We were driving the most northerly highway in Washington state and heading to a region that neither Neil nor I had ever been to see: the North Cascades. The Cascade Mountain Range extends from Canada all the way to northern California. The “North Cascades” designates the portion of the Mountain Range in north central Washington. Looking at the map from the Ice Age Floods Institute (first mentioned in the National Bison Range post), it appears that many North Cascade peaks extended above the ice sheet between the Puget Lobe and the Okanogan Lobe. Driving through these mountains, it is clear they are sculpted by glaciers. Archeological finds in the region suggest continuous human habitation since the end of that most recent glacial period when the native American ancestors of the Skagit tribes advanced to the interior of the mountainous region as the ice retreated. While the Puget Sound Skagits seemed to only venture into the North Cascades during the summer months, the tribes to the north and east of them, the Nlaka’pamux, Chelan, Okanogan and Wenatchi, lived partly or year-round in the eastern sections of the North Cascades. In 1811, a Scotsman named Alexander Ross explored the region for the fur trade and with the men of his company built Fort Okanagan. During the 1800s there were several expeditions to search for a transportation route through the North Cascades. They found no possible railroad route, only marginally suitable routes for roads, and it was determined that the mountains were virtually impenetrable! In fact, it wasn’t until 1972 that the road we drove, Highway 20, also called the North Cascades Highway, was finished to bisect the Cascades over Washington Pass at 5,477 feet. And the highway is closed in the winter due to the large snow accumulation in the mountains! The mountain peaks were still snow covered in mid-July as we drove toward the North Cascades through the Methow Valley. It was brilliantly sunny and clear having left the smoke and fire behind us that Friday afternoon July 18. We were in awe of the breathtaking views of the spires and peaks as we viewed the scenery thorough the windshield. We didn’t take time to stop for photos because we were concerned about getting to the campground in time to get a good site.

American Alps

It was a good thing we kept driving straight to North Cascades National Park and didn’t stop to take photos (well, one stop at the Diablo Lake Overlook) because we got one of the last available camp spots in the large Colonial Creek campground that Friday night. The campground is set in a beautiful old growth forest and we were pleased to get a fairly private little tent spot. After setting up camp, we still had more daylight and drove to the North Cascade visitor center to collect maps and information. Viewing the setting sunlight on the North Cascade peaks from the visitor center viewpoint made me understand why Washington state citizens who petitioned for the region to be protected as a National Park in 1898 believed it to have scenery “greater than Switzerland’s”; the region has the nickname the “American Alps”. However, the North Cascades wasn’t designated as a National Park until 1968. I admire the generations of environmentalists who have worked to preserve the wilderness for future generations.

“Rival interests continued to argue over whether the lands should remain under the management of the U.S. Forest Service or the National Park Service but by the 1960s, the environmentalist argument advocating for a national park prevailed. Though the North Cascades National Park Act designated the region as a National Park on October 2, 1968, the National Park Service did not commence direct management until January 1, 1969. The North Cascades National Park Act also designated Ross Lake and Lake Chelan National Recreation Areas. Interestingly, Redwood National Park in California was also signed into existence on the same day as the North Cascades. By 1988, much of Bob Marshall’s original plan to set aside the future park as [unimproved] wilderness [as opposed to a national park] was achieved when 93 percent of North Cascades National Park was designated as the Stephen Mather Wilderness. Establishing the national park (Wikipedia)

A wonderful top off to our day was viewing an impressive waterfall! Gorge Creek Falls is accessible from a large parking area right off the North Cascade Highway as we returned to our campground. Gorge Creek dramatically drops 242 feet into a steep-walled narrow gorge before flowing into the turquoise Gorge Lake. Following the walkways also took us to an overlook of Gorge Dam and the Skagit River flowing from it. As we prepared for sleep we were getting excited about hiking tomorrow in these glacier carved mountains full of lakes and waterfalls.

Water Water Everywhere

We woke to rain! We made our breakfast tea and off we went to hike in the rain. We were a little discouraged with the overcast because it had been so beautifully sunny on our drive the day before but we could only hope the rain would reach beyond us and help quench the wildfires to the east. Looking for a trailhead, we drove down the access road to the ferry landing and the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center. The road went right over the top of Diablo Dam and we stopped at the pullout! It was an impressive sight watching and feeling the rumble and roar of the water shooting out of the dam spillway with mist rising as the water plummeted down to the riverbed far below. We definitely felt the power of nature. Neil has edited a (53 seconds) video for you of Diablo Dam since still pictures simply fail to capture the moment.

