July 3 - Highway 20 through Cascades National Park

What could be even better than a great book signing with lots of friendly guests? A great book signing with FANTASTIC food and an AMAZING ride afterwards! Immediately after today’s book signing, I treated myself to a meal at Jeff’s Texas Style Barbeque in Marysville. The meal was beyond incredible with a beef brisket that was tender and flavorful and melted in my mouth; homemade baked beans with a rich, hearty sauce and chunks of meat; and homemade pecan pie with a buttery, flaky crust, rich filling, and crusty pecans on top.

I was a little apprehensive about the ride afterwards as I had several hundred miles to go late in the day in a somewhat sparsely populated stretch of Washington that is known for its high deer population. Not only was I fortunate enough not to hit any deer but I was able to experience one of my best rides ever in the Pacific Northwest.

I took backroads north of Marysville to highway 20 east and followed it past Winthrop to Omak. The first part of the trip reminded me of Eastern Oregon with rolling hills, farmlands, and fields of freshly rolled compacted hay. As I passed through the North Cascades National park, the landscape changed dramatically, with views of snow-capped peaks, waterfalls cascading off sheer cliffs with brown and orange hues, meandering rivers with light green water, and winding roads twisting and turning up and down mountain peaks. The ride was so breathtaking in its abundance of color, water, and winding roads that it reminded me of some of my favorite parts of Colorado. Some of the key bodies of water were the Skagit River, Diablo Lake, Ross Lake, and the Methow River. After passing through Winthrop the topography changed again, with the surroundings become more desert-like and the air many degrees hotter.

Arriving in Omak I checked in to my bargain hotel and then treated myself to another amazing meal, this time at the Rancho Chico Family Restaurant, an authentic Mexican eatery that truly lived up to its five-star Yelp rating. I ordered steak carnitas with grilled onions and bell peppers that was served up with an amazing hearty meat sauce, fresh guacamole, beans and cheese. After so much driving earlier in the day I was famished and polished off most of my meal.