive late to the Cascades are faced with the dangers of winter storms and ice.
The PCT
A lot of the campgrounds are closed because of fires. The campground near the visitors center was in no danger anymore from fire that had passed through, but trees were still burning and the air was filled with the noxious odor of smoke. It is hard to comprehend that the Northwest with all its stigma about rainy weather could be in such dry condition. Washington has had a bad time with fire this summer. My hats off to the firefighters who battle these fires, but when you look at the perpendicular slopes of these mountains, you wonder how they can do anything on the ground to stop the blaze from spreading.
I enjoyed my drive through the park but there is one thing that put me off. A lot of the markers along the road are not information plaques at all; they tell of some poet that stood there and wrote this inspirational poem while gazing across at a mountain. I’ll get my own inspiration, thanks. I don’t want to stop my rig on a winding mountain road to read a poem. Maybe I’m wrong to feel that way.
I’m in Arlington, WA for the night. It continues to rain. Wispy fog banks swirl around the surrounding mountains and the temperature stays in the low 60s. I was thinking of driving around Puget Sound and visiting Olympic National Park but I will probably save that and head down highway 101 into Oregon. It is time to start the southern migration.
Plenty of sun down here. Supposed to be around 100 all week. Don’t hurry too fast.
I love the coziness the rain and clouds give the area, but it is not the optimal place for solar panels, that’s for sure!
I’m sure you only know about the Twilight books from other people, right? Not that you have read them or seen the movies! 😉
I actually have the first movie and have watched it a couple times. Bella moves from Phoenix to Forks, Washington. That’s how I knew there were vampires up here.