My Trails

State Route 20 is a very scenic drive across northern Washington State. The highway snakes it way over passes and through meadows, meandering only a few miles south of British Columbia. I drove by pristine lakes, wide rivers, and dense forests that stretch for miles and miles on end.

I would have liked to have spent more time in the forests of Washington, but unfortunately, a lot of those forests are on fire. Washington has had its share of wildfires this summer and is only now starting to get most of them under control. Someone told me today that three firefighters from this town had died this summer while fighting the fires.

I spent last night in Coleville, WA and tonight I am at a place called Omak. I looked for a forest road to camp on as I drove through the Coleville National Forest today,but most of them were closed.

The Walmarts up here seem to be pretty welcoming. I don’t set my dish or solar panels out, but there is usually good cell signal and a few over-the-air stations. I have to admit I feel a little nervous about sleeping in the forest with fire in the area. I’m sure they would come and tell me to pack up if the fire came my way…. if they could find me.

I should reach Cascade National Park tomorrow. There is fire there, too. I don’t know what there is to see and it may be too cold to explore much on Honda, so it might be a quick visit.

For a while now I have been wishing for a cup of hot chocolate on these chilly evenings. Every time I get groceries I mean to pick up some of those packets of powdered, instant hot chocolate, but I either forget or rule it out as a snack food that’s unhealthy for me. Then the other night I realized I had all the ingredients to make it myself. It turns out that my recipe made the best hot chocolate I have ever had. Here is my recipe in case you want to make some yourself:

Combine in a large mug:
One cup Half & Half
One cup Hershey Syrup

Nuke for one minute, add 3 large marshmallows. Enjoy.

I didn’t really use a whole cup of chocolate syrup but I added enough to complement any Christmas chocolate pie.

I guess I will head out tomorrow and see if I can make it to a couple more National Parks before the government shutdown. That happened to me once before.

It has been raining a lot. I guess that is good as I head west into Washington where fires still burn. Northern California is still in bad shape and most who live there hope they get some rain soon. Mother Nature surly influences my journey while I try to evade the devastation she is causing with fire and flood in places I’ve passed through.

I have fallen into a creeper mode the last couple of days. Yesterday I drove only 50 miles and today even less. I probably spent more time exploring some forest roads than I did on the highway. Every time I would find a possible camp I would lose cell signal. I finally found a spot two miles from Troy, MT, with cell and sun.

I may not move for a couple days. The border of Idaho is only 10 miles west and Washington state not a great distance further. My plan is to head towards Cascades National Park. I was thinking of exploring up into Canada but that opens up a whole new set of issues. Banff National Park will have to wait.

They figure that by 2030 all the glaciers in Glacier National Park will be gone. I guess it’s a good thing I decided not to wait until I’m 85 to see this park again.

The campgrounds are expensive but also the best place to set up a base to see the park. I came in on a Thursday and was lucky enough to find a spot in one of the campgrounds. Some of the campgrounds are already closed and more will be after Monday. I have to say that this park is really nice and I’m enjoying my stay here.

On the first day I arrived I drove to check out another campground near the entrance of the park and was surprised to find a good cell signal there. It was too late for me as I had already put my money in the pipe at the other camp. Then I stopped at the Visitors Center and read some of the signs about the park before heading back for the night.

The next morning I walked a nature trail and hiked a couple miles up a trail to Avalanche Lake. I didn’t make it all the way to the lake because I didn’t have any water and was afraid I would become thirsty if I kept going. In the afternoon I jumped on Honda and headed up “Going To The Sun” highway.

Going To The Sun highway tops out at 6600 feet at Logan Pass, not very high compared to a lot of the passes in other parts of the country, but I have to say it is one spectacular, awesome drive to the top. The road is closed for several months in the winter and I read that they sometimes have 50′ to 70′ drifts to plow in the spring to open the highway.

Vehicles over 21 feet long and 8 feet wide are prohibited up the road. Even driving a small car or motorcycle you need to pay attention and not be distracted by the views. I was glad to be on a motorcycle.

I discovered that Minnie is not charging the house batteries while I drive. Not sure what is wrong but I arrived with low batteries and there are too many trees here to get sun on my panels. I have run my generator a little but it is so quiet in this little campground I hate to break the silence. I’m hoping the charge problem is just a fuse and can be fixed easily.