Skagit River Hydroelectric Project

Now might be a good point to talk about the lakes and dams. The dams (Gorge, Diablo, and Ross) were built, and are owned and operated by Seattle City Light, the Seattle power company. These three dams with hydroelectric power-generating stations are designated as the Skagit River Hydroelectric Project. The project supplies approximately 25 percent of Seattle’s electric power. Construction on Gorge Dam was begun in 1921, then Diablo Dam construction began in 1927 upriver on the Skagit River, and lastly Ruby Dam, later named Ross Dam, began in 1937. The three lakes formed by the dams are encompassed by the Ross Lake National Recreation Area. Ross Lake stretches 20 miles upriver with its north tip extending into British Columbia.

The Skagit River and, by extension the three lakes, are glacial fed. Approximately one third of the glaciers in the lower 48 states are within the North Cascades National Park (312 glaciers are on the mountains in the park.) The pressure of a glacier’s own weight and the force of gravity cause the glacier to move (or flow) outward and downward, grinding the the rocks below. Abrasion happens when the glacier’s ice and embedded rock fragments act as sandpaper, crushing the rock into finely pulverized rock flour and smoothing the rock below. The rock flour freezes into the ice and later flows downstream suspended in the glacier meltwater. This rock flour suspended in the water is what gives the lakes their beautiful turquoise color.

Thunder Creek Watershed: Glaciers and Diversity
“Thunder Creek is an ecologically important watershed with the largest concentration of glaciers in the lower 48 states. This valley deep within the mountain range carves through the “Crystalline Core” of the North Cascades. It mixes plant and animals typical of the dry east side of the mountains with those usually found on the wet west side. Natural disturbances such as fire, snow avalanches, landslide, and glaciation add complexity and help to create a mosaic of habitats.” Sign at the Diablo Lake Overlook

North Cascades National Park Complex

Here’s what I didn’t understand until I was looking at the park map to write this post: The Ross Lake National Recreation Area basically bisects the North Cascades National Park creating a northern and southern section of the Park. The Highway 20 corridor and all campgrounds are actually in the Recreation Area. The three portions (including the Lake Chelan National Recreation Area adjacent to the south edge of the Park) are all managed together as the North Cascades National Park Complex. Simple, right? Actually it was simple because we just thought of the whole area as the North Cascades and there were no National Park entrance fees—just the campground fees. Now I can understand how they can designate 93% of the North Cascades National Park as wilderness because there are no roads into the actual National Park—only foot trails.

Walking in the Rain

Speaking of trails, yesterday we had considered taking the ferry across Diablo Lake and walking back along the Diablo Lake Trail. The misty rain over the lake did not make the hike appealing since the higher elevations of the trial would be in cloud with no spectacular views. Instead we back tracked on the North Cascades Highway (Highway 20 back the route we had come yesterday up and over Washington Pass) and decided to hike a few shorter trails to see the variety of the area. We first hiked to Cutthroat Lake; named for the nearby Cutthroat Peak rocky spire, 8,050 feet, but I couldn’t find out how the peak got its name. We were well prepared as we started out: bundled up for the cold air and covered with our rain jackets and hoods up. And then people started passing us on the trail in their tank tops and hoodies tied around their waist like they are out for a stroll. If you had seen us side by side could you tell which people were locals and which were visitors from the tropics? [In retrospect, this was Clue One.] It was a moderately easy 4 mile round trip hike through thin forest and rocky areas. At one point we crossed a debris field of downed trees that had taken out the trail. The swath of downed trees extended far up the steep slope to our right and far down into the valley to our left. All the broken trees were snapped off in the downhill direction. Clearly, this was the site of a recent snow avalanche.

The lake itself wasn’t picturesque until you took in its impressive setting up against the huge expansive wall of rock forming a semicircle behind it. Geologists call this semicircular shape a cirque, and it often forms the beginning or head end of a glacier. Often, the bowl shape is so scooped out that when the glacier melts a lake is left behind. These lakes are tarns. This hike was a good choice in the rain even with the clouds hanging low over the surrounding peaks.

This time we had time to stop at the Washington Pass Overlook to take in the vista. Taking in this view of the towering rocky peaks and cliffs, I could see how these mountains could look impenetrable.

