Mount Baker Experience, Summer 2010

Institute offers broader array of programs, including sourdough

Deep in the heart of the North Cascades mountain range, on a lonely stretch of highway between Sedro-Woolley and Eastern Washington’s Methow Valley, lies an unexpected gem. Tucked away into a pocket of forest near Lake Diablo is the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center, a place where children learn and adults get hands-on training in the 684,000-acre wilderness playground known as the North Cascades National Park.

Don’t let the name fool you. While the center provides a variety of outdoor educational programs, it’s an excellent way for grown-ups to have fun in the woods and explore a variety of outdoor activities – no equipment or prior experience necessary.

The center, created in 2005 as part of a mitigation agreement by Seattle City Light for its use of the Skagit River for hydroelectric projects, offers outdoor interpretive excursions led by staff naturalists. It was founded in 1986 by Saul Weisberg, then a North Cascades park ranger, along with his college buddies as a side project. With a $39,000 budget, they offered multi-day trips around the Cascades and group camping trips, often forgoing a salary to keep the operation going.

“We love this place and saw the potential for it to get torn apart because there wasn’t a place for people to get good information,” he said.

“The dialogue back then was always us versus them and it was always angry. We thought if we could get more people exposed to nature, the

Canoe & Kayak sales, rentals & demos featuring PERCEPTION, MAD RIVER CANOE, PYRANHA, NuCANOE, WERNER PADDLES, KOKATAT & much more.

3101 Northwest Avenue Bellingham, WA 360-733-1080 Ye a g e r s S p o r t i n g G o o d s . c o m 2 Mount Baker Experience

conversation might become more informed and more civil. Our goal was conversation and also to help save this place we love.

“We like to joke we’re a faith-based organization, in that we have faith that the more people experience something the more they’re going to care about it and the more they’re going to want to know.”

Today, the non-profit manages a $2.5 million program and 16-building complex that features a library, dorm-style bedrooms and classrooms that feature workshops on everything from photography to geology to butterflies and art.

Although the center was first designed to offer youth programs, director Saul Weisberg said they have added more adult seminars, retreats and other programs in the past few years. Some of those classes – including the Sourdough Speaker Series offered twice a year – are geared toward older audiences. Last season’s series included a presentation by noted Northwest landscape photographer Lee Mann (see interview, page 10) with an overnight stay in comfortable guest rooms, breakfast and a guided canoe trip across Lake Diablo. The series is named after the nearby Sourdough Mountain, where beat poet Gary Snyder served as a fire lookout.

Another popular series “Searching for Kerouac in the North Cascades” reflects the fact that author Jack Kerouac (On The Road, Dharma Bums) served as a fire lookout at nearby Sourdough Mountain as did poet Gary Snyder.

Each Sourdough engagement begins Satur-

day around sunset with wine and hors d’oeuvres on the deck of the lakeside dining hall, one of the only buildings refurbished when the North Cascades Institute built the complex on the existing foundation of the former Lake Diablo Resort.

Guests also enjoy an informal gourmet dinner using local and organic foods whenever possible. .

The campus is designed to encourage guests to be outdoors whenever possible. Realizing that it rains more often than not in Pacific Northwest, architects with Henry Klien group in Mount Vernon included overlapping eves made from a mix of recycled fly ash and concrete to allow guests to walk throughout the complex without getting wet.

“They really got the issue of sustainability before it was even a buzz word,” Weisberg said.

“We used simple materials and simple systems because sustainability also involves longetivity.

Although at the time, we had a hard time finding subcontractors who were certified.”

Site placement was selected with the sun’s heat in mind, capturing southern exposure in the winter and shading from the intense northern exposure in the summer. As a result, no air conditioning is needed.

The campus also features trails, a canoe dock, outdoor learning shelters, an amphitheater and the Wild Ginger library.

The North Cascades Learning Center’s website is www.ncascades.org.

Photo by Benj Drummond

Upcoming Programs Many adult programs are so popular that it is recommended guests book months in advance, especially for summer guided getaways and for Diablo Downtime, a retreat filled with canoe trips, guided hikes and yoga.To apply, see ncascades.org Diablo Downtime July 5 – 7 & August 20 - 22 $245 and up Diablo Downtime offers a retreat into the North Cascades with plenty of time to unplug and unwind however one sees fit. An array of activities, however, are offered including hiking and yoga, while evenings will feature fireside tales after leisurely dinners prepared by Chef Shelby Slater with organic, fare from local Skagit Valley farms and producers.

Pocket Camera Wildflower Photography July 19 – 21 $215 and up Photographer Mark Turner shows pocket digital camera owners how to make the most of their built-in features in the wilderness. Field trips to wildflower meadows and group critiques are included. Cost includes two nights of lodging and seven meals.

Free Diablo Lake paddle Through September On selected weekends through September, the institute offers free half-day canoe trips and hikes at the learning center on a first-come, first-served basis. Their next scheduled trip is from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday, July 31. Donations are welcome.

Spirit of Place: Writing About the Outdoors August 23 - 25 $275 and up Participants will learn to recreate the world on the page through use of concrete language, vivid imagery, dramatic scene and point of view while reading travel and nature writing from Paul Theroux, Edward Abbey, Brenda Peterson. Cost includes two nights of lodging and seven meals.

Bellingham’s Paddlesport Headquarters

contents 4

Because it’s there...

It’s calling you. You know it. Why resist its siren song when you’ll feel so good afterwards...

6

Bringing the house down The 15th Annual Mt. Baker Rhythm & Blues Festival is getting ready for some serious musicmaking. Have you got your tickets yet?

8

Festival 542 Here’s an early look at the newly expanded Ride 542. From cyclocross to trail runs to a food fest, Ride 542 is one hot weekend in September.

9

Get yourself dirty Only the Bivalve Bash and the Low Tide Mud Run puts good food, beverages and downright filthy fun together with such style. Don’t miss it!

12 Panning for gold You may not get rich but then again, maybe you will. At least you’re not working for the man.

19 Regional Map

On the cover Mountain Wildflowers

by Lee Mann

Photo by Cak Kamak

This is where it all HAPPENS...

MOUNT BAKER

X

e perience Printed in Canada Vol XXIV No. 3

Address: 225 Marine Drive, Blaine, WA 98230 Tel: 360/332-1777, Fax: 360/332-2777 Email: info@mountbakerexperience.com Web: www.mountbakerexperience.com Next edition: September Ads due: August 15 Publisher/Managing Editor/Layout Patrick J. Grubb Associate Publisher/Advertising Manager Louise H. Mugar Graphic Design Charlie Hagan, Ruth Lawless Contributors Cak Kamak, Lee Mann, Grady McComb, Kate McDermott, Tara Nelson, Jeremy Schwartz Advertising Sales Molly Ernst, Janet McCall Office Manager Heidi Holmes

Welcome to the Mount Baker Experience, the quarterly recreation guide for and about the Mt. Baker area, published by Point Roberts Press, Inc. Locally owned and operated, the company also publishes The Northern Light, All Point Bulletin, Pacific Coast Weddings and Waterside in Blaine, Washington. Point Roberts Press is a member of the Washington Newspaper Publishers Association, chambers of commerce in Whatcom County and the Bellingham/Mt. Baker Convention and Visitors Bureau.

The opinions expressed by contributors are their own and are offered for the general interest of readers. We welcome your letters; however, the opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the editor. For circulation and rate information, or to send your letters, please address to: Mount Baker Experience, 225 Marine Drive, Blaine, WA 98230, fax them to 360/332-2777 or email info@mountbakerexperience.com.

find it online www.mountbakerexperience.com: Read the current issue of Mount Baker Experience here, and find all the archives as well. www.mtbaker.us: Find the latest information about the Mt. Baker Ski Area. www.mtbakerchamber.org: Discover the area’s businesses. www.weather.com: Get all the weather you need. www.wsdot.wa.gov/regions/northwest/traffic/bordercams: Need to know about border delays? Find out here. www.facebook.com/MountBakerExperience Mount Baker Experience 3

BEAUTIFUL 7-ACRE, MULTI-THEME BOTANICAL GARDEN IN WOODED SETTING.

Meander through gardens bursting with color!

Many unique trees, shrubs and perennials.

I-5 Exit 255 6 miles east of Bellingham www.GlenEchoGarden.com (360) 592-5380

Fuel Up

On Your Way Up 542!

L`] EYjc]l ;]flj] `Yk _j]Yl hja[]k Yf\ hd]flq g^ [`ga[]k2

Dgo]kl ;`]njgf ^m]d hja[]k af O`Yl[ge ;gmflq

;a_Yj]ll] ;Yjlgfk klYjlaf_ Yl +1&11

Daimgj Klgj] gh]f ladd *Ye / \Yqk Y o]]c

Hahaf_ `gl harrY lg _g

The Mountain is calling you

By Pat Grubb

Fill U Fill Up p On On FFun un & Food!

Food!

Kdglk$ LYZd] ?Ye]k 9dd%qgm%[Yf%]Yl

K]Y^gg\ :m^^]l ]n]jq >ja\Yq

Gfdq *1&1

W W W.NO OK S AC KC A SINO S.CO M MOUNT 55048 0 48 M OUNT BAKER BAKER HWY HW Y • DDEMING EMING WA WA • 877.935.9300 JJUST UST 1155 M MINUTES INUTES EEAST AST OOFF BBELLINGHAM ELLING 685*(21 *(1(5$/ҋ6 :$51,1* &LJDUHWWH 6PRNH &RQWDLQV &DUERQ 0RQR[LGH 685*(21 *(1(5$/ҋ6 : $51,1* &LJDUHWWH 6PRNH &RQWDLQV &DUERQ 0RQR[LGH

4 Mount Baker Experience

Around this time of year when the clouds roll away and Mt. Baker can be seen in its summer glory, there arises a murmuring in these parts. It’s quiet but it’s insistent. “Because it’s there,� it seems to say. “Because it’s there.� You’ll never know when you’ll hear it or who will be murmuring it but hear it, you will. It may come when you’re sitting having a beer with a perfectly sensible friend who will turn to you and say, “Dude, how would you like to climb Mt. Baker with me?� As a mouthful of Hefeweizen flies across the room, you’ll reply, “What, are you nuts? Why would you want to do that?� And looking at you with a far away look in his or her eyes, your friend will murmur, “Because it’s there.�

And that’s how you will come to climb Mt. Baker.

