Part 2 - Washington Travels

During recent travels to Washington I took a couple of day trips and I plan to share those with you here.  We'll start with a trip to the North Cascades National Park and Ross Lake National Recreation Area. 

Access to the Park is by driving Washington SR 20, the North Cascades Highway. This is considered the most scenic mountain drive in the state. The National Park contains dynamic mountain scenery and the day I traveled was a cloudless, brilliant sunny day. Within the Park is an area called the Ross Lake National Recreation Area. Highway 20 travels through this designated area on its way over to Eastern Washington. 

The first calls to preserve this scenic wilderness came in 1892 and in 1897 parts of the area were designated a Forest Preserve (an early name for a National Forest). Again in 1916 and 1921 the U.S. Congress was approached about preservation. During the 1930's environmentalists argued for a "Wilderness" designation rather than the creation of a National Park. This continued into the 1960's. Congress voted on October 2, 1968 to create the North Cascades National Park.

The highway is closed from mid-November to April. Although there was significant snowfall over the past winter, the 2016 Spring was very warm and melted much of the snow pack.

 

The Picket Range from the Sterling Munro Overlook.

The Seattle City Light Skagit Hydroelectric Project extends 40 miles along the Skagit River from the town of Newhalem (on Highway 20) to the Canadian border. Starting in 1918 hydroelectric power generated on the upper Skagit River was the dream of J.D. Ross, Superintendent of Seattle City Light. It began with the Gorge Powerhouse, completed 1924.

Steep canyons provided ideal locations for a series of 3 dams: Gorge Dam, Diablo Dam and Ross Dam.  Today these dams and the lakes behind them are the source of recreation in addition to the electric power.

Gorge High Dam (lower right) and Gorge Lake

Gorge Lake

Diablo Lake and in furthest background, Colonial Peak (7,771 feet)
 and Pyramid Peak (7,182 feet).

Diablo Lake and Davis Peak (7,051 feet)

Thunder Creek

You can't beat a clear blue sky day in the great Pacific Northwest! And a drive over the North Cascades Highway plus a couple of short hikes on such a day is definitely a life well lived!

Day Trip #2: a ferry ride to Sidney, British Columbia on Vancouver Island and a visit to The Butchart Gardens.

The ferry Chelan docked at Sidney, B.C.

The ferry ride began at Anacortes, Washington and three hours later ended at Sidney. Then I jumped on public transit to my ultimate destination, The Butchart Gardens, a place I have long wanted to visit. 

The Butchart Gardens was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 2004. The gardens cover more than 55 acres of a 130 acre estate that was the home of Jennie and Robert Butchart during the 1920's. Jennie Butchart determined to beautify a worked-out limestone quarry on the estate, today known as The Sunken Garden.

The Sunken Garden is revealed to visitors as the path rounds a curve to a stunning view. At the bottom of a switchback staircase is a path that winds through beds of annuals, flowering trees and shrubs.

Quarry Lake in the Sunken Garden

At the far end of the Sunken Garden is the Ross Fountain.

The fountain was installed in 1964 for the Gardens 60th Anniversary. The water rises 70 feet in a constantly changing display. 

Each garden is uniquely different and the pathways transition from one to the next.   

The Rose Garden

Flower laden baskets abound amid climbing and rambling roses.

Next: The Japanese Garden

This non-traditional garden was developed by Jennie Butchart in 1906 with assistance from Japanese landscaper, Isaburo Kishida . 

The path through the Japanese Garden leads to Butchart Cove. 
 

 A flight of stairs leads from the Japanese Garden to the Star Pond.  Between the points of the star are beds of bright contrasting annuals.

From Star Pond two arched entrances lead into The Italian Garden.

And some favorites that are special for their simplicity.

The Butcharts named their estate "Benvenuto", Italian for "Welcome".  Today The Gardens are still owned and operated by the family and continue the standard of horticultural excellence set by Jennie Butchart.  Each of the gardens make a unique visual impression with carefully chosen color, texture and arrangement. It was quite dazzling and an experience well worth the effort of getting there.

During the day there I was impressed by the international scope of the visitors. I rubbed shoulders with Brits, Italians, Germans, Swedes, Aussies, Asians, Middle Eastern visitors, the handful of Canadians and Americans and more. I can't remember being in one place where I heard as many different languages and accents, all unified in their appreciation of the gardens. 

And finally there was a 3 hour ferry ride back from Sidney to Anacortes. Here are a few pictures from the evening ride through the San Juans. 

A truly enjoyable Pacific Northwest experience. 
Thanks for sharing it with me.