Our next hike was to another tarn called Rainy Lake, well it was more like a stroll, on a two mile round trip level trail (with the exception of a couple of large fallen trees to climb over across the path.) We walked in an old growth forest to emerge at a beautiful basin encircled almost all the way around by steep mountain slopes covered with cascading waterfalls from melting patches of snow. Here’s a short video of the beauty.

As we drove back through the campground, we noticed everyone had put up tarps over their tents and picnic tables to keep them dry from the rain. Some people even had tarps stretched high above their campfires so they could sit around them in shirtsleeves. [This was Clue Two] We arrived at our campsite and discovered our tent and sleeping bags were drenched from water running inside. Did you know that polyester fill sleeping bags can easily hold four to five times their own weight in water? [This was Clue Three]—We are not prepared for camping in the rainy Pacific northwest! We reorganized the car to put the dry items on the back seat and then carefully bundled the wet tent and sleeping bags plus mats in the trunk and headed to find a hotel.

Graceful Retreat

We had planned (and pre-paid) to camp two more nights depending on the weather and the trails we found. There were also a few trails in Newhalem by the visitor center we had planned to walk our last day when we exited the Park. Still bundled in our raincoats and hoods, we spent a few more hours walking the Trail of the Cedars, Rock Shelter Trail, and the Ladder Creek Falls and Rock Gardens behind the Gorge Power House. We were too late to take any of the Seattle City Light walking tours but crossed the Skagit River using the pedestrian suspension bridge and walked among the gardens on our own enjoying the view of the beautiful little waterfalls. The gardens were the creation of J.D. Ross, the second Seattle City Light superintendent, and an accomplished horticulturist, who envisioned the three dams and hydroelectric powerhouses.

“Ladder Creek Falls and Rock Gardens, located behind Gorge Powerhouse in Newhalem, is a refreshing woodland retreat with benches, exotic plantings, and close-up views of spectacular Ladder Creek Falls. Cross the Skagit River using the pedestrian suspension bridge next to the powerhouse, and follow signs to the trail. The historical light show has been restored and operates year-round from dusk until midnight.” Seattle City Light Skagit Project

Walking back over the suspension bridge we noticed cloudy wisps blowing over the valley walls. Their motion was so peaceful and beautiful we just stood and watched for a while.

We started looking for hotels before hitting I5, and then kept looking for vacancies at each major intersection. Neil started using the phone and calling. ALL FULL. Then it hit us, all the roads were closed going east and people might be stuck on the coast. After nine stops and eleven calls, we were nearing Seattle. We called Helene and Timothy to ask if we could descend on them at 11 at night. They said COME and why did we even try for a hotel! We were exhausted and only managed to say our hellos before having them point us to the bed – luxuriantly soft and dry! Happiness 🙂

Photo and Video Credit: Neil Rhoads (Hope you enjoyed the addition of videos)

Photo Slider: Neil has worked hard editing the pictures for you to enjoy in the posts. He has also had fun making header photos for the top rotating slider. This post has a unique slider with pictures from this adventure only. I hope you click into the webpage so you can see the slider in action.

Photo gallery below:
Clicking on any photo thumbnail brings up the full size photo with a description. To easily see them all, use the arrow buttons or keys to move through the full size gallery photos with descriptions. If you are receiving this in an email and don’t see a photo gallery below, please click into my webpage to view all the photos!

The following is based on a true story… There was no news about the fires or road closures at the Bonaparte Lake campground Friday morning (July 18) when we woke so we decided to drive on to the ranger station in Okanogan to get the latest news. The news didn’t sound good at all about getting through to the coast. We were driving Hwy 20 and were told the pass was closed between Okanogan and Winthrop; the road a little farther south, Hwy 2, was closed at Leavenworth to the coast; and even farther south on I90, there was a section closed due to a 25 semi pile up! The ranger was trying to be helpful about proposing alternate routes while he was also monitoring the fire radio: he proposed back the way we came and then over small roads to get past the pile up to I90 (we didn’t want to go that far south if we could avoid it.) He said there “might” be a way down and up to Hwy 20. He had heard there was pilot car leading cars south on Hwy 97 from Okanogan. We decided to try it because it was the most direct way either to get back to Hwy 20 or else if we needed to continue down to I90.

We headed south toward the smoke. There were fires on the hills to our west side. We stopped with the other traffic and Neil got out to take pictures while standing in ash on the road brim. There was fire equipment and firefighters still sitting on the side of the road near smouldering vegetation. The pilot car arrived and led us through the smoke which was very thick in parts. We could see power poles, highway signs, and orchards all burned. We continued to Pateros where Hwy 153 turns off back to the north toward Hwy 20.