Luckily for you, it’s a climb that even beginners can do. Even better, there are a number of clubs and organizations that can provide you with training and guides to take you to the top of the 10,778-foot peak and back again to the bottom. Virtually all of the people involved in the guided tours stress the need to be fit before attempting the ascent – the climb requires strong legs and upper body (to carry a 50-60 pound pack), and the cardio-vascular fitness to take you into thinning air under load. Mountain Madness, one of the premier outfits offering guided trips up the volcano says by getting your heart, lungs, and legs in top physical condition, you can focus on learning and still be able to enjoy the high mountain environment. They also recommend that you have some camping and hiking

All photos by Cak Kamak experience prior to this trip.

There are three main routes to the top with the Coleman/Deming glacier route being the most frequently traveled. The North Ridge is more difficult. Access is gained by turning right a mile past the Glacier Public Service Center onto Road 39. The trailhead is approximately eight miles further up the road. The Ptarmigan Ridge version takes the Park Glacier route, the Cockscomb and the Roosevelt headwall. It starts five miles past the end of SR 542 at Camp Kiser. Seattlebased outfits tend to favor the Easton Glacier route via the Baker Pass trail. The trailhead begins at Schreibers Meadow.

Typically, the climbs take three days from start to finish. The first includes travel to the trailhead and a three to four hour hike to base camp. The second day is spent training and practicing needed skills such as ice ax techniques, how to stop yourself sliding on snow and ice, traveling while roped to your fellow climbers and rescue techniques. Even though it’s summertime, the possibility of avalanches is still there for the unwary.

The third day starts early, 2 or 2:30 a.m. with breakfast followed by an early start up the final ascent.

Depending on how fast you and your group are, the ascent can take up to eight hours. After admiring the view (and letting your friend know you have decided to spare their life after all), it will be time to start heading home. And to a beer that will taste incomparably better than the one you had at the beginning of the saga.

Go Climbing!

When: Now through September, depending upon organization Cost: Depending on organization, number of guides Companies and Organizations Offering Mt. Baker Excursions: Mountain Madness 3018 SW Charlestown St., Seattle 206/937-8389 or 800/328-5925 info@Mountainmadness.com Open Mon – Fri 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Mountain Madness has a few trips with openings left. Cost is $775.

s At last, a hot meal ... group dining after a long day in and out of crevasses.

Alpine Ascents International 109 West Mercer St., Seattle 206/378-1927 Open Mon - Fri 8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m.

Known as the Seven Summits Company, Alpine has open spots for July excursions. Cost is $800.

American Alpine Institute (AAI) 1515 12th St. Bellingham 360/671-1505 info@aai.cc Cost is $590 with program dates extending into late September.

You can also arrange for private trips for groups of friends. Contact the guide companies for more detail.

s The winged guardians of Mt. Baker accepting payment for safe passage.

By Cak Kamak The Skagit Alpine Club hosts a mountaineering class every year that starts in March and ends in June. The class involves a threehour, in-classroom lecture every week followed by an outing on the weekend.

The scope of the class covers everything from gear, conditioning, climbing skills to weather and expedition planning. The outings start with conditioning hikes and climbing

d n i f l l ’ You e! it her

skills at places such as Oyster Dome and Mt. Erie. The class will eventually summit Mt. Baker.

Part of the training involves skills in route-finding and navigating glaciers. The training creates real life scenarios for crevasse rescues. Crevasses are beautiful but as a mountaineer you would never want to fall into one. The rescue training provides an opportunity to see these natural wonders from a different perspective.

The crevasse rescue exercises were

done on the Coleman Glacier. The training includes a self-rescue exercise and also a team rescue exercise.

The self-rescue exercise involves using knots that slide and grip on the team rope that allows a climber to ascend up the rope. The team exercise involves the use of a pulley system that can be used to pull the fallen climber out of the crevasse.

The class is for club members, but by enrolling in the class you automatically get a one-year mem-

bership to the Skagit Alpine Club.

Most of this year’s group were new to the club and the class. There were approximately 20 students in the class. The instructors are all club members with many years of experience in mountaineering.

of more tha the woProkttery G Quilts Gn 50 local ar g n i Painti tur elry G ngs tists!

Fea Jew

& Beau tiful Display Gardens

Craft Workshop information at: www.MountainsideGardens.com

Breakfast

(360) 599-2890

Sat & Sun 8am-noon

EST. 1898 • HWY 9, ACME Open ‘til 10pm • 7 days a week

595-2146

Skagit Alpine Club P.O. Box 1054 Mt Vernon, WA 98273 The club meets on the first Wednesday of the month. Meetings take place at Skagit Valley College in Mt. Vernon in Room T41 in Roberts Hall. Club members are involved in a wide range of recreational activities such as climbing, hiking, snow camping, sea kayaking, white water rafting, mountain biking, scuba diving and downhill snow sports.

6900 Mt. Baker Hwy. Mile Post 24 1 mile east of Kendall

A D Alw estinat ays ion the Wort h Dri ve!

Open Daily

Lunch & Dinner

974 Valley Hwy, Acme • (360) 595-2200 Mount Baker Experience 5

Alpine, Tele & Snowboard Waxes

Bed & Breakfast ~ Glacier, WA For Horses and Humans

Tunes, Repairs & Binding Mounts

s 25 Year e c n Experie

Scott Peterson Glacier, WA

360-599-WAXX

www.scottsskiservice.com

Full Breakfast Cooked to Order

Winter Creek Bed & Breakfast 9253 Cornell Creek Rd, Glacier WA (360) 599-2526 www.WinterCreekBandB.com

Scenic to Class V

Whitewater Adventures

Day Trips • Half Day Trips • Package Trips “Quality taken to the extreme”

1-800-413-6840 • 360-599-3115 www.wildandscenic.com 6 Mount Baker Experience

s At last – the summit!

Ribbit, one tree frog night at a time

By Tara Nelson When Kara Black’s eco-travel business, A Closer Look Travel, was hit hard by the recession last year, she had a choice: hang on or branch out into other ventures. That’s when Black got the idea to open Tree Frog Night Inn, a small, sustainablybuilt lodge on the Mt. Baker Highway.

Surrounded by five acres of lush, mature forest, sunny glades and a tributary to Squalicum Creek, Tree Frog Night Inn offers two cozy suites, each with art and furnishings that evoke a distinct culture. The Coast Salish Native American suite features hand-carved works by local Native artists and pigmented American clay walls, a natural alternative to paint. The Mediterranean suite features Turkish wall hangings, fabrics, Persian rugs and imported light fixtures.

“Since I was 20, I had always been interested in starting a retreat center and the sustainability factor I was aiming for is consistent with

my own, personal values,” she said.

“I love nature, I love wild animals and trees and want to make as little impact on it as I can. I also enjoy hospitality, and our house is always full of people so it’s kind of right up my alley. I love meeting different people from all over and giving them a comfortable, enjoyable stay.”

Black said the Mediterranean suite was inspired by a recent trip to Turkey and the Coast Salish suite was inspired by work with the Lummi Nation and the relationships she forged during her role as community connections committee chair for the Paddle To Lummi canoe journey a few years ago.

“It was very, very inspiring,” she said. “I met a lot of Lummi people, and it really gave me an appreciation of their art and their culture.

Both the people of the Lummi Nation and Turkey are very, very warm and hospitable people so all the more appropriate for the theme for an inn that is meant to put people at ease and make them comfortable.”

But beyond aesthetics, Black said the idea was to build and operate a lodge with sustainability in mind, capturing rainwater, composting food waste, using natural cleaning and health products and offering dual flush toilets. In addition, the footprint of the inn was designed to prevent the cutting of any large trees and local artisans and contractors were employed in its construction. Green, natural and nontoxic building products and furnishings were used whenever possible, as well as energy-efficient appliances and paints with low levels of volatile compounds (VOC), she said. Breakfasts at Tree Frog includes organic, local produce, pasture-raised dairy, local eggs and humanely-raised meats.

“When you’re building sustainably, you have to be more creative with your materials and practices and you’re kind of innovating so the end result can make for a more interesting experience. Part of sustainability, using local materials and working with local artists made it interesting to me as well as the people who are staying here as they get a real, authentic Whatcom County experience.”

Prior to Tree Frog Inn, Black had specialized in sustainable travel, an umbrella term that breaks down into three areas: environmentally sustainable tourism, socially conscious ‘voluntourism’ and economically responsible travel. But because many of her clients were small-scale lodges, bed and breakfasts and farms, they couldn’t offer the kinds of competitive rates as multi-national hotel chains.

“My background is in construction, cohousing, sustainability and travel so it’s really neat I was able to find a way to put them all together like this,” she said.

Tree Frog Night Inn is located at 1727 Mt. Baker Highway in Bellingham and can be reached by calling 360/676-2300. Their website is www.treefrognight.com.

Between Milepost 20 - 21 Mt. Baker Hwy., Deming Ph 360/599-BEER (2337) www.northforkbrewery.com

H Gas H Groceries H Movie Rentals

Beer H Wine H Ice

1706 Mt. Baker Hwy. Bellingham, WA 360.734.3000

DODSONS IGA

s The Mediterranean Suite.

Get ready to bring the house down!

Are you ready for some great music? Organizers of the 15th annual Mount Baker R&B Festival have pulled together some of the best names in international and regional R&B artists to send you home with your ears ringing and your mind reeling!

