From the North Cascades, we are making our way over to Glacier National Park in Northern Montana. First stop, Winthrop, Washington, a charming old-west themed town. Winthrop was a gold-rush town in the 1880’s and was re-born as a Old West theme town in the 1970’s, hoping to lure tourists after the completion of Highway 20, which runs through the North Cascades. From the amount of people around, it looks like they were successful!
We had dinner at the Old Schoolhouse Brewery and had the most delicious garlic-herb fries with a tri-tip sandwich followed by a huckleberry ice cream in a cone for me. And what did I spy while enjoying my ice cream? A mini-golf course. Dave was gracious and acquiesced to play a game the following day. I use to do so much better at mini golf. Somehow, I have lost my mojo as Dave won by 10 strokes!
While in the area, we enjoyed a moderate hike to a gorgeous waterfall. Many of the reviews complained that you hike through a burned forest, but it was beautiful. The best part was seeing so much fireweed as we had seen in Alaska. Supposedly, fireweed got its name as it is one of the first plants to grow after a forest fire. It stabilizes the soil, prevents erosion, and supports pollinators. There were fireweed plants galore! As it is getting closer to colder weather, the fireweed had entered its cotton stage. This area would have been gorgeous with all the vibrant spikes of pink and purple flowers when in bloom, although seeing the cotton everywhere was still beautiful. Helen (who joined us on the Alaskan trip) reminded me of the saying, “When the firewood turns to cotton, summer will soon be forgotten.”
When we were in Bandon, Oregon, visiting the southernmost lighthouse on the coast, we were chatting with the bartender at the cidery about our trip. He mentioned he really liked Twisp, Washington. Well, Twisp just happened to be 20 minutes to the south of Winthrop. So off we went. The town’s name is supposedly a Native American word for wasp, or it may be a sound made by the yellow jacket, or may come from t-wasp. No one is sure, but one thing is for sure is the Beest Yellow Jacket Sculpture.
Erected in 2016, “Beest” is an eight-foot-long yellow jacket on a 15-foot-high pole. The sculpture was pieced together from old cars pulled out of a local river during an effort to improved salmon habitat. Besides a nod to the origin of the name of the town, apparently there are plenty of yellow jackets that live in Twisp during the summer.
And who could resist stopping by the Cinnamon Twisp bakery for, yep, you guessed it, a cinnamon twisp.
Our last stop before Glacier was in a town just north of Coeur d’Alene (CDA), Idaho. Dave was itching to go on a motorcycle ride, so he rented a bike from a private party and enjoyed a day in the mountains surrounding the area. The next day, we enjoyed a hike above the picturesque Coeur d’Alene lake (which of course Murphy took a quick dip in) and a wonderful dog park on the lake. Coeur d’Alene was a cute town, but I am not sure I could handle the winters.
Our next stop is just south of Glacier National Park. Since Murphy isn’t allowed on Glacier hiking trails, we have lined up doggy day care in a private home. The sitter has a German Shepherd, so I bet he will have a great time.
Cute towns Brenda, Fun motorcycle roads Dave, and lake swims are just as fun as the ocean Murphy
Seems like you are doing a little more relaxing on this leg of your trip. Even the motorcycle ride sounds like a great way to relax. You folks know how to live!!