As I turned at the intersection to head west on 153 there were two sheriffs at the stop sign who had just come from that direction. I rolled down my window and asked if we could get through? He just stared at me (or through me) a moment and then said “be careful.” He looked like he was in shell shock and may not have realized what he was saying but that was all the permission I needed. Neil noticed about 100 fire fighting vehicles and mobs of firefighters congregating just south of the intersection, ready for deployment to the hotspots further south.

Starting a mile or two west from the intersection we drove by burned areas and saw fire on the hills; then we drove by where fire was right at the road and the firefighters were fighting it. We saw exhausted men and women and tens of fire trucks spread out along the road wherever pockets of fire remained. The sad thing was seeing homes completely gone except for the chimney and steps while houses nearby were untouched. Those untouched had green grass around them and the fire didn’t pass the open area. One house went up in flames off the road as we drove by.

We connected with Hwy 20 at the town of Twisp. Power was out everywhere and we saw long lines of parked cars at all the gas stations, which were closed. Many people had been stranded for days. One Mom & Pop general store was the only place pumping gas. It was over a mile off the main highway and we were lucky to find it (good intuition). They must have had a generator. They also had a guard at the door allowing only one person in for each person who exited. I did see small amounts of food still on the shelves. There was no cell phone service throughout the whole region (hundreds of square miles) because the cell towers had burned or had no power. We had stopped to pick up info on the road ahead but soon found the info we had was extremely valuable. We were the first to bring news from the east. While I waited in the queue for much-needed gas (at almost double the normal price) people in front of the store crowded around Neil and pressed him for information. The store owners wrote down a summary on a big blackboard for later people to read.

We drove on to Winthop and decided to stop at the Ranger Station to give our news. It was good we did because they were also dealing with lack of power and phones. They had little battery powered radios to talk to their trucks but couldn’t get any useful info from far away. Fire coordination was their main focus but they were trying to answer people’s questions. We saw people who had just lost their homes, people who had been evacuated and had nowhere to go, and stranded travelers in desperate circumstances, some camped on the lawn. They were all shocked when they heard we had made it through. They had all thought the highway was closed (maybe it was supposed to be?) When they heard we had come through from Pateros the ranger came around from behind the desk and one came from the back room to grill us with more questions. Neil, with his previous experience in creating maps for emergency management, had them pull out their big map and was able to clearly point out on their maps the details we observed. They were all so starved for meaningful information, especially the rangers, that our decision to stop there turned out to be a huge blessing to many people.

Carlton Complex Fire was the name given this wildfire. Neil researched and found links which provide

• an extensive description of the Carlton Complex Fire,
• a  photo documentary of the Eastern Washington wildfires, and
• a color coded map of the fire area.

Four lighting strikes sparked fires on July 14, 2014, near Carlton, Twisp, and Winthrop which merged to become the largest recorded wildfire in Washington state history (the previous record was 1902.) The most intense burn days were July 17 (light and dark green) and 18 (yellow) fueled by high temperatures and strong northwest winds (we drove Hwy 153 on July 18!) The fire was not declared 100 percent contained until 41 days later.

“[The fire] burned 256,108 acres, destroyed 353 homes, and caused an estimated $98 million in damage. The fire caused no direct fatalities or serious injuries, although one homeowner died of a heart attack while protecting his home. … When July 19 arrived, a total of 760 firefighters were battling the Carlton Complex blaze, along with at least 15 helicopters and two planes. … In the end, the Carlton Complex fire was, in the words of The Wenatchee World, “a catastrophe beyond measure … too great for an ordinary detached person to grasp” (“The Long Struggle”).” HistoryLink.org

We left the fire and smoke behind driving west now seeing incredible views as we neared North Cascades National Park. We arrived just in time to get one of the very last available camp spots in the large campground. We had made it! What an experience!

Photo Credit: Neil Rhoads

Photo Slider: Neil has worked hard editing the pictures for you to enjoy in the posts. He has also had fun making header photos for the top rotating slider. This post has a unique slider with pictures from this adventure only. I hope you click into the webpage so you can see the slider in action.

Photo gallery below:
Clicking on any photo thumbnail brings up the full size photo with a description. To easily see them all, use the arrow buttons or keys to move through the full size gallery photos with descriptions. If you are receiving this in an email and don’t see a photo gallery below, please click into my webpage to view all the photos!

