Winter in the North Cascades

Monday are our "getaway" days........Ron has pretty intense Sundays, so it's always nice to go someplace on a Monday just to relax and unwind. Yesterday, we did just that. We climbed into our trusty 4-wheel drive and headed towards the mountains.

We found ourselves driving up Highway 9 toward Mt. Baker. The clouds were trying to break up, so there were a few rays of sunshine every now and then, but even with the clouds, it was a beautiful drive.

Mt. Baker itself was fogged in, but Mt. Shuksan was trying to break out of the clouds. There just wasn't quite enough blue sky to make a good picture, but it was still beautiful. That mountain is just plain awe inspiring, no matter what time of year it is. Mt. Baker Ski resort was closed for the day, so we just pulled into their parking lot and found a good spot to get out and admire the view, without being overrun by skiers. You could really see the blue of the glacier that day.

The ski patrol were busy running around on snowmobiles.....made me a bit jealous I must admit.

We drove into the White Salmon Ski Resort, which is at the foot of Mt. Shuksan....the parking lot was like an ice rink. As soon as I stepped out of the car, I found myself laying in a pool of melting ice....nothing hurt except my pride. I had wet clothes for the rest of the trip....sigh. But as you look up at this majestic mountain, all else seems to fade away. I never get tired of looking at it's beauty. (Ron took the photo below, while I was trying to dry off in the car.)

BUT......I just had to include a photo of this mountain on a day when the sun was shining....I took the photo below 2 years ago. I still want to go back and try again this winter to get a photo with heavy snow-laden trees and blue sky. Wow, do we ever live in a beautiful part of the world!