June 30, 2021

Mountains, please.

Plenty of them to find here, one of the least visited National Parks in the USA.

But I don’t know why, because beautiful doesn’t begin to describe it.

It’s like the Alps, some people describe it. Glaciers and peaks to view mixed in with the scent of the trees in remarkably clear air. I find that I like the view of trees more than desert.

I couldn’t stop pulling over to take pictures on the drive. Rivers and waterfalls that emerged from jutting rocks, and the winding road takes your up through the mountains, even through tunnels! If you want to find peace, just put on some Mazzy Star music and drive through the Cascades with the windows down.

It’s true Pacific Northwest wilderness, and the salt that creates the sports drink-colored Diablo Lake is just like you would see online or on a postcard, so I want to head there first.

To get to Diablo Lake, you’ve got to drive down a steep road and over one of the dams themselves. I parked to do a piece of the Diablo Lake trail, only about a third of heat because of this heat wave the PNW was experiencing.

On the trail, a large mule deer leaped in front of me into the woods, its heavy breathing breaking the silence of the trees. A peanut butter and jelly sandwich to finish out the trail at the base of the lake, and I got to dip my feet.

And did the small Ross Dam Trail. After I completed that, it was at 103 degrees, and that’s too hot for more hiking even for me.

I drive up to the lookout to take wonderful pictures of the views of the snow capped mountains (along with other tourists):

And because it was so hot that the tourists’ cameras were malfunctioning, I decide to return to the bottom of Diablo Lake and go put my feet, and eventually my legs, into the cool water. Others nearby are floating, splashing with dogs, and playing chicken on the logs in the water.

To finish out the evening, I passed the town of Concrete, grabbed some pizza at Cascades Pizza in Sedro-Woolley which seemed popular by its rush of non stop customers coming in. And Seattle style pizza means lots of black olives!

Tomorrow it’s off to the rain forest!