Thursday morning (July 17) at Bull River campground we continued to enjoy sunny but somewhat hazy skies as we finished our breakfast and packed up the car. Our plan was to drive through the Idaho Panhandle and on through Okanogan National Forest to the North Cascade National Park all in one day if we could. We knew it would be a long drive day. We called Helene to say we were planning to get to Seattle earlier than previously planned. She warned us about all the forest fires and road closures. That was the first we had heard of them! Those thunderclouds we photographed on our Missoula Blue Mountain Monday evening walk had brought dry lighting to Washington and Oregon and started numerous forest fires. Now we knew that the haze we had been seeing in the air the last few days was forest fire smoke blowing into Idaho and Montana!

Idaho Panhandle

Since we wouldn’t make it through to the North Cascades, we decided to see how far we could get westward and find a place to camp. We followed the Clark Fork River on Hwy 200 crossing into Idaho and driving along the north shore of Lake Pend Oreille then connecting with Hwy 2 at Sandpoint on the lake. It is evident this is a recreation and resort area with little motels and boat parking dotting the highway. We enjoyed the scenic views along the drive but no place jumped out to stop for photography; especially since the sweeping vistas out across the lake were hazy. I found a photo online that reminded me of the views we were seeing. Lake Pend Oreille is glacially carved and is Idaho’s largest and deepest lake. Researching it, I found the lake is the probable location of the ice dam causing the formation of Glacial Lake Missoula we mentioned in the National Bison Range post.

“During the most recent episode of major ice-sheet expansion, between about 18,000 and 13,000 years ago, a lobe of the Cordilleran ice sheet advanced into the Idaho Panhandle to the area that is now occupied by Lake Pend Oreille, thus blocking the Clark Fork River drainage and causing Glacial Lake Missoula to form.” About the Ice Age Floods.

The image of the Ice Age Floods map on the above web page reflects the theoretical extent of the most recent ice sheet coverage of North America. Zooming in on the map image, I was able to see the towns of Libby and Sandpoint labeled near the top right side which gave me a reference to where we had driven over what might have been the glacial ice dam.

Entering Washington

We entered Washing ton state as we crossed the Pend Oreille River into the town of Newport and checked out the Colville National Forest’s Newport Ranger Station for suggestions of hikes and campgrounds. The brochure about Day Hikes in Eastern Washington had an insert describing Waterfall Strolls. That definitely needed some investigation! The ranger didn’t have news about the fires; he just knew that both Hwy 2 and 20 were closed at the moment. We branched onto Hwy 20 to stay north and continue west since Hwy 2 turned south out of Newport.

Mailea has been all through the Washington/Idaho area collecting tree insects for research and one of the places she mentioned as a stop was Colville! We found a huge Safeway to restock our supplies and friendly people. Neil asked for a lunch recommendation, and when he mentioned possibly Mexican food, the cashier raved about a little place a few blocks away. We tried two different Mexican restaurants while traveling in Eastern Washington and we can tell you that what passes there for Mexican food is nothing like we are used to in California or Hawaii! At one restaurant, Neil tried to politely ask the Hispanic owner if this was the same food the staff ate in the back (his bland Chili Verde was the toughest meat we had ever tasted. Neil said it was like chewing straw and he literally gagged a few times while trying to swallow it.) The owner just got huffy and grabbed Neil’s plate off the table. He said had never had a complaint about the dish in the 12 years he had been in business. I’m glad the locals keeping him in business have tough jaws. We didn’t have Mexican food again until we got to California.

Waterfalls

The Waterfall Strolls were all in the Colville vicinity. Crystal Falls is right on Hwy 20 but there was no signage to identify it. We would have missed it if we didn’t know where to look for the gravel parking area. Crystal Falls gets its name from how it looks in the wintertime. The Pend Oreille River drops straight down a rocky face and there are good viewpoints right near the road. Of course Neil had to climb out to the top of the rock directly overlooking the falls and I was able to snap a photo.

We drove a little north out of Colville to find Douglas Falls. What we found was the falls were within a state park including a campground. The falls overlook is in the day use area allowing an elevated view of falls.

