“Sometimes it’s the journey that teaches you a lot about your destination” – Drake
At the end of the summer of 2017, Kirk and I took a car trip to the Kootenay region in British Columbia, Canada. We had several overnight stops planned on the way. You will learn about all our destination in future posts.
After we left our home on a late September morning, our first stop was a couple of hours away in Oso, WA. We wanted to pay respects to those who lost their lives in the historic mudslide of 2014.
For more information, click > Oso Mudslide
In March of 2014, the little town of Oso experienced record rainfall, two hundred percent of the average rainfall for that time of year. The mudslide smothered forty-nine homes and structures. The devastating event ended the lives of forty-three people.
To understand the devastation to the small community, the tsunami of mud swept over one of the largest unincorporated neighborhoods located on the south side of the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River. The entire town’s population in 2010 was only one hundred sixty people.
Highway 530 runs through the area and east over the North Cascade Highway and the destroyed highway running through Oso had to be completely rebuilt. GeoEngineers had to reengineer this destroyed section of the highway and reconnect surrounding communities following the Oso landslide.
We spent quite a bit of time at the memorial. Small tokens and personal mementos can be viewed by the gate blocking the area so no one can trespass. A tree was planted as a placeholder for each life lost. They were decorated with treasures that connect to memories of those who lost their loved ones. We were touched and felt honored to pay our respects.
I Scream for Ice Cream
After the sober and touching experience at the memorial, it was time for a pit stop.
Lucky for us, the original Cascadia Organic farm was just up the road! We heard about their roadside stand with fresh homemade ice cream located just before heading over the North Cascades in RockPort, WA. The Rockport National Park is another tourist stop which is close by in this sparsely populated region.
At Cascadia’s first farm they still grow blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, sweet corn, and pumpkins at this location. We were lucky to see the pumpkin harvest at the end of summer’s growing season. As you’ll see in the pictures a farmer was loading trucks for the market during our visit.
Of course, we had to have some of their homemade ice cream from the little roadside stand and small store. Other items that were made from their various harvests were also for sale.
We enjoyed the views of the pollinator flower gardens, pumpkins, the river, and glacier-covered mountains visible from the outdoor seating area next to where we purchased the delicious ice cream.
What a treat on such a beautiful day. Our next photo stops are several breathtaking scenic areas as we drive over the pass and include: views of Ross Lake National Recreation area, Manama and Stehekin mountain regions. The next overnight stop is in Twisp, WA where we will include photos of a friend’s straw bale house.
Hope you will check back soon, or a better option is to scroll down and subscribe to the blog. This way you’ll receive an email when the next post is published.