July 31, 2004

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  Washington State Road 94, near Silverton.

  I originally set out to go to the North Cascades Highway, but got off the interstate for a burger and decided to stay off and head east. I ended up in the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, which, it should be noted, gets a TON of recreational use during the summer.

  I also originally set out to take a lot of pictures, but I ended up not taking many. Places easily accessible from the road are usually crammed with people, and I wasn't equipped for hiking. I turned off onto a dirt road (Road #4065) because it had one of those little 'take photos over there' signs. Unsurprisingly, there was literally no place to turn out off the road that wasn't full of people.

  However, I did get to the trailhead for Sunrise Mine Trail, which extends up into a lovely valley. And which the forest service says is one of the most difficult trails in the region. (Gains 2400 feet in 2.6 miles.)

  Due to the need to dodge campers, and the fact that I was driving through a forest (can't see the mountain valleys for the trees..), this is the only picture of note that I managed to get, and it's not that good:

  

  It's either Morningstar or Sperry Peak.

  A nice drive in the mountains, but not much good photography. Ah well. I suffer.

  On the way back, I found the answer to the question: "Why do they call this town Granite Falls?"

  

  • 11:14 pm
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