Cascade L

Fiona Hughes
Contributing Writer

BORDER waits and the
dull I-5 are facts of life
when British
Columbians visit
Washington, madly rac-
ing to Seattle or other
stateside destinations
for precious holidays.

The perfect antidote for
border line-ups lies about 40
minutes along the freeway —
a scenic loop that winds
through the heart of the ever-
green state.

Taking exit 230 and head-
ing east along State Route 20,
part of the little-known
Cascade Loop, a 440-mile cir-
cuit that at times follows the
Skagit River and introduces
travellers to: the state’s amaz-
ingly diverse geography and
climate, The Loop, which
climbs from sea level to 5,500
feet, is ideal for those who
hate traveling down the same
road twice.

While it’s possible to com-
plete the Loop in three days,
it’s ill-advised. The route
offers a minimum ofa week's
worth of sights and recreation-
al activities, depending on
your interests. But if three
days is all the time you have

~ and you’re keen on hiking,

_biking or horse back riding,
stop and stay in Winthrop—
four hours from Vancouver —
“for a ccuple of nights and
* backtrack home the way you
arrived. For the less outdoorsy,
a couple of nights in the
*, Bavarian-themed
Leavenworth, with its shops,
~ German architecture and cui-

- sine, may be more suitable.

My recent three-day excur-
- Sion served as a reconnaissance

~ Mission‘as I quickly realized”
: how much there is to do. On
my first day exploring the

mies [had already decided
~on returning soon to check
* out places I rmight miss (Lake
Chelan) and revisit areas that
‘. deserve more than a one-night
~ stay, like the Methow Valley
(pronounced Met-How as a
locai dutifully informed mc).

.. ¢sWashington’s equivalent of
the Old West, the Methow
Valley is cowboy country
where horses and cattle far
- outnumber people. Best of all,

the atmosphere is conducive
* to kicking back and unwind-
ing for a few days.
Once you've exited off the
1-5 on to what “old-timers”
call the North Cross State >”

‘Highway, the northern part of

the Loop serves up a visual

treat, from the lush foothills of

the Cascade Mountains the
~ glacier-topped peaks of the
North Cascade National Park
~ (dubbed the American Alps)
~— and out into the sun-
drenched and dry-grass hills of
the Methow Valley, before
running alongside the
Columbia River, with its banks
covered in acres of fruit

; orchards. :

© With aipine flowers bloom- .

ing in roadside palettes of
reds, yellows and oranges,
autumn is a spectacular time
“to drive the ribbon of highway
through North Cascades
National Park. Two must-
stops before over-nighting in
:Winthrop include
Washington’s Pass Overlook
= vasily accessed off the high-
Away —— and Hart’s Pass..‘The

~ Pass, along an unpaved, often

photo xim Ritz

WITH its faise-front wooden buildings, hitching rails, board sidewalks and ofd-fash-

narrow road climbing to
7,000 feet is not suitable for
all vehicles, although I did see
4 minivan attempting it with
no problems. Both offer stur-
ning photo opportunities,
from Jagged peaks to
panoramic vistas and deep val-
leys.

Follow the Loop out of the
park and into the upper
Methow Valley, which is adja-
cent to Okanogan National
Forest (yes, they do spell it
differently there). The contrast
between the moist Cascades to
the drier and markedly hotter
Methow is striking and a sen-
sory delight. Anyone who dri-
ves with their air conditioning
on and windows closed
shouldn’t bother leaving the
city. There’s nothing like the
smell of freshly cut bales of

hay in late afternoon.

The road to Winthrop
passes weathered barns, corrals
full of horses, pastured live-
stock, cattle grazing along the

“Methow River, log ranch

houses and stands of

Ponderosa pine and fir higher
up on the hills.

With its false-front wooden
buildings, hitching rails, board
sidewalks and old-fashioned
signage, Winthrop is one of
the more successful and palat-
able “theme” towns. It’s hard
not to like the place. It’s
sweet, compact and has a
great brew pub in an old red
school house. Winthrop
Brewery serves handcrafted
beers like Outlaw Pale Ale and
the hoppier Hopalong Ale and
is the liveliest place in town at
night. Fridays are open mic
nights and the weekend I was
there, the music was as good

' loned signage, Winthrop is one of the more successful and palatable “theme” towns.

as the beer — although the
songs were more bluesy than
country and western. The
Brewery is also the place to
quench your thirst after a day
of biking, hiking or horse back
riding.

Visitors will be easily
fooled that this is an authentic
frontier town dating to the
late 19th century and depend-.
ing on who you ask in town,
that’s whar you might hear. I
heard at least three different
histories on Winthrop, but the
truth isn’t as romantic as some
might suggest although the

See Leavenworth’s page 28

Montreal, Quebec City, Halifax, Boston;
Martha's Vineyard, New York

AND/OR

New York, Bermuda, Charleston,
Savannah, Nassau, San Juan

a Cruise Presentation. a
‘Tuesday, October 24, 7 pm
_ at our. West: Van Office

Sunday, October 22, 2000 -

"TRAVEL MASTERS

presents

Winter Down Under

North Shore News — 27

Lone stays IN New ZEALAND AND AUSTRALIA a

Join Us FOR A PRESENTATION -
OcTOBER 30 AT 7:30PM "
STREET LEVEL 221 Ww ESPLANADE

-TO BOOK YOUR SEAT PHONE 990-737:

Sealing | Hot Se

oF or January S, 2901 (incl. category upgrade)
0, Prices from $2,348.90 Cdn pp :
- Cail 984-6122, orl 808 668-6911

@ Royal Olympic Cri rt ises. "
Pore taxes extra at 3456.00 Very limited space at these prices!”

Kidis 2-12
FLY/STAY/EAT

Free in Manzanillo!
Escape to the sun at

| amazing "off-season" prices

Novy. 10 ~~ Dec. 15/00
CLUB MAEVA

| or 2-bedroom units

7 nts — “all-inclusive”

Adults from $1158 ¢

+ $139 tax "
Kids pay $139 tax only!
Cali today! Space is limited!

Edgemont Office Ambleside Office
986-2262 926-8511

i
af