What was planned to be an out and back on Highway 20 in the North Cascades has turned into a complete loop around the North Cascade Mountains. After our ORV rendezvous we heard from our friends that they couldn’t join us for the planned camping we had reserved in the same area, so we did an immediate pivot, changed our plans, and drove to the sun. Spring in the Pacific NW can be cold, wet, and dreary. But literally drive across any of the five mountain passes that take you to Eastern Washington, and voila, instant sun!

Now what I had to do was find new spots for us to camp. The first place I always check is Washington State campgrounds. They have a nice map that will give you availability once you set your filters for dates and trailer size.

I found a state park in the Methow valley, the same place I had ridden on Ride to Rendezvous this time last year. The Methow is absolutely beautiful in the spring, and we were happy to score a lake front campsite at a small park in the hills above Winthrop.

We did some exploring in the area and went for a short but sweet walk along the river. I was wishing we had our bear spray along, because we were the only folks on the trail, but it was a beautiful easy hike.

One night we hosted Beau & Kelly’s daughter Mackenzie, her husband Slade, and their daughters for dinner at the lake. They live half an hour away in Twisp, and it was a delightful evening visiting with them and having some time to get to know Slade better.

Of course when Delilah wants company wading in the lake, how do I say no to that beautiful face?

Even the kitties were enjoying the beautiful weather.

Our next stop was up Hwy 410 into the national forest. This is where we finally found all the dispersed camping that people are always talking about. There was one campsite that had reserved spots, the rest were basically a free-for-all. We scored this very lovely site for three days over the holiday weekend and were happy to be in a completely new to us area to explore.

What we quickly learned was that we were right in the heart of Off Road Vehicle heaven. The trails all around the valley were for these little buggies, and there were massive campgrounds full of families and their toys. While it was a little noisy in the morning and evening as they came and went, it was quiet during the day, and surprisingly quiet at night. And they were all having fun. A big bunch of fun. It was fun to watch. We’re not their people, but we didn’t need to be. We loved seeing them outdoors and enjoying our National forest lands.

We did some exploring in the area, had some BBQ pizza and a fire, and were grateful for the nice warm weather.

We left eastern washington and drove south around Mt Rainier/Tahoma on Hwy 12, then up the west side of Hood Canal.

Our last spot in the Cascade Loop pivot was at Fort Flagler, on Marrowstone Island. It was relatively close to our destination for the family campout, and close to services to finish grocery shopping for the weekend and doing laundry. Have I ever mentioned that I love where I live?

Pix from this trip are here