End of Holiday Road Trip

Time to head back south along I-5 through the Siskiyous...

Just in time for New Year's Eve!

Road Trip to Concrete, WA

Last Sunday we took advantage of the bright blue skies and sunshine and headed down Highway 20 toward the Cascades. This road is also known as the North Cascades Highway and was originally the corridor used by local Native American tribes as a trading route from eastern Washington to the Pacific for more than 8,000 years. The highway passes through Anacortes, Burlington, Sedro-Woolley, and winds its way alongside the Skagit River passing through lovely agricultural land. However, the best way to see the river and enjoy the tiny towns that are nestled in the valley is to get off the highway and follow the Lyman-Hamilton Highway instead. This route allows you to see more of the valley, make frequent stops for photo ops, and has a lot less traffic. Because of the snowy road conditions through the mountain passes, we didn't go any farther than the funky little town of Concrete.

Vineyards off of Highway 20...that's Lummi Island in the distance...

Skagit Valley farm and Mt. Baker...

The historic Minkler Mansion, now city hall in Lyman...

Typical views...

The Cascades off in the distance...

The "welcoming silo" in Concrete...

The silo was built by the Washington Portland Cement Company,

which opened in 1905.

The Concrete Herald Building originally built in 1918

once housed a model T garage with a gas station...

It was so cold that the shady parts of the valley and streets

stayed frosted over the entire day...

The historic Concrete Theater built in 1923...

The main street...

The other side of the street...

The Community Bible Church and St. Catherine's Catholic Church...

I think this picturesque road warrants another trip during the warmer summer months.

Historic Downtown Anacortes

Christmas Day brought the sunshine along with cold temperatures to the Pacific Northwest, so while most families were celebrating Christmas in their warm homes, I decided to take a stroll through the quiet, quaint streets of historic downtown Anacortes and enjoy the colorful holiday sights and scenes...

Merry Christmas from Anacortes! Click HERE to view last year's shots of the downtown.