The beautiful Methow Valley and a town called Winthrop

When Michele returned from Atlanta on Tuesday she asked if we could go on a road trip for the rest of her week’s vacation. No problem, when Aaron gets out of summer school on Thursday we’ll go. But where?

The first and last portion of the trip was planned some time ago as a small loop around the North Cascades. With the additional time all I had to do was extend the loop eastward. The highlight or main focus of the trip would be a tour of the Grand Coulee hydroelectric dam. On the day of departure I firmed up reservations.

We chose the northeastern part of the state to explore. Come to find out this area has a long history of gold and silver prospecting, ghost towns, and abandoned mines. I had no idea. It also has forests and

many points of historical interest, and a major connection with Indians. In fact, for much of the first half of the journey we would be on a huge Indian Reservation. There would be no interstate, just small highways and byways. Towns have to be entered and exited in order to proceed.

As the trip was planned, I began to realize that with each passing town we’d be progressively heading to places unspoiled by major tourism. At a certain point we’d head away from where most people go to enjoy the eastern part of the state, namely Wenatchee, the apple capital of the world. Also, families tend to go to the quietness of the forests and lakes. When others veered south, we’d go north through small towns with few accommodations. This would be the first trip where we’d rely on older motels. In Kettle Falls we stayed in a motel that’s part of a small RV park. It was the best in

town. I was nervous about Aaron's reaction. Eventually, he got with the program, but Kettle Falls really challenged the poor guy, and me to. Not Michele.

To get to the east requires crossing over the Northern Cascades. Have a look. We ended up in Winthrop, a town in the Methow Valley that keeps to its western roots. Very much a tourist town with an active permanent community. It has plenty of inns, motels, lodges, guest ranches, cabins, and things to do for all seasons. From here we'd launch into the east.