The one and only Leon Russell, the King of BoogieWoogie piano Commander Cody and the Lost Planet Airmen, B.B. King 2009 entertainer of the year Janiva Magness, Junkyard Jane, the Northwest legends of Swampabilly Blues, and many more legends in the flesh…

Back at the Deming Log Show fairgrounds for the fifth year, it’s a great place to listen to music, eat, meet friends and camp out. The 180-acre site offers plenty

s Dave Halliday, proprietor of Cross Roads Grocery along with wife Jen, may now be better known as the man who brought the beer cave to Maple Falls and high-speed internet to Glacier. At Cross Roads Grocery in Maple Falls the store has been revamped with a major addition of a beer cave featuring over 200 kinds of the cold ones. For residents and businesses in Glacier he has opened up high-speed internet services starting with the water district and now being expanded to the surrounding community. With a background at Microsoft and his own computer store in Seattle, he got fed up with satellite and decided to take things into his own capable hands. For more info contact Dave at the store at 360/599-9657 or visit www.foothillsbroadband.com

of space for campers and RVers with hot and cold running water, toilets and lots of food vendors.

After each evening show there is an all-star jam that goes on until 2 a.m. on Friday, July 30 and Saturday and midnight on Sunday, August 1. On Sunday morning there will be a gospel service hosted by Seattle’s Blues Minister, Reverend Deb Engelhard with music

by Trimmed and Burnin.’

Tickets are available online at www.bakerblues.com (360/383-0850); in Bellingham at Avalon Music, 1330 Railroad Avenue (360/676-9573); in Burlington at Hugo Helmer Music, 1025 Goldenrod Road (360/7570270).

By the way, there are only 2,000 tickets...

Where Friends Meet Friends at Nugent’s Corner

FULL SERVICE SUPERMARKET Stop in for ALL Your Items

Fresh USDA Choice Quality Meat • Fresh Veggies Baked Goods • All Your Basic Home Repairs Organic Fruits & Vegetables

THE STORE FOR ALL YOUR NEEDS! 3705 MT. BAKER HWY, NUGENT’S CORNER 360-592-5351

OPEN DAILY

7 am - 10 pm

We accept Visa • Mastercard • Discover

Mount Baker Experience 7

State offers electrifying vision of Interstate 5

By Pat Grubb

s One of last year’s racers coming up the hill...

Get ready for Ride 542

By Pat Grubb This year’s edition of Ride 542 takes place on September 12. Some riders will call it a day after riding 25 miles from Glacier up Mt. Baker while others will ride down as well. The U-Dumb (Up Down and Up Mt. Baker) riders will make it a 100-mile day.

What’s different this year is that it’s an all-weekend festival that starts on Saturday, September 11 with a Cyclocross at Silver Lake. Cross 542 starts off at 9 a.m. on a course that’s good for first-timers as well as experienced riders.

Run 542 is later that day and is an 8.5 mile trail run/walk course that starts at the White Salmon Lodge and ends at Artist’s Point.

Eat 542 is a fun food and awards event in Glacier starting at 5 p.m. on Saturday. Fill up on carbs if you’re riding on Sunday.

Ride 542 – participants must preregister, no day-of. Ride 542 follows the Mt. Baker Hwy from Glacier (e.

955 ft.) 24.5 miles to its terminus at Artist’s Point (e. 5140 ft.), on the

border of North Cascades National Park. This is a state highway and will be closed for the ride. Ride 542 has several categories to fit your ability and desire for competitiveness … or lack thereof.

For more info and to register, visit www.festival542.com Start getting in shape (and we mean good shape) now. The Bellingham YMCA has a program to help you do that. Ride 542 Outdoor Training begins July 7 and runs until August 25 every Wednesday from 6 – 8 p.m. Cost is $75 for Y members, $85 otherwise. It includes registration for the ride. If you’re not planning to ride, you can knock off $40.

Running, not riding? Those planning on doing the Run 542 8.5 mile trail run from Mt. Baker ski area to Artist’s Point are encouraged to take the Run 542 class, also offered by the Y for the same price.

The program starts Tuesday, July 6 and goes through to August 24.

Class goes from 6:30 - 7 p.m. Participants should be able to run for one hour prior to registration.

The country’s first electric highway is about to become reality, according to an announcement from Washington state governor Christine Gregoire. The governor announced June 28 that the state’s electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure efforts would benefit from $1.32 million in new Federal Recovery Act funding.

The state is currently working on plans to provide an initial network of public access electric vehicle recharging stations along Interstate 5. Once done, the state would be the first to offer border to border fast charge technology.

Speaking in Olympia, Gregoire said, “Providing the nation’s first true electrified highway (I-5) will benefit Washingtonians and show the rest of the country how we can use innovative partnerships to solve some of our most difficult challenges like climate change and our dependence on oil.”

The electric highway will support plug-in electric vehicles such as the Nissan Leaf, Ford Focus, and

EVERSON

AUCTION MARKET

Chevy Volt soon to be available to consumers. The infrastructure will enable electric vehicle drivers to travel the length of the state along the 276 miles of I-5 between Washington’s borders with Oregon and Canada. Nearly 300,000 electric vehicles are projected to be used on state roads during the next 10 years.

The “electric highway” will connect Puget Sound electric vehicle drivers with Portland and other west coast communities participating in the EV Project, a $230 million project to deploy a total of 4,700 electric vehicles and nearly 15,000 charge stations in five states (Oregon, Washington, California, Arizona and Tennessee) and the District of Columbia.

The project will bring 900 Nissan Leaf vehicles and more than 2,000 EV charging stations to the Seattle area. The state will partner with private companies to install fast charging infrastructure in critical charging zones in unserved locations along major interstates. The first charging sites will be placed along I-5 north of Everett and south of Centralia.

It also supports the West Coast Green Highway, a tri-state initiative to promote the use of cleaner fuels along the 1,350 miles of I-5 from British Columbia to Baja California. Washington’s network of electric vehicle charging infrastructure could jump start the development of a regional EV network spreading across the entire length of I-5 connecting three states and three countries and serving the two million electric vehicles anticipated on the west coast.

In February, Governor Gregoire signed an action plan with leaders from Oregon, California and British Columbia to establish I-5 as a green highway by building infrastructure for alternative fuels and electric vehicle charging.

Timeline: Stage I Level 2 chargers will be installed at Washington’s Gateway safety rest areas for public education and outreach. Level-2 chargers allow cars to be charged in as little as 45 minutes, in contrast to the more typical eight hours for 120 volt home outlets.

Gee Creek rest area: first point of entry from Oregon, located on I-5 northbound in the Vancouver area.

Custer rest area: first point of entry from Canada, located on I-5 southbound in the Blaine area.

Level 3 “fast charge” stations will be developed through public/private partnerships with private firms.

The exact location of these fastcharge stations will depend upon the private partner’s retail location.

Summer 2010: Identify northsouth corridor charging locations Fall 2010: Select contractor Fall 2010: Install quick-charge stations Stage II Based on analysis of Stage I, additional Level-3 “fast charge” stations will be installed along I-5 and on Washington’s east-west corridor.

Spring 2011: Identify east-west corridor charging locations Summer 2011: Install quickcharge stations For more information on the Electric Highways project, visit: www.wsdot.wa.gov/Partners/GreenHighways/electric_highways

Transmission Service

Special $99 (Reg $129)

MONDAY SALE: Slaughter Cattle Approx. 3pm Small Animals - 12:30pm Quality full service automotive repair for all makes and models

GENERAL LIVESTOCK SALE: Every Wed. - 1pm

Complete Foreign & Domestic Auto & Truck Repair Gas & Diesel Specialists 95* Oil & Filter Special $ Better Business Bureau Member

Hours Mon-Fri 7am-6pm

(360) 966-4664 8 Mount Baker Experience

24

Ending September 30, 2010 We accept all competitors’ coupons!

Complete inspection including brakes, plus up to 5 qts of oil.

Must have coupon. *Synthetic oil extra

208 Nooksack Ave. • Nooksack, WA www.ServiceProNooksack.com

FEEDER SALE: Second Sat. of Month - 12:30pm

www.eversonauctionmarket.com

360/966-3271 7291 Everson Goshen Rd. Everson, WA

(360) 966-4800 105 Baker St. • Everson, WA

You call it mud, we call it fun

BULL-A-RAMA

JULY 10 & AUGUST 7 7:30PM • RODEO GROUNDS Mutton Bustin and Calf Scramble for the kids.

Register your child for the Mutton Bustin by calling 360-739-1715. Concession, Beer Garden, and other vendors.

JUNIOR RODEO JULY 31 - AUG. 1 RODEO GROUNDS

s ma

mber of Com Ch a m

11AM both days. Barrel Racing, Pole Bending & much more. Concession

er ce

For more information, Call 360-988-2261 or (360) 961-2122

www.SumasChamber.com

and spend the night with us!

Apply today!

STOP BY AND SAVE ON YOUR NEXT TRIP TO MT. BAKER

DRUG 315 CHERRY ST. SUMAS, WA

SUMAS INTERNATIONAL

Explore our great outdoors,

Sumas

360-988-2681

We offer all year family fun!

Photo ©2009 123RF Limited. All Rights Reserved.

The 8th Annual Samish Bay Bivalve Bash and Low Tide Mud Run will be held Saturday, July 24 at the Taylor Shellfish Farms on Chuckanut Drive on the shores of Samish Bay just north of Bow. Proceeds from the homegrown, homespun day of games and contests, food and beverage, entertainment and family activities support the community clean water awareness programs of the Skagit Conservation Education Alliance (SCEA).

The popular 250-yard Low Tide Mud Run, yard for yard the Northwest’s toughest foot race, begins at low tide (-0.47), 10:49 a.m. The strenuous race, limited to the first 200 entrants, requires peak fitness. Shoes are required and clean up hoses are provided. A change of clothes is recommended. Runners stuck in the mud will be rescued before the incoming tide. Mud Run divisions include boys and girls, ages 8-12 and men and women, ages 13 and up. The 100-yard Kid’s Mud Run will start at 11:30 a.m. Medals and prizes will be awarded in each division. For information and entry go to www.bivalvebash.com or call 206/612-2761. Bivalve Bash entry is $5 with kids six and under and Mud Runners admitted free.

Bivalve Bash activities kick off at 9 a.m. with Mud Run registra-

tion and The World’s Only Oyster Shell Sculpture Contest and SCEA silent auction. There are amateur oyster shucking competitions, Mr. Krabby’s Kid Pond, oyster shuffleboard, mud volleyball and muddy tug-o-war. The kid’s beach will be open throughout the day where kids can try their hand building a fairy house. Crab races will be ongoing all day.

