North Cascades

Where we camped

Pulling in late

Interacting with the campsite and camphost Getting any answers on the phone or through email communication was impossible. We called and left messages for multiple days leading up to our stay. Four days after we arrived we received a call back from the campsite operator inquiring about our proposed stay. We took a chance and just showed up late night. We were lucky only one spot was open and we snagged it. We filed out a paper slip and paid cash for our stay. When we decided to stay a few extra days, the campsite operator asked for proof we paid for the days we had already been their. The details were easy to supply and all was fine in the end. It appeared as if the operator had challenges reading/comprehending the pay slip.

Hiking

The Statepark had excellent hiking paths for us to take. We walked multiple times each day. The Skagit river is beautiful. We were surprised at the lack of insects, clean air, great temperature, and all around condition of the state park. Donna and I were very pleased we took the risk of pulling in late to acquire one of the first come first serve campsites.

Cycling

Excellent road and gravel riding is available in the North Cascades. Locals advised me to take the Skagit river cascade trail. The views were great but at 22 miles it was short for my training needs. I started riding the cascaded highway. I also rode a hard dirt/gravel path up Sauk mountain road. The gravel roads that lead up mountains here are steep and rewarding.

Donna was a good host

Donna played host to a tick. I had gone for bike ride, upon return she advised me that she had a problem. Apparently she was on a conference call and she felt a small pinch near her ribs. When she looked she noticed a squirming bug stuck inside of her. Donna had scraped the tick off in her frenzy of ick. She was in quite a bit of pain and we needed to go to urgent care. The nurses at urgent care dug the rest of the arachnid out of her. We watched the wound carefully for a few more days and she didn’t contract lime disease.

The Outdoors RV rally

These people were cool. The trailer setups they had were nice. I was impressed with the ORV brand. They appeared to be built stout. I like seeing large groups of people with like interests out camping together. To me camping with other people is a fun way to establish community. I talked to a few of the rally attendees, one was a cyclist so he would stop by when I returned from bike rides.

Rockport bar and grill

A little bar and grill was close to the entrance of the state park. We patronised the pub twice. Our first visit was great, we both had fun. The bartender was a pro, the patrons were nice. All in all a good stop. The second time we went (mid-day) a few rowdy locals were in attendance and the whole vibe of the place was changed. The bartender was timid and confused, the food was poorly made. It always surprises me when a restaurant can have such inconsistency.

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