Hi folks!

Just a quick summary of the last 3 days. Setting off towards Northern Cascades we found ourselves entering Whatcom County, which we thought sounded like a sort of website advice place! We had low cloud to begin with, but the day gradually improved. At Ross Lake Overlook we were at the most northerly point on our whole trip. We couldn't quite get to the Washington Pass overlook for lunch, because the road was not yet open. Once we were east of the Cascades the landscape rapidly became more arid. Winthrop was a fun, western style town.

Grand Coulee was full of vintage cars. We did the tour of the dam amid very tight security, accompanied by an armed federal officer! The onwards via desert landscapes, and a stop at a petrified ginkgo forest. Then a great ascent to Paradise! We were very lucky to see Mt. Rainier. It's quite rare for its top to be out of cloud.

Lots of interest on the descent today, then a longer drive than we'd planned because the forest road we'd hoped to use was closed. Now at Hood River in a historic hotel with its own waterfall!