My Journey

[JerryYukon]

Regarding the Facebook account, I guess I'd rather go to the dentist than do that. I have some aversion to that. Posting on Expedition Portal was a big step for me. Thanks for the tip though...........

I spent the last few days slowly driving west along Route 20 and enjoying the drive and the cooler weather. Not sure why but I seem to be more aware of the hotter weather more then ever before. Maybe it's age or maybe it's just hot. Life (well, the weather) was really good once I hit the higher elevations of North Cascades National Park. This was my first time there and it was absolutely beautiful (when I travel out west I feel like I need to learn more adjectives to describe what I see.........tired of beautiful, awesome, and wonderful). But that's how it is out west. Thankfully you don't have to rely on my photography to see for yourself but I continue to post my lame pictures. We found a nice spot at a view point to camp at a place called Washington Pass (5,477'). If it was a campground it would be 5 star for me. I thought I could hear Elk in the meadows below me so that evening I was out hiking in the forest looking for antler sheds. No luck but certainly enjoyed my time in the forest. The drive through the park was fantastic and we took our time stopping often. Unfortunately since it's a National Park we couldn't hike any of the trails.

Now we are settled in in Burlington, Washington. Once again doing the Wal Mart thing. As far as parking lots go, this is a good one. We are right next to the Skagit River so the dogs can swim plenty and there's a rarely traveled country road behind the store for our long walks. Last night I met a 70 year old woman traveling in her motor home solo. She went along on our evening walk and now she wants me to go to Alaska with her. I haven't decided what is next for us so I doubt that will happen.

Today the truck goes into the shop for a minor repair. Not sure what is next. I've been thinking about putting the dogs into a kennel for a few days and climbing Mount Baker. It's been a few years since I've climbed one of the Cascades' volcanoes. I still want to swim in the Pacific Ocean so maybe that's next. Soon I'll need to make a decision where to go but for the moment it's 60 degrees here, so why leave ? I'm content for now.........

Cabin That Caught My Eye

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Loved the Snow !

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Camping at Washington Pass

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Driving Through North Cascades National Park

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[JerryYukon]

Still hanging out in Burlington, Washington. I like the town and am loving the cool temperatures here. Spent one day running errands, lots of walking along the river, and getting the truck repaired. Yesterday we finally made the trip out to Whidbey Island. Deception Pass was phenomenal although being that it was a Saturday and the weather turned great that afternoon, everybody seemed to be out there. The roads were packed but we still enjoyed ourselves. We drove down to Oak Harbor and hung out there for a bit and then off to Anancortes, a quaint little town, and last we checked out the San Juan Ferry Terminal. It was nice spending the day exploring the area a bit. My original plan was to hike up a small peak outside of Burlington but with the early morning bad weather we canceled that idea. Now it's on the agenda for today but once again we are waiting for the clouds and light mist to go away. We'll probably be heading south and west to Seattle and then to Olympic National Forest soon. But then maybe not.............

Deception Pass

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Sign Just Outside My Camper Door - Not Strictly Enforced

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[JerryYukon]

Uh...........OK.

Yesterday was another wait and see day as far as the weather went. The forecast was for intermittent showers all day. I've wanted to hike in the nearby mountains so finally I decided to go no matter the weather. We got a late morning start and drove to Silo Mountain (4,150'). It's mostly an easy hike up logging roads but the distance is a killer.........about (8) miles to the summit. The scenery was great with lots of flowers and old growth forest. The logging operation provided nice view points along the way although it's sad to see so much forest destruction. As we neared the summit temperatures dropped, rain moved in, and the clouds moved in below us. I saw large patches of snow along the northern sides of the mountain. We took a brief rest stop and with my freezing hands and damp clothes, I decided that we needed to get down pronto. I was so thankful to arrive back to the Jeep and the dogs were as well. We all ate like pigs last night as we watched a movie from Block Buster Video. It rained all night and continues to rain this morning. The weather forecast for this week looks outstanding so I look forward to getting back into the mountains plus seeing the city of Seattle. Today could be the day we move a bit south.............

I had more pictures to load but once again AT & T does not cooperate. Just love paying those monthly bill for this service that rarely works.

