{"id":26625,"date":"2026-07-25T18:14:07","date_gmt":"2026-07-26T01:14:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ourpangaea.net\/?p=26625"},"modified":"2026-07-25T18:14:09","modified_gmt":"2026-07-26T01:14:09","slug":"back-in-the-usa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ourpangaea.net\/?p=26625","title":{"rendered":"Back in the USA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

There should be a song called that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a tint of sadness and a dash of irony we crossed the border out of Canada and back into the USA.  Sad because we love travelling in Canada and proved it again with the 12,600 kilometres (7,800 miles) we travelled across two provinces and two territories.  And ironic because we ended up leaving Canada on Canada Day which made us feel a little guilty, as if we weren\u2019t respecting this wonderful country.  Sorry Canada, don\u2019t take it personally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Our last town in Canada was appropriately named Hope…and we hope to come back someday<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We only had about a week left on the road before we hooked up with family for a major reunion event.  But the Pacific Northwest has so much to offer, how should we spend our limited time?  The answer was obvious (to us) since we had crossed the border into the state of Washington and only about two hours away was the spectacular North Cascades National Park.  Bullseye.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Washington is a surprisingly big state in the extreme northwest corner of the US and up near the Canadian border is North Cascades National Park<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The drive across this section of northern Washington was wonderful \u2013 the fertile rural land, the thick forests, the quaint homes and towns which make up this area.  We hooked up with the Skagit River, it\u2019s blue-green water a sharp contrast to the muddy brown flood waters of the rivers we had been seeing in the Yukon and BC.  The Skagit would turn out to be our constant companion for the next couple of days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Rural farmland of northern Washington was a sharp contrast to most of the scenery further north<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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OMG – a crystal clear blue river – the Skagit, which carves it’s way through the national park<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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On the Skagit River we came to the unlikely-named down of Concrete which celebrates it’s unique name as only it can<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We followed the impossibly winding road through the impossibly tall steep canyon walls carved out by the impossibly beautiful Skagit River until we reached the national park and checked out the Visitor Center.  First impression \u2013 too many people.  After all, we were in one of America\u2019s most popular national parks in July \u2013 peak season \u2013 and the crowds freaked us out a bit.  We needed to recalibrate and suck it up.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Despite the obvious popularity of this national park we got lucky an snagged a spot in one of their main campgrounds<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The campsite with our reservation had been closed due to aggressive bear activity nearby but at the Ranger\u2019s suggestion we trolled a couple of other nearby campgrounds and were lucky enough to score a spot for the night amongst the tall hemlocks and cedars.  We then drove up the canyon further, stopping at the three dams that were built here 60 years ago for hydroelectric power and taking in these magic views.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Gorge Dam was the first of three dams in the canyon and gave us a taste of things to come<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

At Ross Dam we followed the one mile track down the steep hill to the dam itself and walked out across this massive structure which gave us great views of the mountains.  I know Seattle needs electricity but I don\u2019t think these dams would get built today.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The walk down to Ross Dam was a chance to stretch our legs and take in the sights<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Julie stands on massive Ross Dam and takes in the views down the valley<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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And this is the view she was enjoying<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We enjoyed our night in the park, soaking in how Americans celebrate their great outdoors, becoming one with many.  We chose a recommended walk for the next day but to get there we had to complete our drive through the mountains to the eastern edge of the park. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The national park is only one part of a vast area in north western Washington that is preserved under different classifications<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