The information sign gave the history: ”Douglas Falls Grange Park: The 120 acre park site was purchased in 1938 by Stevens County Pomona Grange #17 and maintained thereafter by its members for the public’s pleasure. Changing times made the upkeep of the park a problem for the organizations. So in 1975 a deed to the property was presented to the State of Washington Department of Natural Resources for development and maintenance as a public park. The 60 foot waterfall on Mill Creek was named for R.H. Douglas who harnessed it in 1855 for a grist mill. Later converted to a sawmill. Failing to negotiate a lumber contract with the U.S. Army at nearby Fort Colville, he turned his talents to the production of distilled spirits.”

The last waterfall we searched out was Meyers Falls which took us through neighborhoods in Kettle Falls. It was a disappointment when we finally found it because the access to the main falls viewing is blocked by the current powerhouse owner. There are informational signs and the history is well documented however we were only able to view a small falls upstream from Meyers Falls.

“On the Colville River immediately south of the City of Kettle Falls (which in turn was named after a now submerged and extinct falls), Meyers Falls is a series of cascades about 133 feet in total height. In the spring the cascades join to become a single, wide, 133 foot waterfall. Over the years a grist mill, a sawmill, a brick factory and a hydroelectric project have been built above and below the falls.

In 1826 a gristmill was built by the Hudson’s Bay Company on the river above the falls and continued in use until after the first generating station was built. In the intervening years a sawmill capable of producing 20,000 board feet of lumber per day was also built at this site. Interestingly, this early use of the Colville River makes it the oldest source of water power in continual use west of the Mississippi River.“ Waymarking Meyers Falls

Five Lakes Area

Chief Moses, Chief Tonasket, Chief Sar-sarp-kin

We decided to stay at Bonaparte Lake Campground (elevation 3500 feet) near Tonasket, actually in the Okanogan National Forest. Okanogan is a Salish Indian word meaning “rendezvous.” Originally this region was home to 12 tribes who moved through it according to season. In 1846 the US government ignored the rights of the indigenous people, seized the land from them, established reservations, decades later took the north half of the reservation back from the Indians, opened it to settlers and prospectors eager to exploit it, and eventually put the bulk of the land under management of the Forest Service. The area is rich with old ghost towns, many in good condition. Sadly, we didn’t have time to explore them.

We found a nice camping spot right on the lake shore in the magnificent Okanogan Highlands. There was even firewood provided, however, the hostess stopped by to say the ranger had just come around saying no campfires till further notice, sigh; we would miss an evening campfire. With unplanned daylight left, we set off to explore a couple of the lakes close by. The drive took us up and down around the forested hills and even along a rather steep ravine. Each of the lakes had a National Forest campground with plenty of open camp spaces. Beaver Lake and Beth Lake were small lakes with boat launch access. Each lake had a different look in the afternoon light. Lost Lake was the highest lake we explored. We enjoyed watching a large young adult group equipped with canoes having great fun camping right on the lake. An alluring sign caught our attention as we neared Lost Lake that needed more investigation: “Big Tree Trail Head”. We parked at the trailhead as we retraced our tracks from Lost Lake. The mile nature trail loop we walked ended at two giant ancient trees.

Sign on the trail: “The two old western larch below, also called tamarack, are over 900 years old. They were not harvested with the rest of the trees in 1963. In 100 the trees in this area were thinned to remove those with insects and disease damage. The remaining trees now have more crown space. Some they may reach the size of the two big larch below.”

I am finding it hard to put in words the feeling of being in the presence of these majestic trees. It is one of both wisdom and love. Neil communed with them for some time. He experienced an altered perspective on the forest – one where years sped by like days. For these ancient ‘standing people’ the lifespan of a human is a mere flicker compared to the scope of their cares and concerns. It was very humbling.

We woke to the sounds of nature Friday morning. The air was full of bird songs and chattering squirrels as the sunlight just reached the water itself and the hill full of pine trees reflected in the water! We sat at the water’s edge to watch and listen to the serenade before breakfast and breaking camp.

Photo Credit: Neil Rhoads and www.tourfactory.com for Lake Pend Oreille and ghosttownsusa for Okanagan Chiefs

Photo Slider: Neil has worked hard editing the pictures for you to enjoy in the posts. He has also had fun making header photos for the top rotating slider. This post has a unique slider with pictures from this adventure only. I hope you click into the webpage so you can see the slider in action.

Photo gallery below:
Clicking on any photo thumbnail brings up the full size photo with a description. To easily see them all, use the arrow buttons or keys to move through the full size gallery photos with descriptions. If you are receiving this in an email and don’t see a photo gallery below, please click into my webpage to view all the photos!