Views of South Skagit River Valley

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A Beautiful Shrub

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[JerryYukon]

Woke up once again with cloudy skies and light rain. I had decided last night that it was time to move on and after a quick internet I found a small mountain that would provide the ideal afternoon hike. So we drove a bit south to Little Mountain (934') located just west of Mount Vernon, Washington. I didn't realize that the road went to the summit, so we parked there and did a reverse summit ?? Anyhow, it was a beautiful spot for an afternoon hike and quite frankly my shins were (and are) still hurting from the hike up Silo Mountain. After the hike we got onto Interstate 5 and drove south with a brief stop at a rest area to dump the RV tanks. Washington state is awesome when it comes to that. Each rest stop has a dump station for RV's. Now it was evening so I was on the lookout for another Wal Mart to spend the night. The first two Wal Marts didn't allow RV's so I decided to get on the phone and call around. Well, every Wal Mart said no to staying overnight. It seems as though all of the cities around Seattle have passed ordinances against it. I finally found a Wal Mart in Auburn, Washington and stayed there last night. It was adjacent to Super Mall so last night I walked around the mall (what a waste of time). Today we plan to take the Jeep into Seattle and have a look.

View From Little Mountain

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[JerryYukon]

Turned out to be a picture perfect day to visit Seattle ! I thought I'd wait for traffic to die down but my late start at 10:00 a.m. didn't seem to help one bit. I'm not sure how long we sat in traffic on Interstate 5 but I know we were all ready to get out of that cramped Jeep. It's actually hilarious to watch the dogs battle for the best spot as they share the front passenger seat. Seattle is such a beautiful city and first off we drove along the wharf area looking for some free parking which we never found. People were everywhere enjoying the beautiful weather along the wharf. I also wanted to visit the Space Needle so we headed over there and found ourselves a spot to park the Jeep. The Space Needle is surrounded by a large park with lots of exhibits and lots of things going on. We walked so much that my shins were burning once again (I hope this doesn't become a problem). I spotted a Peruvian band playing so we found ourselves a seat, took a break and enjoyed the music (I'm a big fan of Latin culture & music having been to South America 7 times). Lots of people came up to play with the dogs and several took pictures of themselves with the dogs (too funny). I was having a great time. Three ladies approached me and we talked for 10 or 15 minutes until they finally offered me their addresses and phone numbers. I guess I'll look them up later if I pass by their town. When I returned to my Jeep I noticed a guy leaving a building and approaching me. He came over and said "you're a photographer, aren't you ?". I said no (I suck at that). He said "oh, we wanted to offer you some of our free gear". We chatted, he went back inside when I noticed that the building was a large photography supply house. Hmmmm .... I guess it would have been a good time to be a photographer. We returned to the camper in more heavy traffic and spent the evening walking and reading a good book.

So now it's time to move on and I'm thinking I'll either head northwest for the Olympic Peninsula or into the mountains. Yesterday was such a beautiful day and Mt. Rainier was in full view. I climbed Mt. Rainier in 2002 and would love to return. Tough decision at this point. I'm off to hook up the Jeep and then I'll make my decision.......

Northbound On Interstate 5

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The Dogs & the Space Needle

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These Guys Were Good !

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Mt. Rainier & My "Campsite"

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[JerryYukon]

We decided on the Olympic Northwest for our next stop. We drove at a leisurely pace along Routes 16 & 3 as we moved northwest towards Olympic National Park. I spotted a sign for a YMCA, always a good bet for a cheap shower. So we made a stop at the YMCA in Silverdale, Washington and what a great decision. Their nearly new facility was so clean and modern with friendly staff. I got unlimited showers for $3 which is as cheap as they come. Afterwards we went for a long walk with temperatures nearing 80 degrees and perfect blue skies. It felt so good to be clean again ! We continued north and stayed at another Wal Mart in Poulsbo, Washington. I guess it was kind of a boring day.....come to think of it. Today we're planning on some peak bagging in Olympic National Forest.

Our Goal - The Pacific Ocean (old photo)

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[hikingff77]

Very nice adventure. Just how well did your truck tow the jeep and camper? I'm assuming it's a 2500 Silverado?

