Day 190, Chelan Lake and Stehekin, WA

 Lake Chelan, on the southern end of North Cascades National Park, is one of the more beautiful lakes of my recollection. Narrow and 50 miles long, the lake is fed by glacial runoff (and so carries that cloudy teal color called glacial flour) and is absolutely glorious and pristine. 


Early in the morning, we jumped a fast ferry from Chelan WA on the southern tip of the lake upriver to its terminus at the quaint wee forest town of Stehekin which is accessible only by boat. From the dock we rented bicycles for the day and rode along the pristine Stehekin River. Stops included an organic paradise aptly dubbed The Garden which housed Brazilian honey bees…






…an obligatory visit to one very wicked bakery…



…the hundred-year old, one-room schoolhouse used by those intrepid few who live in this desperately remote valley…



…and Buckner Orchard which was homesteaderd in 1910. The Buckner family diverted river water for irrigation, grew and packaged those juicy Washington apples, and finally sold the property to the national parks when ol’ Mr Buckner finally passed on. The park service is lovingly restoring the old homestead.



(Hate those slivers in my fanny!)

Picnic lunch was enjoyed along on the banks of The Stehekin River under the towering peaks of The North Cascades near Harlequin Bridge.







And how could we resist the very short hike to stupendous Rainbow Falls?







Stehekin gave us a taste for what lies ahead in the further reaches of North Cascades National Park. We glimpsed the Sahale Glacier where we will hike later this week. Traveling downriver back to Chelan and sweet wee Bambi awaiting us there, we opted for the slower ferry, Lady of the Lake where our captain pulled over for views of yet another waterfall as well as bighorn sheep replenishing at a salt lick. 
 




‘‘Twas a delightful and lovey day spent with my sweetheart, the worlds greatest travel companion, in another gorgeous corner of God’s great earth. 







Good deed: First, I gave away a flamingo rock to another Airstreamer, but even better… 

Central Washington state, especially along the Columbia River, is a hugely agricultural area with a very large migrant worker population. We found the perfect one to help. Pulling into the Costco gas pump, we saw the woman in front of us having great difficulty getting her card to work. We tried to assist her, then just put our card in and let her fill her tank. Afterwards, she said she’d repay us, but of course we refused. She tracked us down in the parking lot to express, in broken English, her profound gratitude. She talked with us for about 20 minutes, telling us her life story of coming to the US as an 18-yr old, working hard for the past 22 years, and raising a family of 3 boys teaching them to love Jesus and work hard. She was so grateful and told us she was able to buy more food with the gas savings. We sure picked the right lady to help! 




NOTE:  We are experiencing significant car troubles just now. We’re gonna take a break from our schedule, limp into Portland, and see if we can’t get some answers and repairs so as to get back on the road. Stay tuned, and I’ll keep you informed. 

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