Shellacious Bivalve Bash fare begins at 11 a.m. and includes oysters, steamed clams, bbq’d or curried mussels, bbq’d salmon, hot dogs, corn on the cob and raspberry shortcake. There is also a beer garden. Live music will be provided by The Atlantics, a Bellingham band, from 12:30 to 4:30 p.m.

For a complete list of festival activities, schedule of events and menu go to www.bivalvebash.com.

The only parking available at the festival site is for daytime bicycle parking. For free car parking, follow the signs going north and south on Chuckanut Drive. Shuttle buses, will leave every 15-20 minutes; one with handicapped accessibility. Note: no pets and no coolers are allowed at the festival site.

Su

By Kate McDermott

s Taylor Shellfish Farm president Bill Taylor samples his wares, center, while mudrunners come in from the mud.

B&B

Home Dairies Milk

50

¢

1%, 2%, Fat Free.

Limit 1.

With a purchase of $25 or more.

Not to be used with any other offer. Expires 8-31-10. #8918

$

www.bromleysmarket.com

315 Cherry Street, Sumas, Washington 1 block south of the border • 360/988-4721

Comfortable Accommodations Microwave & Fridge Available G Double & Single Rooms G

G G

Cable TV Full Baths

G G

Wi-Fi Internet Service in Rooms Nightly, Weekly & Monthly Rates

On The US/Canadian Border in SUMAS, WA

121 Cleveland Street, Sumas, WA

(360)

www.SumasBorderInn.com

988-5800 Mount Baker Experience 9

An interview with Lee Mann by Tara Nelson Lee Mann has traveled throughout the United States as well as to Antarctica, Africa, Tibet, the South Pacific and the Canadian Arctic but he said his heart will always remain in the North Cascades.

It was the early 1950s, the Korean War had just ended and Mann had just returned from service in the U.S. Navy. Soon after, he took a backpacking trip into the North Cascades that changed his perspective on life and his career.

“I came back from war very nihilistic, very cynical,” he said to a packed house during a speaker's series last March hosted by the North Cascades Learning Center at Lake Diablo. “But after a night under the stars, I awoke to a hawk flying above me in the morning light. Jewels from the morning dew were everywhere. The beauty was absolute and I knew my life would be different from then on.”

It was then when Mann made a split decision to give up his teaching career to spend the rest of his life doing what excites him the most: Mountain climbing and photography.

Thirty years and thousands of photographs later, the 73year-old Mann, who sometimes refer to himself as a “quintessential hillbilly from Hooterville,” is arguably one of the Northwest's most prominent landscape photographers and sells 110 high-quality photographic print posters and 200 note cards through his distributors in North America and Europe. Mann added that all work is done without computer spliced images and no images of captive zoo or game park animals are used.

Mann was born in Sedro-Woolley, Washington. His father spent many years in the logging industry and the family often hunted for food. Before entering photography, he taught environmental education in the Sedro-Woolley school district. When I caught up to him, he was in his home photography studio, working with his son, Bryce, and his six month-old golden lab, Lokie.

What’s your favorite place to photograph and why?

That isn’t an easy answer. What makes a good photograph is light. You can go to a place that is fairly humdrum day after day and then you can come onto it someday and it’s magic. You can have a situtation where the light is so dif-

10 Mount Baker Experience

ferent than you’ve ever experienced that suddenly it’s incredibly gorgeous because the light is coming through the clouds in a certain way.

There was one moment, in particular, when I was coming down off Skyline Divide trail by Glacier, and I was coming down off the ridge and soaking in the sun during the fall and, you know, it’s one of those days when you’re kind of gritty and sunburned and you’re sweaty and coming down off that ridge and it’s a beautiful day and you’ve got all that floss from the fireweed and here I come around the bend and the sun is coming down and there’s a silvery river winding through the gorge and the light’s coming down and striking that river.

You could come down there 1,000 times and it wouldn’t be particularly pretty. But in this day, the combination of these shafts of light and these trees silhoueted, it was just this incredible magic. So I slammed on the breaks and the next hour, I was just there with a camera just utterly enthralled.

So what you get is a combination of elements, maybe it’s your mood – you’ve had this wonderful day and you’re mellow and your karma’s in the right spot – and the light is just perfectness.

All of a sudden this ordinary place, you could just spend all day there with your jaw hanging loose. But I do have to say that I’ve always felt paritcularly at home at this section area Mt. Baker/Mt. Shuksan quadrangle, Ruth Mountain, Canadian border, and the Twin Lakes. That whole area I get a lot of pictures and every time I go it seems to be productive.

Would you call yourself a climber first or a photographer first?

I started climbing because I started doing things at Western Washington University. A big influence on me was Tup Bressler and we formed an alpine club, of0 which I was president, and started climbing. That carried on when I became a teacher, I got more and more and more interested in climbing and also along with that, I started taking pictures.

Bit by bit, I became more interested in photography until it kind of overcame my interest in teaching. I still liked teach-

ing but I liked being outdoors more. In 1970, I went into photojournalism full time. I sold a lot of stuff to a company from Wisconsin and every month they were publishing my photostories. Except they weren’t paying me. When I had to get an attorney to sue them for payment, I realized I wasn’t going to make enough to make a living at it, either that or I was going to have to quit eating or something.

There are very few people who can make a complete living at photojournalism. If you are both an exceptional writer and an exceptional photographer you can find a niche for yourself, or if you have a particular niche, you can do it. But it’s tough. Meanwhile, people kept wanting to buy my prints so I just put on my hippie beads and started doing street fairs.

How did you go from growing up in a logging community to teaching environmental education?

For a lot of the people I grew up around, environmentalism was anything but what people wanted. Most people thought that anyone who was educated was crazy and people who were educated didn’t think that them thar people knew anything about them thar hills.

But getting a degree changed my perspective entirely. The other thing is when you get around people with degrees in natural sciences you realize suddenly that things that loggers called jack pines and jack fir of lot of the terms the hillbillies used didn’t have any scientific significance. Sometimes they knew things the scientistis didn’t but, by and large, they’re riddled with superstitions. But my grandfather and my father both told me I didn’t want to be a logger because they said they were ruining it, and they realized that if they were taking out the best timber, the future generation wouldn’t be able to get a good job in the woods.

My father was a poacher and often hunted with a bear trap. When we caught a bear, my mother would render the fat to grease our boots. For those bears, it was a horrible, horrible thing. But that’s the life we lived.

For the bears that were trapped it was a tragic thing but when you change a piece of land by paving over it, indefinitely destroying habitat, that’s a tragedy for all bears.

Facing Page: Alpenglow on Mt. Baker; this page from top: The North Cascades; Eagle with Fish; Evening Along The Stream.

All photos by Lee Mann www.LeeMannPhotography.com

Mount Baker Experience 11

Gold

By Jeremy Schwartz

Present this coupon and receive $ 10 Regular P Off rice* *Offer may no t be combined with any other offer or discoun t

12 Mount Baker Experience

Gold panning photos by Rhys Logan

The wildflowers of the Mt. Baker area are not the only way to see a splash of yellow or gold while hiking the numerous trails the towering volcano and its surrounds have to offer. With a practiced eye, one can find something worth slightly more in beds of the rivers flowing down from Mt. Baker and the surrounding Cascades.

Gold. That’s right, that beautiful yellow metal.

Washington state has a rich mining history, and panning for gold is a way to get in touch with that history while also enjoying the outdoors.

With knowledge of where to look and the right tools, nearly anyone can partake in this unique, and sometimes lucrative, hobby.

The Washington Prospectors Mining Association (WPMA) is an organization that lends support and advice to both prospective prospectors and seasoned gold panners. It is the largest nonprofit, small-scale mining organization in Washington and has been around for a little more than 18 years.

The WPMA maintains the leases to 35 claims in Washington, Oregon and California. A claim is a plot of land specifically set aside for gold panning. Only members of the association have access to most of these claims, but some are open to anyone with a touch of gold fever. An example of one of these claims lies near the south fork of the Nooksack River.

A winding drive eastward on the Mt. Baker Highway will lead to State Route 9, just past Deming. Once on Route 9, head south through Acme and turn left on Saxon Road. Saxon will lead to a salmon hatchery on the left and a gravel road on the right. Off the gravel road is a trail, which in turn leads to a sandy riverbank: a perfect spot for panning for gold.

While some advanced goldpanning machinery can cost upwards of $400, a plastic, goldpanner’s pan won’t run more than $10. In addition to the pan, a bucket, shovel and classifier are also needed. A classifier is a plastic or metal grate about the size of a dinner plate that is placed over the bucket. Shovelfuls of sand and gravel are poured into the bucket through the classifier to separate the largest rocks from the sand. Classifiers sell for approximately $20.

The basics of goldpanning equipment may be cheap, but the technique of panning for gold will most likely take a few trips to a local riverbank to master.

The first step in panning for gold is knowing where to start digging.

Bill Thomas, the president of the WPMA, says the best places on a riverbank are large rocks stuck halfway into the sand. Gold flakes, which sink in water, flow down from the Cascades and get sucked behind rocks by the force of the river.

“You have to know how to read the river,” Thomas says. “The gold is only going to move when the river is really moving.”

Once a suitable rock is found, a few shovelfuls of sand and gravel from the downstream side of the rock must be dumped into a bucket fitted

s Dylan Rees, who manages the paddle sports department at Yeager’s Sporting Goods, enjoys getting people out on the water. On June 26 he held a demonstration at Bloedel Donovan Park on a variety of kayaks and canoes, giving instruction to first timers and providing the curious with access to testing the latest brands. Give the store a call for future demos at 360/733-1080. Rentals are also available at the store on 3101 Northwest Avenue in Bellingham.

Left, Bill Thomas, the president of the Washington Prospectors Mining Association, inspects his pan for gold flakes after sifting sand and small pebbles into the Nooksack River. Above, Thomas displays $10 of gold he got after four hours of panning. with a classifier. Rotating the bucket back and forth with sharp, twisting motions will leave the largest rocks on top of the classifier and the sand, where the gold f lakes reside, in the bucket.