[JerryYukon]

The truck does great........the only problem to date was on a trip (4) years ago when it overheated while pulling on a uphill grade for (10) miles in Utah on a hot summer day. I've previously towed it to Alaska (5 month trip) and also on a trip through Labrador / New Foundland (2 month trip). Yes, it's a 2500 HD but I do have lots of upgrades including 19.5" wheels and tires (14 ply commercial tires), Firestone Air Bags, and an additional leaf spring.

I was listening to the radio yesterday and the guy says on a scale of one to ten, today's weather is a twelve. I agreed completely. Wow, what an awesome day. The high temperature for the day was 69 degrees, and even cooler at the higher elevations. The skies were a perfect blue. I find that weather plays such a large role in enjoying my travels. Today's weather, well, not so good. Woke up this morning to a light rain and (50) degrees. Actually put the shorts away after our morning walk and got the blue jeans out. Anyhow, back to yesterday...........drove north to Highway 101 and then headed south for Mount Zion (4,278'), the first of two peaks we planned to hike up today. I don't know how I finally found the trail head after miles and miles of gravel forest service roads but fortunately there was a guy sitting in his car at a small parking lot and I stopped and asked him if he knew where the trail head was and he pointed to the other side of my truck and right there was a sign which said "Mount Zion Trail". Hmmmm........I parked and off we went. It was a nicely maintained trail and an easy hike up to the summit (3.8 miles round trip). The views were minimal from the summit but the hike was peaceful and quiet enjoyable. Next on the to do list was Mount Walker (2,804'). Mount Walker had incredible views to the east (Seattle) as well as to the west (Olympic National Forest).

After our second hike and summit of the day we drove north and west to the town of Sequim, Washington. We stayed at the Wal Mart last night and plan to stay another night since the weather sucks so bad this morning. I've been thinking about taking the ferry to Vancouver Island and it's only the weather forecast that keeps us from going there tomorrow. Rain is forecast to the north so maybe it's not worth spending the money for that. Also thinking of putting the dogs in a kennel for a day and doing some peak bagging in the national park. There's some great climbs there I think. Time will tell as to where we go next.........

Dogs Relaxing in the Shade on Mount Zion

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Mount Zion Trail

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Looking East from Summit of Mount Walker

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Looking West from Summit of Mount Walker

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[JerryYukon]

The rain continued yesterday until noon or so, the temperatures below 60 degrees. The mountains to the south (where I wanted to go) were completely engulfed in a heavy cloud cover. I could see to the north into Canada and the skies were clear but the Strait of Juan de Fuca seemed to be the borderline for the good and bad weather. So yesterday was a rest day in Sequim (pronounced Squim). Not much to talk about on a rest day.....the typical long walks, reading and a movie from Red Box last night.

Sequim is a very nice town. I found out that it's a retirement type community due to the weather...........never hot and never cold. The Starbucks was packed yesterday and almost everyone was elderly so it was there that I asked the question. One other thing about Sequim, it seems like one happy place. Lots of friendly people here, lots of beautiful smiles, way more than I typically see anywhere else that i travel. Must be a good place to live I think.

Today Canada to the north and Seattle to the east appear to have clear skies. Here it's overcast again and the mountains are still hidden in the clouds. Forecast is for some sun today so maybe I'll wait to see what's next. Sequim is not a place to just hang out and relax.

[JerryYukon]

Saturday turned out to be another day hanging around Sequim. The more time I spend here, the more I like it. I found a neat little restaurant in town when the owner came outside to chat about my dogs. She was so nice that I returned for lunch and spent the remainder of the afternoon there chatting with the staff. The skies began to clear in the afternoon and we walked lots (set my new record of 13.5 miles for the day). In the evening I met a shop keeper and we talked about the mountains being in the clouds. He told me to try and drive into the park / mountains and that it should be clear. So that became my plan for Sunday.....I found a few peaks on the internet that looked interesting and that was the plan..............

Saturday night we drove in the Jeep to the public library to attend an out door folk concert. With the perfect weather it felt great to lie in a field and listen to the music while viewing the beautiful Olympic Mountains in the background. The dogs were beat from all of our walking so they slept through most of the concert. Great way to end the day.

A Main Street Through Town

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Wal Mart Camping

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A Local Folk Band

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