Staycation daze 2: The Long and Winding Road

So, Coco had a burst of spontaneity this afternoon and suggested that we make sandwiches, drive to Artist Point on Mount Baker, and eat dinner while taking in the vista. Mt. Baker is right in our backyard, so to speak, so I readily agreed. After her acupuncture appointment, we threw together some hoagies, jumped in the Scion, and headed out.

At first, it was exactly as we imagined: the glory of the natural world, bursting with beauty.

Pacific Northwest forests really are beautiful.

We neglected to consider two factors: (a) it is still very early in the season, mountain-wise, and (b) Artist Point is at about 5100 feet. Our sunny vacation day afternoon drive soon turned into... something else.

Yes, the road to Artist Point was clear, but there were still yards of snow on either side - toward the top, it was more like traversing a tunnel than enjoying a ride in country. What's more, we actually climbed up into the cloud layer, so visibility was about ten feet. The vista, when we finally reached the top, was, shall we say, limited.

On the other hand, parking was easy to find.

It was also about 40 degrees, and although the composting toilets were open, those and the trash cans were the extent of the accessible features.

Yes, there is a door to a restroom in there.

We changed our plans, turned around, and drove back down the mountain. Once we got below the cloud layer, it started to rain on us, a perfect cap to the expedition. We sped down the mountain to a brewery/pizzeria right on the edges of the civilized world: it gets great reviews and we have been meaning to try it, so this seemed like the time. I wish I could tell you that the pizza and the beer were great and made the whole misadventure worth it, but both were just okay.

What did make the whole trip worth it was getting to spend a few uninterrupted hours with my sweetie, listening to music, chatting, and laughing at our own damn crazy selves. That's what I call good times.