The next step requires a bit of finesse and utilizes the all-important pan. No matter what method is used to separate the gravel and rocks, called aggregate, from the black sand, called concentrate, panning is the only way to free the gold flakes from their geological prison.

Take a handful of concentrate and small pebbles from the bucket and place in the pan. Add a small amount of river water. Sift with a gentle back and forth motion, taking care not to wash the gold-bearing concentrate into the river.

Soon the sand will start to accumulate on the molded ridges of the pan. If any gold has been collected, this is where it will end up. The gold is heavier than the sand and any flakes will get caught on the ridges while the sand itself is washed back into the river. Gold flakes are commonly collected in small, plastic vials filled with water.

Finding a few flakes on a gold panning trip is not uncommon, but Thomas says people shouldn’t expect to get rich – a pin-head-sized flake is worth about $3.

“If you’re lucky, the gold you find can pay for the gas for your trip,” Thomas says.

Even at gold’s current market price of just over $1,200 per ounce, Thomas says most members of the WPMA see the hobby as a chance to connect with the outdoors and enjoy their surroundings.

For more information, visit the Washington Prospectors Mining Association online at: www.washingtonprospectors.org/.

Maple Falls is the perfect stop along the Mt. Baker

Harvest Moon Bakery

Hwy 542. Plan on having a bite to eat at one of several restaurants, pick up some groceries, and even fill up the gas tank. Maps of the area are available free at the Mt. Baker Foothills Chamber of Commerce Visitor Center, located on the northeast corner of the highway and Silver Lake Rd.

Serving breakfast & lunch everyday

Offering the freshest ingredients as the seasons change!

We support local farmers!

Serving: Fresh baked goods daily • Moka Joe Coffee • Gourmet sandwiches & wraps • Betsy’s famous biscuits & gravy • Homestyle empanadas • Homemade Soups • Fresh baked artisan bread

7466 Mt. Baker Hwy, Maple Falls • 599-1347 Let us make that special cake

Open everyday 7 a.m. - 5 p.m. for any occasion! (24 hours notice)

Local grass-fed beef from Bennett Farms

Organic Milk & Belgian Beers

• Fresh organic produce • Best beer & wine selection east of Bellingham • Gluten free products • Vitamins & Herbal Supplements • International foods • Bulk Foods • Over 1,600 DVDs • USFS Recreation Passes here NEW

THE BEER

CAVE

Over 200 kinds of

COLD BEER

WIC Checks, EBT & Quesst Accepted

to choose from!

Open 7am-10pm Everyday • www.crossroadsgrocery.com At the crossroads of Mt. Baker Highway & Silver Lake Rd. 7802 Silver Lake Road in Maple Falls 360-599-9657

Become a loyal Fuelie Customer!

Pick up your Loyalty card and earn 1% on all purchases.

SHELL GASOLINE Propane • Air • Water Oil • Diesel

“A vast array of homemade food with an international flair” Everything made from Scratch

STORE

ON WEEKENDS FEATURES

Build your own Taco Plate, Smoked Chicken Enchiladas, Jo Burger, Mac n’ Cheese and more!

Pad Thai Tuesdays $5.42 Maple Falls 599-9800 Full Bar • FREE WiFi • Big Screen Sports • Beer on Tap

Corner of Silver Lake Rd. & Mt. Baker Hwy 360/599-2222 Maple Falls, Washington www.maplefuels.com Find us on Facebook

Organic Foods • Candy Health & Beauty Aids Meat • Produce • Beer & Wine Cold Drinks • Phone Cards • Lotto Hardware/Plumbing Magazines & Books Camping/Fishing Gear

DELI & ESPRESSO SHOP Mountain Size Deli Sandwiches LAUNDROMAT FAX & COPY SERVICE ATM CASH MACHINE • FREE WI-FI EBT ACCEPTED

Mount Baker Experience 13

s XXX

Out & About WHAT’S HAPPENING RIDE 542 OUTDOOR RUNNING TRAINING: Tuesdays, July 6 - August 24. 6 – 8 p.m. YMCA 1256 N. State Street, Bellingham. Outdoor preparation class for the 7.2 mile trail run from Mt. Baker Ski Area to Artist Point. $85 program members, $75 YMCA members, includes the $40 event fee. For info: 733-8630.

RIDE 542 OUTDOOR BIKE TRAINING: Wednesdays, July 7 - August 25. 6 – 8 p.m. YMCA 1256 N. State Street, Bellingham. Outdoor preparation class for the bike ride from Glacier to Artist Point. $85 program members, $75 YMCA members, includes the $40 event fee. For more info, call, 733-8630.

MUSIC PERFORMANCES AT GRAHAM’S RESTAURANT: July 8, Bent Grass; July 10, War Pigeon; July 22, Bent Grass; August 7, Musekiwa Chingodza; August 26, Monica Taylor; August 27, Vaughn Kreestoe. All shows start at 10 p.m. Must be 21+ to attend. www.grahamsrestaurant.com. 9989 Mt. Baker Highway.

Glacier.

EVERSON NOOKSACK DAY: Saturday, July 10. Parade, games, vendors and more. Downtown Everson.

ALL ABOUT ORCHIDS WORKSHOP: July 10, 10 a.m. – noon. Get to know your orchids. Bring one if you have one. Mountainside Gardens Gallery & Gifts, $10. 6900 Mt. Baker Highway. For info: 599-2890.

FROM HILLS TO MILLS WOODWORKING & CRAFTING SHOW: July 10 – 11, Saturday, 9 a.m. – 6 p.m, Sunday, 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Live demonstrations and chainsaw competitions. Crafting such as bead work, soaps, and knitting. Deming Log Show Fairgrounds, 3295 Cedarville Road. www.demingloggingshow.com.

SUMAS BULL-A-RAMAS: Saturday, July 10 & August 7, 7:30 p.m. Concession, Beer Garden, other vendors.

Sumas Rodeo grounds, Highway 9.

EXPLORE DIABLO LAKE: Saturday, July 21, 8:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. Hike to a secret waterfall, canoe on Diablo Lake. North Cascades Environmental Learning Center. Free. www.ncascades.org. or 360/854-2599.

SUMAS JUNIOR RODEO: July 31 & August 1. 10 a.m. Barrel racing, pole bending & much more. Concession. Sumas Rodeo grounds, Highway 9.

Chair 9 to open late July Missed the last chairlift ride up at the mountain? No biggie, you can always stop at Chair 9 just before Glacier. Opening in late July, Chair 9 is a full-serve restaurant featuring a fire pizza oven and full bar on the first floor.

Owner Pete Cook, seen here with wife Danielle and baby Garrett, said it’s been his dream to open up a restaurant at that location ever since the old Chandelier burned down.

It’s taken Pete, a builder, exactly one year to build it with the help of

his parents William and Connie who moved up from Olympia to pitch in.

Upstairs there will be pool tables, ping-pong, a game room for all ages as well as free WiFi. Pete says carnivores should especially enjoy the buffalo steaks, burgers and pepperoni that is sourced from the Twisted S Ranch in Ferndale. Start off with calamari, nachos or chicken wings – move on to salmon filets, steaks or chicken.

For info, go to www.chair9.com

MT. BAKER RHYTHM & BLUES FESTIVAL: July 30 – August 1. Deming. Music, food, crafts, beer garden and camping. Deming Logging Show Fairgrounds. www.bakerblues.com.

TOUR DE WHATCOM: Saturday, July 31 7:30 a.m – 3 p.m. Fairhaven. A bike ride to benefit Boys & Girls Clubs of Whatcom County. Choose the length of your ride - 25, 50 or 105 miles. Snacks and drinks will be available at rest stops along the routes. Support vehicles are available if needed. See the route maps on website. www.tourdewhatcom.com.

ABBOTSFORD INTERNATIONAL AIRSHOW: August 13, 14 & 15. Abbotsford International Airport, Abbotsford, B.C. For more info and purchase tickets, www.abbotsfordairshow.com.

SUBDUED STRINGBAND JAMBOREE: Friday and Saturday, August 13 & 14, Deming. Two nights and a day of picking, singing, and stomping. Deming Log Show Fairgrounds. www.stringbandjamboree.com.

NORTHWEST WASHINGTON FAIR: August 16 – 21. Carnival, agriculture displays, draft horse exhibitions, vendors, concerts & food. Northwest Washington Fairgrounds, Front Street, Lynden. www.nwwafair.org.

s Carol Kilgore, l., and Nancy Jacobsen.

MT. BAKER FOOTHILLS CAR SHOW: Saturday, September 4, 10 a.m. – 3 p.m. Rain or shine. $10 per entry.

Maple Falls. All proceeds benefit the Mt. Baker Lions Club. Trophys, raffle, 50/50 drawing. Info: Dan Graham,1-800-709-7669 ext. 113 or e-mail: reservations@mtbakerlodging.com.

Art and gardens

FESTIVAL 542: Saturday & Sunday, September 11 & 12. Run 542 is a 7.2 mile course from White Salmon Lodge to Artist Point. Ride 542 is a 24.5 mile cycling challenge for recreation, competitive and first time cyclists of all ages which follows the Mt. Baker Highway from the town of Glacier to Artist Point. For more details and race times, www.ride542.com.

By Jeremy Schwartz

ONGOING MEETINGS/EVENTS EVERGREEN WATER & SEWER DISTRICT: Monthly commissioner’s meeting is the fourth Wednesday of each month at 7 p.m., district office, 6229 Azure Way. For more info, call 360/599-1699.

EVERSON/NOOKSACK CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MEETING: Fourth Tuesday, noon, Everson Senior Center. For more info, call 360/966-3407 or www.eversonnooksackchamber.org.

FRIENDS OF THE DEMING LIBRARY MEETING: Fourth Tuesday, 7p.m., Deming Library. Info: 592-2422.

GLACIER CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MEETING: Third Tuesday, 7 p.m., Glacier Visitor Center, 9973 Mt. Baker hwy. www.glacierchamber.org. Email: info@glacierchamber.org or 599-2299.

