Today was a late start as I waited for the roads to dry so it was 10:00 am before the wheels started turning.
I continued east into the North Cascades National Park and was very pleased with the choice of roads . I visited some interesting towns with interesting names: Concrete, Winthrop, Twisp and Chelan.
Concrete was an interesting town with signs of poorness, but very clean and proper. There are two large concrete grain elevators that are no longer used. The elevators look like those I have seen at ocean terminals, not two hours inland from the ocean.
Once I entered the North Cascades National Park, I was able to see some amazing views of valleys, the Diablo dam, the lake above the dam, and some great twisty roads.
The town of Winthrop is very interesting as there was a concerted effort to recreate the town to the look and feel of 1900. I was a bit "honky tonk" but cute.
Throughout the park it is very green and lush, but once exiting the park on the east side it becomes very much like a desert with a lot of apple orchards in the valleys next to the rivers that support the elaborate sprinkler systems.
One thing I have noticed throughout this region of the USA, the graduating classes like to paint their notice of their feat of completion on the rocks that surround the highways. See the example in the photograph section. The oldest one I could find is 1920.
I finished the day in Wenatchee, the apple capital of the world. I have scouted out two motorcycle dealers for a early visit tomorrow morning as my chain sounds very sick. I think the mud on the Dalton Highway in Alaska has caused it to wear prematurely.
Distance Travelled: 244 Miles 390 Km