There were multiple pullouts along the way to soak in the park\u2019s deep canyons, three full dams and wonderful soaring mountains all around us.  The standout spot for us was Washington Pass where a short trail led us to panoramic views of jagged snow-streaked mountains and the impressive Liberty Bell, a patriotically named glacier-carved granite mountain that shined above all others. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The three dams created endless recreation opportunities, including this great place to swim, paddle or just admire the view like we did<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The pull outs provided a great chance to take in this wild and endless wilderness<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The view from Washington Pass with the dominant Liberty Bell on the right<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The whole mountain range, with our road snaking down below, was just wonderful<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We parked at the trailhead for Cutthroat Lake, a four mile (6.4 kilometre) gentle trail up to a beautiful alpine lake hemmed in by the near vertical walls of the mountains above us.  The North Cascades National Park certainly packs a punch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The track up to Cutthroat Lake was a great way to get closer to the action in these mountains<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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And the reward at the edge of the lake was outstanding<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The road continued southeasterly through the scenic Methow Valley, stopping at cute touristy towns of Mazama and Winthrop.  We could picture couples or families from the Seattle-Tacoma area doing this wonderful drive and spending a weekend in one of these attractive towns.  Thumbs up for the Methow Valley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Methow Valley had some beautiful rural scenes surrounded by handsome mountains<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Running through the Methow Valley was the appropriately-named Methow River<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Winthrop’s main street was lined with buildings representing a distant past like this Emporium<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We camped that night in the Okanogan National Forest with more cliff walls all around us.  The following morning we hooked up with the famous Colombia River, one of the most iconic and historically significant waterways in America.  We detoured to the town of Chelan, positioned at the end of the snake-shaped Lake Chelan, and began to pick up the strong Fourth of July weekend vibe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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National forests are an amazing place to spend the night, including this spot in Okanogan National Forest<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The town was packed with weekenders getting in the celebration mood, walking the streets of the town or setting up on their picnic blankets with sunscreen and children\u2019s floaties for a day of sun and fun.  You couldn\u2019t help but enjoy the holiday atmosphere, America at it\u2019s best.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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It’s a long weekend on the shores of Lake Chelan – great stuff<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Lake Chelan is a fjord-like lake 50 miles (80 klm) long and here’s a fun fact – it’s deepest point is 460 feet (130 metres) below sea level
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

We followed the mighty Colombia River for some time, enjoying the dramatic views along the way and stopping for a picnic lunch on it\u2019s shores in the little community of Crescent Bar. We finally crossed the river at the border with Oregon where the scenery turned to open prairie-like wheat fields, expansive wind farms and wandering creek beds.  If you want variety, take a drive in America.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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The Colombia River played a crucial role in the expansion westward and the settlement of the Pacific Northwest<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The Colombia is a seriously beautiful river<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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The wheat fields with wind turbines were a striking contrast to what we had seen in Washington<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

As we passed into late afternoon we followed a dirt track up onto a ridge through some BLM land and stopped on a high ridge to set up for the night.  From this vantage point we had 360\u00b0 views of this rolling grazing land and were even visited by a lonely and slightly miffed bull who seemed to resent our presence (luckily there was a good fence between us).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Our gorgeous spot for the night – what a view in all directions!<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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No photos of the bull but we did have an awesome sunset<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The next morning over coffee two elk were seen on an adjoining ridge, their loud bellows perhaps also signaling their warning that strangers were in their midst.  Never mind, it was the Fourth of July, America\u2019s biggest celebration day, and their 250th anniversary to boot.  We knew this was going to be a great day of Americana overload and had the perfect nearby town in mind to take it all in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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One more photo of North Cascades National Park because it’s so good<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

There should be a song called that. With a tint of sadness and a dash of irony we crossed the border out of Canada and back into the USA.  Sad because we love travelling in Canada and proved it again with the 12,600 kilometres (7,800 miles) we travelled across two provinces and two territories.  And ironic because we ended up leaving Canada on Canada Day which made us feel a …<\/span> Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26636,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[25],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-united-states"],"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.ourpangaea.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/PXL_20260702_170741605-scaled.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ourpangaea.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26625","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ourpangaea.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ourpangaea.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourpangaea.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourpangaea.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=26625"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourpangaea.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26625\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26703,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourpangaea.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26625\/revisions\/26703"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourpangaea.net\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/26636"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ourpangaea.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=26625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourpangaea.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=26625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ourpangaea.net\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=26625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}