KNIT NIGHT AT EVERSON LIBRARY: Tuesdays, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m. Bring your knitting, crocheting or other portable hand work to enjoy a casual evening doing something you love. Everson-McBeath Library; 104 Kirsch Dr. Everson. For more info, call 360/966-5100.

NORTH CASCADES NATIONAL PARK HEADQUARTERS INFO STATION: Weekdays, 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (maps, trail conditions & more) 810 State Route 20, Sedro Woolley. 360/854-7200 or www.nps.gov/noca.

MT. BAKER FOOTHILLS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE MEETING: First Tuesday of every month, call 360/5991518 for time and location or www.mtbakerchamber.org.

MT. BAKER FOOTHILLS COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION: Meets third Wednesday, 7 p.m., Kendall Elementary School. For info, email nuqualum@gte.net.

MT. BAKER FOOTHILLS VISITOR CENTER: Wednesday – Sunday, 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., 7802 N. Silver Lake Rd., Maple Falls. For info, call 360/599-1518 or www.mtbakerchamber.org.

MT. BAKER HIKING CLUB ACTIVITIES: Participate in hiking and other activities. For info and costs, call 360/734-4461 or visit their website at www.mountbakerclub.org.

14 Mount Baker Experience

Summer’s warm temperatures and sunny skies bring all the more reason to visit Mountainside Gardens Gallery and Gifts, located at 6900 Mt. Baker Highway, a mile east of Deming. Mountainside Gardens’ flowers are in bloom and its owners, Nancy Jacobsen and Carol Kilgore, are inviting everyone to visit their nursery and stroll through their display gardens.

Visitors to the ivory-colored house are greeted by plants of all kinds, most of them for sale. Examples of the artwork Mountainside Gardens sells can also be spotted nestled in amongst the tapestry of vibrant flowers.

Mountainside Gardens sells pottery, jewelry, gifts, paintings and quilts from more than 50 Whatcom County artists. Customers can also purchase different foodstuffs from local vendors, such as BelleWood Acres, Holmquist Hazelnuts, Backyard Bees Honey, and Hammerhead Coffee.

Co-owner Jacobsen said she has

always wanted to own a store like Mountainside Gardens. Some gentle pushing from Kilgore, her friend of 13 years, finally inspired her to take the leap.

“Let’s just do it,” Kilgore said.

In addition to art pieces and edibles for sale, Mountainside Gardens offers regular workshops that teach everything from beadwork to basket weaving. On July 10, visitors can participate in an orchid-planting workshop given by gardening and orchid expert Chuck McClung.

Those who own orchids can learn more about caring for their unique flowers while those who don’t can still enjoy McClung’s vast gardening knowledge, Kilgore said.

The orchid workshop will go from 10 a.m. to noon. Registration costs $10.

More information on registration and a workshop schedule can be found at www.mountainsidegardens.com or call 599-2890.The owners invite anyone with an interest in art and gardening to visit Friday through Monday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Ask the locals

s Jeff Margolis.

Everybody’s Store

By Tara Nelson When Jeff Margolis took over this century-old general store 40 years ago in the small community of Van Zandt near Mt. Baker, the civil rights movement was underway and the vision was clear: Get back to the land to live the good life.

“We are pioneers in this ‘buy local’ movement,” he said, citing two of his inspirations, Helen and Scott Nearing, former New Yorkers and theosophists who spearheaded the ‘back-to-the-land’ movement of the 1950s. “We’ve been doing it for nearly 40 years, long before it was trendy.”

The exterior is charmingly rustic and deceptive in its simplicity.

A quick trip inside, however, is nearly sensory overload with fresh organic produce grown on-site, local wines, hand milled flours, bulk herbs and single-source chocolate. The cheese section alone is enough to get you distracted and staff here is happy to sample any of the varieties. For starters, try the potato goat cheese from Holland, the wasabi-flavored cheddar and the Nokkelast, a traditional raw-milk Scandinavian holiday cheese studded with cumin, caraway and cloves and commissioned from Pleasant Valley Farms in Ferndale. The award-winning cheese, traditionally eaten at Christmas time, is sold in two and six pound wheels. Margolis, however, will cut smaller portions on his 106year-old antique cheese wheel cutter. (The cheese is also available online at www.everybodys.com or by calling 866/832-4695 and can be shipped nationwide.)

Given the store’s adventurous mercantile, the engaging demeanor of the store’s owner comes as no surprise. During a recent visit, Margolis, a former political philosophy professor from New York with a suspiciously large vocabulary, launched into an effortless diatribe about a 1960s movement that favored a simple life of living off

the land and Whatcom County’s own subversive culture that boasted “Northwest Passage,” one of the most avant-garde underground tabloids in the country.

But before I could dig further, Margolis whisked me over to sample fresh green beans from the store’s fresh produce cooler, show me the nine different types of bulk rice (including long-grain, Canadian wild rice), a selection of bulk flours from grain milled in Bellingham and, finally, took me on a grazing tour of the 9,000-square foot onsite garden.

“If you take care of your garden, you’re not going to get in trouble,” Margolis said. “If Obama spent time in a garden, that’s where he would solve more of the world’s problems.”

While munching on wild rose hips plucked straight from the bush (I respectfully declined), he talked about conjugated linoleic acid, or CLA, a type of fatty acid found mostly in the store’s pasture-raised beef that has been shown in studies to help individuals lose weight; Inca propensity, or the Mayan technique he uses to plant beans, corn and squash together in a symbiotic fashion; anarchy movements of the late 1800s; and the importance of living a simple, frugal and purposeful life that serves the community.

“I live here, I work here, I grow the food, I eat and sell the food,” he said. “It’s a good set up.”

Today, the store has been hailed

by Seattle Post Intelligencer and Pacific Northwest Magazine as a “food mecca.” But whether or not you choose to delve into the sociopolitical aspects of various food conspiracies, it’s still a good place to stop before you get into the hills to put together a picnic or fuel for a day hike with some of their locally made energy bars.

Everybody’s Store is two miles south on Highway 9 from the Mt. Baker Highway, which it meets just east of Deming. 360/592-2297.

The Mt. Baker area has plenty of great trails and hidden beauties and who better to write about them then someone who has lived their entire life and knows the area like the back of their hand? The following is a list of hiking, trailrunning and kayak trail guide books by authors from Whatcom County and Washington state. The books are available locally at Village Books, Michael’s and Henderson’s in Bellingham.

Trail Running Guide to

Western Washington Mike McQuaide $16.95 ISBN 1-57061-273-0 Athlete and freelance writer Mike McQuaide shares his first-hand knowledge of 50 trails in Whatcom County and Western Washington in this 181page guide. Includes topographical maps, elevation profiles and photographs as well as trail running advice and safety tips for all skill levels.

Winter Hikes Deck

Craig Romano $15.95 ISBN 1594852715 Craig Romano specializes in writing about hiking, running, paddling and outdoor adventure in the Northwest and was lauded by The Seattle P-I as being “one of the better guidebook writers around.” In this clever

deck of hiking cards, Romano features 13 never-before-published off-season hikes ranging from lowlands to rainforest to protected peaks. The 50 cards include round-trip distance, elevation gain, suggested warm-ups, difficulty level and a map.

Day Hiking North Cascades

Craig Romano $18.95 ISBN 978-159485-048-6 Day Hiking North Cascades includes descriptions of 125 trails ranging from moderate to difficult, topographical map, information on flora and fauna and historical sites as well as full-color photos. 356 pages.

Kayak Routes of the

Pacific Northwest Peter McGee and John Dowd $17.95 ISBN 13978-155365-033-1 Newly updated and expanded, this easily accessible book is written by paddlers for paddlers and features everything you need to plan a short or long paddling trip. Contains detailed information on more than 40 kayak routes from Columbia River in Oregon to the rugged Queen Charlotte Strait in British Columbia as well as information on currents, weather, ferry

and air travel and equipment rentals.

50 Trail Runs in Washington

Cheri Pompeo Gillis $16.95 ISBN 0-89886-715-0 With 50 runs ranging from urban routes to wilderness trails, this book is heralded by readers as “must have” for anyone who wants to explore trail running in Washington state. The book includes maps, elevation charts, photos, and difficulty ratings as well as a bit of history, geology and humor.

236 pages.

Hiking Whatcom County

Ken Wilcox $14.95 ISBN 0-96178-798-8 One of the most popular guidebooks, this handy gem fits easily in a pocket or backpack and contains an expansive selection of trails, from easy walks to more strenuous hikes.

Wilcox gives readers a glimpse of Whatcom County from the inside out, from Bellingham’s urban trails to the Chuckanuts and North Cascades, plus some of the best public parks and viewpoints around.

Mount Baker Experience 15

ALWAYS EXCITING!

Feel like a wild and scenic ride on the river?

Weekend and Full-Time Parents Wanted. Catholic Community Services treatment foster care program wants to train and license you (singles & couples) to become part of an existing team of professionals who provide an elite level of care to children & youth served by the CHAP program.

24/7 support provided. Competitive reimbursement rates.

Help make a difference, call today!

Whatcom 360-676-2164 Skagit 360-856-3054

s We made it!

Story and photos

by Grady McCombs

Karin Martin Plus Annuities Disability Personal Accident Cancer

Auto Home OPEN Life HOUSE Commercial Thursday, Renter’s July 15 Landlord Boat 4-7 pm Motorcycle Motor Sports

Allstate offers accident forgiveness and deductible rewards

360-312-1235 1863 Main Street, Suite 106 (near Sonic) in Ferndale

River rafting in the Pacific Northwest is unlike any other place. With the steepest mountains and most pristine wilderness in the lower 48, rafting down a river in Washington often feels like a primeval experience. The foothills of Mt. Baker host the Nooksack River; its headwaters formed at the base of Mt. Shuksan, Mt. Baker, and the Twin Sisters mountains.

