North Cascades National Park

Visited: Sept 2016

Nearby cities: Seattle, WA; Sedro-Woolley, WA (west entrance); Winthrop, WA (east entrance)

The Cascade Mountain Range (or simply "The Cascades") is a major north-south mountain chain that stretches from Lassen Peak in northern California and extends north across Oregon, Washington, and into southern British Columbia. This range is home to many famous and beautiful mountains such as Mt. Shasta, Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Baker and Mt. Rainier, the tallest of the Cascades. Most of these prominent peaks are also volcanoes. and form a part of the "Ring of Fire" around the Pacific Ocean. They are not dormant, Mt. St. Helens particularly violent eruption occurred in 1980, and before that Lassen Peak had minor eruptions in 1914 and 1921.

North Cascades National Park protects a remote and rugged section of mountains in north-central Washington up to the Canadian border. The North Cascades National Park Complex consists of the National Park (which is divided into a North and South Unit), plus two National Recreation Areas (Lake Chelan NRA and Ross Lake NRA). Ross Lake NRA (which is traversed by State Highway 20) bisects the National Park into the North and South Unit. 

North Cascades is a true wilderness park. Most visitors visit the Park by driving through on State Highway 20, known as the North Cascades Scenic Highway. However, the highway is technically not in the Park boundaries, it is wholly contained inside Ross Lake NRA. So, you'll need to get out of the car and do some hiking to truly enter the Park. The only road that accesses the park boundaries is the Valley Road, a gravel road that starts at Stehekin Landing (the north end of Lake Chelan, and the only way to get there is take a ferry from the south end of Lake Chelan) which goes a few miles into the South Unit of North Cascades. 

So, pretty much the entire Park is designated as backcountry wilderness. Even if you don't have a lot of time or stamina to explore the park, driving through on State Highway 20 and doing some short hikes is a great way to explore this Park. You'll see magnificent mountain vistas and incredible lakes. It truly is a wonder to behold. We approached the park from the western side.

First things first, what a rocking entrance sign! I love it.

Make sure to stop at the Visitors Center. Our next stop was Gorge Creek Falls. Get out of the car, stretch your legs, take a short hike for some great views of Gorge Lake.

The Falls far below the trail

Gorge Lake

Gorge Falls from the bridge

it was a very HIGH bridge. Kind of scary. Can you see our two small shadows?

Our next stop was Thunder Knob Trail. This trail is 3.6 miles (round trip) and offers view of Lake Diablo. Honestly, this hike can be skipped mainly because further down the road is an overlook just off the highway that offers arguably better views of Lake Diablo. It's a pretty good hike and you get some great views of far off peaks, but I would try a different one if you visit (like Thunder Creek, Fourth of July Trail, or Sourdough Mtn. Trail).

Pyramid Peak 7,182 ft.

Diablo Lake

when the sun shines on Diablo, the Lake is incredibly blue

Continuing on State Highway 20, make sure to stop at Diablo Lake Overlook for incredible views of the lake.

absolutely incredible, it hardly seems real

At the western edge of the park, make sure to stop at Washington Pass Overlook. It provides great views of the winding road and Liberty Bell Mt. It started to rain faintly, but not enough to dampen any spirits, in fact, it complimented the view.

Liberty Bell Mountain 7,808 ft

State Highway 20 at Washington Pass

a rainbow came out

If we had more time (and a little more experience in backpacking, etc.) it would be a lot of fun to really delve into the wilderness and experience everything that this park has to offer. It truly offers some of the last "untouched" wilderness in the lower 48. I'll provide the website, but bear in mind that it will not be updated during the present government shutdown. https://www.nps.gov/noca/index.htm There are no entrance fees for the Park. State Highway 20 is closed during winter, so check Washington Department of Transportation for road status.

Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Park

Visited: Sept 2017

Location: Atlanta, GA

"Life's most persistent and urgent question is: What are you doing for others?"

-Martin Luther King, Jr.

The National Park System protects and manages so much more than the 59 National Parks. It also covers National Monuments, National Historical Parks and Sites, National Military Parks, Historic Battlefields, National Memorials, Scenic Trails, Seashores, Rivers, and Recreation Areas. In all, the NPS oversees 417 units. 

We have a goal to visit all 59 National Parks. Should we make it a goal to visit all 417 NPS units? 😊 That might be a little too ambitious, but in our travels to complete the National Parks, we'll try and hit as many NPS units as we can. With that said, I thought I would also devote this blog to other units of the National Park System that we have visited. And since tomorrow is Martin Luther King Day, it seems appropriate that our first post for a non-National Park unit is the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historical Park.

The MLK Historic Park covers the neighborhood in downtown Atlanta where young Martin was born and raised. The NPS owns the entire block. The buildings open to the public are the Visitor Center, the birth home (guided tours only), the home next door (which serves as the Gift Shop), Fire Station No. 6, Historic Ebenezer Baptist Church, and the final resting place of Dr. King and his wife, Coretta.

If you want to tour the home (can't go inside the home otherwise), you need to show up early and head straight to the Visitors Center and get a ticket for a guided tour. The tickets are free, but the spots fill up very quickly. Unfortunately, no pictures are allowed inside the home. Martin was born here on January 15, 1929. The home was built in 1895 and purchased by Martin's grandfather, Reverend Adam Williams, who served as pastor of the nearby Ebenezer Church. King's mother and father moved into the home in 1926. The family lived in the home until 1941. Martin grew up here as the middle child, with his older sister Willie Christine (at 90 years old, is still alive today and occasionally holds parties at the home), and younger brother Alfred Daniel "A.D." The tour was excellent and our guide was very knowledgeable and made for a very interesting tour, with lots of stories of MLK's boyhood.

Make sure to head back to the Visitor Center and go through all the exhibits and displays. This is a very powerful, emotional place. The history of treatment of African-Americans and Civil Rights Movement is like a gut punch. It's a history that needs to be studied and talked about and never forgotten.

hearse from MLK's funeral. Dr. King was assassinated in Memphis on April 4, 1968. He was 39 years old.

Check out the exhibits at the Historic Fire Station. Atlanta's fire department was de-segregated in 1963, when 16 blacks were hired. 

Another highlight is the Ebenezer Baptist Church. This is the Church where Martin attended as a youth and where is grandfather and father served as pastors. Take a moment to sit in the pews and listen to the famous sermons and speeches by Dr. King that are continually broadcast in the chapel.

Finally you can pay your respects at the tomb of Dr. King and Coretta at the beautiful reflecting pool. There is also an eternal flame which symbolizes the continuing effort to realize Dr. King's ideals for the "Beloved Community" which requires lasting personal commitment that cannot weaken when faced with obstacles. 

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that."

-MLK Jr.