Home to an abundance of wildlife including all five species of salmon and migrating bald eagles, the Nooksack River is a great destination for family-friendly, whitewater adventures. The vibrant and diverse riparian system makes it unique even to

LOUIS AUTO GLASS FREE

Dinner Certificate With Any Windshield Purchase & Installation

Your auto & residential glass specialists Specializing in same day service!

“Craftsmanship You Can Depend On”

Two Brothers Masonry

Residential & Commercial

“A Name You Can Trust”

Licensed G Bonded G Insured

Brick G Block G Stone #2BROTB1945DA

Locally owned & doing it right since 1929

the Northwest. This is thanks to a history of lacking the large dams and other river diverting and impeding projects that have plagued many of the rivers in the West.

In 1990, the Forest Service determined that much of the Nooksack River system is eligible to be included under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act. Environmental controversy surrounding old-growth forests and the spotted owl has, however, put many of Washington’s rivers on the back-burner. A Wild and Scenic designation would protect the Nooksack and other eligible rivers by restricting hydroelectric and water resource projects such as dams, diversions, and changes to riverbanks.

360-332-6300

www.TwoBrothersMasonr y.com

Septic System Design, Permits & Consulting

Free loaner car Free pick-up & delivery

29 years working experience om tc ha in W County

BELLINGHAM

LYNDEN

MT. VERNON

1512 N. State St. 360-734-3840

407 19th Street 360-354-3232

1721 College Way 360-424-9759

16 Mount Baker Experience

Furthermore, the act mandates government agencies to emphasize aesthetics, scenery, history, archeology and scientific features. Recreational opportunities such as river rafting trips would become invaluable tools for increased awareness and education about the river ecosystem and our relationship with it.

With only three rivers designated under the Wild and Scenic Act, Washington is host to a large number of eligible rivers that are still left unprotected. Compared to Oregon’s 40 rivers protected under the Wild and Scenic Act, Washington seems relatively vulnerable. This situation seems to be improving, and many organizations are working to draft the studies and bills needed to pass legislation.

Just this past March a bill passed in the House of Representatives to extend the Alpine Lakes Wilderness, which would include designating part of the Middle Fork of the Snoqualmie River as Wild and Scenic.

Steve Schneider

My experien saves your ce time & money!

(360) 758-7353 or (360) 319-7674 Wa. State Lic. #5100227

We are your complete plumbing & electrical service company.

360-988-9631 910 W. Front St., Sumas

valleypande@msn.com

•

•

•

•

•

• • • • • • •

•

• •

• •

•

s A moment’s respite before the rapids and the bumps... ciers keep the river going when other rivers in Washington become too dry to raft. The season extends into late August when the river comes down low enough to trigger the fall salmon runs. Once this occurs rafting isn’t suggested to allow the salmon to lay their eggs undisturbed in the shallow gravel beds. So make sure you get out there and to remember why it’s important to protect our rivers, lakes and oceans.

John E Tack Construction General Contractor

(360) 599-9558

Clear Solutions Septic Design, LLC

New Construction Additions Remodels Repairs

Jim Klessig SERVING ALL OF W HATCOM C OUNTY SUMAS A UTO C ARE C ENTER

¥¥¥¥¥¥¥

AAA

on-site wastewater designer

360.599.9594 jimwinz@earthlink.net Maple Falls, WA

www.JohnETackConstruction.com

state license no: 5100354

LIC# JOHNEET925KL

¥¥¥¥¥¥¥

120 3RD ST. • SUMAS

360-988-4702

“HOME CARE WHEN YOU’RE NOT THERE”

24 HOURS

360.715.8585 • FX 360.715.0067 • H

AD

: MON-FRI 10AM-7PM; SAT & URS S

, BELLINGHAM, WA 98225 •

O

PH

Local and global water quality issues and disasters may finally provide the impetus for Washington to step up its watershed protections.

For outdoor enthusiasts, a Wild and Scenic designation would highlight the importance of enjoying the natural and historical beauty of our rivers. Under the Wild and Scenic mandate, the river becomes something to experience instead of something to use. River rafting on the free flowing Nooksack River is a great reminder of why this kind of legislation is important. With guaranteed wildlife sightings, fossil excursions, pristine wilderness, and a riverside lunch, there’s no roller-coaster in the world that can compare to whitewater rafting in the Northwest.

In Glacier, one local company, Wild and Scenic River Tours, provides daily rafting trips on the Nooksack River for small to large groups.

Additionally, the rafting outfitters River Riders and River Recreation run commercial trips during the peak season. Springtime melts provide the most exciting whitewater action from the beginning of May through mid-June. During the hottest part of the summer the gla-

SNOWBIRD SERVICES

OFFERED BY A & K COMMERCIAL CLEANING, INC.

Leave home with the peace of mind that whether you are on a two week vacation or a 6 month winter away, your home is in good hands.

Reasonable monthly rates and packages you can choose from to meet your home’s particular needs.

We are there for you and your home!

Call today and schedule for our fall/winter schedule.

LICENSED

BONDED

INSURED

360-510-2703

aandkcommercialcleaning@comcast.net WE LOOK FORWARD TO HEARING FROM YOU! Mount Baker Experience 17

UN

11AM-5PM • 4159 HANNEGAN R

O

Marty Kutschbach, REALTOR What’s Important is You

Office (360) 647-6432 Cell (360) 319-0695 Visit properties JohnLScott.com/MartyK

Sandra Mulhern 360-961-5977

www.SandraMulhern.com SERVICE you can count on‌ RELATIONSHIPS you can TRUST

s Located off the Mt. Baker Hwy 6 miles east of Bellingham, Glen Echo Garden is open Monday through Saturday, 10 a.m to 6 p.m. The cost to tour the gardens is $9.50 for adults and $8.50 for seniors. The beautiful gardens have been developed by Dick Bosch who started working on them six years ago as a retirement project and opened them to the public four years ago. On seven acres Bosch has made theme gardens to walk through and tables and benches are set up to enjoy a picnic. “I like to think of it as a smaller version of Butchart Gardens in Victoria,� said Bosch. It’s a lovely setting for large groups, such as weddings and family reunions. For more information call (360) 592-5380.

You’re Here. So Play. Then Stay!

Wake ’n Bakery moves into new digs

SAVE Time, Money & Hassle Buying Your New Home Here in Paradise

Call

(360) 927-0835 Any Day, Any Time

! " # #

SEE ALL Area Homes Any Hour At Your

BellinghamHomeSource.com

CLEARANCE SALE

REAL ESTATE Area experts & sales leaders for homes, ski cabins, recreational property & land.

MANUFACTURED HOMES & PARK MODELS CANADIAN “CSA� MODELS AVAILABLE

PROPERTY MANAGEMENT Tyrel Jackson

Specializing in residential & ski cabins Full-time and seasonal rentals

18 Mount Baker Experience

Mt. Baker Homes & Lands, Inc. Residential Appraisal, Inc.

R EAL E STATE SALES Janette Owens & Nanette Lloyd

Bret VanLant

8193 Kendall Road, Maple Falls

360-599-2200

Oak Creek Homes

Court and Rebecca Andersen are on the move. Oh, relax. They’re just moving their hugely popular Wake ’N Bakery around the corner from the Glacier Ski Shop where they’ve been for the last 6 ½ years.

Now in their own building, they are busy fixing it up to make their July opening date. They’re adding a front porch, a kitchen – there will be plenty of seating on the first floor, even a small children’s nook, and a loft upstairs with a couple of tables and Wi Fi. One of their motivations for the move? They have customers with families who want to come in and stay. In the old location they called it the “Wake ‘n Bakery shuffle� – people had to move every time someone else made a move to look at a sweatshirt, or stir sugar in their coffee.

Come in and get one of their famous scones or macaroons or better yet, Court’s special brownies.

mistymtsrealty.com

7324 Guide Meridian Lynden, WA 98264 (360) 354-8577 (888) 291-4001

www.pr estigehousin g.c om

9937 Mt. Baker Highway Glacier, Washington

360/599-1900 360/599-1135 Fax: 360/599-2535

Map directory 1 BLUE MOUNTAIN GRILL 974 Hwy 9, Acme • 595-2200

7 NORTH FORK BREWERY 6186 Mt. Baker Hwy, Deming • 599-2337

2 ACME GENERAL STORE Hwy 9, Acme • 595-2146

8 MISTY MOUNTAINS REALTY 8193 Kendall Rd., Maple Falls • 599-2659

3 EVERYBODY’S STORE Hwy 9, Van Zandt • 592-2297

9 MOUNTAINSIDE GARDENS GALLERY & GIFTS 6900 Mt. Baker Hwy, Maple Falls • 599-2890

4 NOOKSACK RIVER CASINO 5048 Mt. Baker Hwy, Deming 5 DODSON’S IGA 3705 Mt. Baker Hwy, Nugent’s Corner • 592-5351 6 KELLEY INSURANCE 103 W. Main St., Everson • 966-3732 619 Cherry St., Sumas • 988-2462

10 MT. BAKER LODGING 7463 Mt. Baker Hwy, Maple Falls • 599-2463 11 HARVEST MOON BAKERY 7466 Mt. Baker Hwy, Maple Falls • 599-1347 12 JOOWANA RESTAURANT 7471 Mt. Baker Hwy, Maple Falls • 599-9800

13 MAPLE FUELS WASH-A-TON Corner of Mt. Baker Hwy & Silver Lake Rd. Maple Falls 599-2222 14 CROSS ROADS GROCERY & VIDEO 7802 Silver Lake Rd, Maple Falls • 599-9657 15 INN AT MT. BAKER 8174 Mt. Baker Hwy, Glacier • 599-1776 or 877/567-5526 16 CANYON CREEK CHALETS 7474 Miller Way, Glacier • 599-9574 16 THE LOGS 7577 Canyon View Dr., Glacier • 599-2711 17 WINTER CREEK B&B 9253 Cornell Creek, Glacier • 599-2526 18 SCOTT’S SKI SERVICE 9935 Mt. Baker Hwy, Glacier • 599-WAXX 18 MT. BAKER HOMES & LAND 9937 Mt. Baker Hwy, Glacier 599-1900 or 599-1135

19 HAIRSTREAM 9970 Mt. Baker Hwy, Glacier • 599-2443 20 MT. BAKER VIEW GUESTHOUSE 6920 Central Ave., Glacier • 599-2155 20 WAKE ’N BAKERY Forest St., Glacier • 599-1568 20 MT. BAKER SNOWBOARD SHOP 9996 Forest St., Glacier • 599-2008 21 MILANO’S RESTAURANT 9990 Mt. Baker Hwy, Glacier • 599-2863 22 GRAHAM’S STORE 9989 Mt. Baker Hwy, Glacier • 599-2665 22 GRAHAM’S RESTAURANT 9989 Mt. Baker Hwy, Glacier • 599-1964 23 CHAIR 9 WOODSTONE PIZZA & PUB Glacier • www.chair9.com 24 BAKER ACCOMMODATIONS Snowater, Glacier • 599-1017

Mt. Baker Highway mile posts Mile 1: Junction of I-5 and Mt. Baker Hwy., Sunset Drive.

Mile 3: View of Coast Mountain Range in Canada (left).

Mile 8: Whatcom County Parks & Recreation Dept. (Right).

The headquarters offers a rest area with picnic tables, restrooms and a view of Mt. Baker, elevation 10,778 feet. 360/7332900.

Mile 9: Deming Logging Show – second weekend in June.

Two-day show: log rolling, tree climbing and axe throwing.

Nooksack River Bridge – great fishing spots can be found.

Mile 10: Community of Nugent's Corner. Groceries, gas, bank (ATM), bakery, cafe, crafts and other services.

Mile 11: U-pick berry farms (right and left). Strawberries in June, raspberries in July and blueberries in August.

Christmas tree farms (right and left).

Mount Baker Vineyards (left). Tasting room/gift shop open Wednesday – Sunday. Grape Stomp Festival in September.

Mile 12: Community of Deming.

Stewart Mountain – elev. 3,087 feet (right).

Sumas Mountain – elev. 3,430 feet (left).

Mile 14: Highway 9 South Junction (right). South to Van Zandt, Acme, Wickersham and Skagit Valley. Attractions: B&B, general store, mushroom farm, and train ride.

Nooksack River Forks (right). Nooksack River forks into three segments: the North Fork, which Mt. Baker Highway parallels; the Middle Fork, which heads southeast to the southern face of Mt. Baker; and the South Fork, which heads south into the Skagit Valley. Hwy. 9 follows the South Fork.

Mile 16: Mosquito Lake Road – Bald Eagle Viewing Spot (right).

Dec. – Feb. Turn right onto Mosquito Lake Road, drive to the first bridge that crosses the North Fork Nooksack. Park on left shoulder of Mosquito Lake Road Look for eagles.

Mile 18: Community of Welcome (left). Grocery store, fire station, senior center and other services.

Mile 21: Kendall Creek Hatchery (right). Turn right onto Fish Hatchery Road. The hatchery raises chinook, coho and chum salmon as well as steelhead, rainbow and cutthroat trout.

Mile 22: Slide Mountain – elevation 4,884 feet (right). Named for a landslide on its north face that may have dammed up the Nooksack River in ancient times.

Highway 547 North Junction/Kendall Road (left). North to Kendall, peaceful Valley, Paradise Lakes, Columbia and Sumas.

Gas, groceries, golf, tavern.

Mile 23: Community of Kendall. Grocery store and gas (left).

Mile 25: Community of Maple Falls, post office, pay phones, cabin rentals, lodging, restaurants, gas, groceries, liquor, library.

Silver Lake Park, Silver Lake Road, 3.5 miles north (left). Park sits on 411 acres around Silver Lake.

Mile 27: Farm stand (right). Fresh produce, gourmet foodstuffs.

Mile 29: View of Nooksack River (right). Highway ascends a ledge overlooking the North Fork of the Nooksack River.

Mile 30: Mt. Baker Scenic Turnout (right).

Mile 33: Glacier – elev. 932 feet. Last community along the highway. Fire department, post office, library, general store, restaurants, snowboard shop, lodging, phones.

Mile 34: Gallup Creek Picnic Area (right). Picnic tables and

trash cans; no restroom.

Glacier Public Service Center (right). Open Memorial Day to October. Rangers assist with hikes and camp planning, and issues permits. Restrooms , picnic area. 360/599-2714, www.fs.fed.us/r6/mbs.

Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest Boundary National Forest Scenic Byway. Glacier Creek Road (Rd. #39) to Mt. Baker Vista (right). Mostly paved, 9.5 mile road leads to Mt. Baker view.

Mile 36: Douglas Fir Campground (left). National forest camp built by the CCC in the 1930s. Fees charged. Reservations accepted: 1-877-444-6777 or at www.recreation.gov.

Horseshoe Bend Trail (right). Access for guided river rafting tours.

Washington State Sno-Park (left). Permit required for snow mobiling or cross-country skiing.

Mile 37: Church Mountain – elevation 6,245 feet (left). High elevation trails on the southern slope are often the first in the area to open for summer hiking.

Turnouts to view North Fork Nooksack River (right).

Mile 40: Excelsior Group Camp (right). National Forest Campground. No water. Fee charged. Reservations only:1-877-4446777 or at www.recreation.gov.

Nooksack Falls, Wells Creek Road Road #33 (right). Take Wells Creek Road a half mile down to parking area and fenced viewpoint. Fall plummets 100 feet.

Mile 41: Excelsior Pass Trail (left).

Mile 43: North Fork Nooksack Research Natural Area (left).

Established in 1937, this is a 1,400-acre preserve of old-growth

Douglas Fir, Hemlock and Western Red Cedar.

Mile 44: Nooksack River Viewpoint (right).

Mile 46: Twin Lakes Road (Road #3065) at Shuksan Highway Maintenance Sheds (left). Twin Lakes is not accessible until early to mid-August.

Hannegan Pass Road (Road #32) (left). Popular cross-country skiing area in winter.

Shuksan Picnic Area – Hannegan Pass Road (left). Tables, a restroom, Nooksack River views. Mining cabin nearby.

Silver Fir Campground (right). Fees charged. Reservations accepted: 1-877-444-6777 or at www.recreation.gov.

Mile 47: Goat Mountain – elevation 6,891 feet. (N.E.). Summer grazing range for one of four bands of mountain goats.

Mile 49: View Mt. Shuksan – elevation 9,038 feet. (East).

Mile 50: View Mt. Sefrit – elevation 6,015 feet. (Southeast).

Mile 52: Mt. Baker Ski area White Salmon Day Lodge (left).

Mile 53: Entrance to Heather Meadows.

Mile 55: Picture Lake (road forks – stay to the right). Picture Lake – elevation 4,100 feet, provides a postcard view of Mt. Shuksan – elev. 9,038 feet. Vista picnic area (right). Picnic area; no restrooms.

Mile 56: Austin Pass Picnic Area (right). CCC-built area sits in a bowl-shaped valley with glorious views.

Heather Meadows Visitor Center (right). Open mid-July to September.

Mile 58: Artist Point – elev. 5,140 feet. (End of highway). Parking lot surrounded by Mt. Baker’s peak (south), Mt. Shuksan (east) and Table Mountain – elev. 5,628 feet.

Mount Baker Experience 19

Glacier, Washington GLACIER , WASHINGTON

New n Locatio

shop online

Mt. Baker View Guesthouse

Turn left just before Milano’s • Open everyday at 7:30 am

View • 2 Bedrooms

www.mtbakersnowboardshop.com

Full Kitchen • Hot Tub • Sleeps 6

9996 Forest St., Glacier WA Open Weekends

Cascade Retreat

STORE

360.599.2008 888.466.7392

Spacious • Hot tub • Sauna Full kitchen • Sleeps 15

Reservations 360-599-2155

HOT SHOTS BIG SCOOPS Espresso • Ice Cream • Groceries

MILANO’S

www.mtbakerviewguesthouse.com

Bagel Sandwiches • Videos • Local Crafts & More

Glacier, WA • 599-2665

R E S TAU R A N T & D E L I

ry Vacation Ordina Lod gin

•Fresh Pasta Dinners All Day • Full Deli

“At Graham’s, you get what’s coming to you.”

• Daily Specials • Espresso • Catering

g

ur t Yo o N

• Soups & Salads • Homemade Desserts • Wide Selection of Beer & Wines • Grilled Pannini Sandwiches

360/599-2863

Open 7 days a week

Canyon Creek Chalets

9990 Mt. Baker Highway

Enjoy a Private Mountain Cedar Chalet

www.MilanoRestaurant.us

Glacier, Wa.

Full Amenities Hot Tub

OPEN JULY 2010

7474 Miller Way

Glacier, WA 360-599-9574 866-839-5342

Glacier, WA www.Chair9.com

www.canyoncreekchalets.com

Sunny Weather, Cold Beer Get on in here!

E st. 1990

f Rotating Taps e Wines f Pool Table

e Steaks f Burgers e Phish Tacos

GRAHAM’S RESTAURANT World famous restaurant & tavern at the foot of Mt. Baker Family Friendly Dining!

LIVE MUSIC! Find out what’s happening at www.GrahamsRestaurant.com 9989 Mt. Baker Hwy., Glacier, WA

360-599-1964 www.g r ahamsr es t a ur ant.com

!

NEW Walk-in

Cozy Log Cabins As featured in SUNSET MAGAZINE & BEST PLACES NORTHWEST

Panoramic Views of the Nooksack River and Mt. Baker Gourmet breakfast Hot Tub Heli Pad Lap Pool Adult only facility Registered Massage Therapist by appt.

•

•

•

•

8174 Mt. Baker Hwy 360/599-1776 between Maple Falls & Glacier, mile post 28

www.theinnatmtbaker.com 877/567-5526

20 Mount Baker Experience

Special Packages Available

Open most of the time

reservations and

1 night stays available!

Fireplaces Kitchens Stay 7 nights, get 2 FREE! Ask about our large vacation homes

Wendy & Tom Cosgrove

7577 Canyon View Dr. (Glacier Springs) Glacier, WA

360/599-2711

www.thelogs.com

Mention ad #1350 for a special check-in gift!