RV Road Trip: The Second Leg

Jun 4, 2015
Intrepid traveler and Instagrammer Brandon Sharpe is off on his RV adventure, ticking off places on his list of national parks.

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The Cascades are full of magic. As we made our way west across Washington state, we decided to stay north and cross the Cascades on the historic State Route 20. We navigated our way through the the amazing and dramatic peaks of the range, and came across an area where the Pacific Crest Trail crosses the old highway. Having thru-hiked the #pacificcresttrail last year I decided to stop and take a look at the trail for some nostalgia. This is also the same spot where three years ago I had decided I was going to attempt the thru-hike, so the area has a special significance to me, and was powerful to visit for the third time while on another adventure. As I ran down to the trail head I was met with lots of snow, making it hard to find and identify the trail. It was so crazy to see. When I made my way through the area while hiking, no snow existed, and only lots of elevation loss and gain, stood in our way. It showed me the power of weather and seasons are serious, and showed me that there was a real reason you only had a small window of opportunity to hike through the section. The unpredictability of the mountains can create some wild weather, but sometimes it can also create some magical moments of inspiration, and that's what I was here to find. #travelzoo #tzooroadtrip #👫🚌 A photo posted by Brandon Sharpe (@brandonexplores) on

Living the dream. #👫🚌

A photo posted by Brandon Sharpe (@brandonexplores) on

Deception Pass. As we continued onward towards the Olympic Peninsula we crossed one of my favorite bridges in the country. The history of this area is so rich, and just west of the bridge is a small island known as "Ben Ure Island." This island became infamous for its activity of smuggling Chinese immigrants via pirates that controlled the area at the time. Later between the years 1910 and 1914 a prison rock quarry was operated from this area and nearby barracks housed some 40 of the country's most prolific prisoners at the time. Guards would stand watch as prisoners cut rock into gravel up till around 1924, when the program was dismantled. It wasn't until around 1935 that the bridge standing at 976 feet, connected Whidbey Island and Tiny Pass Island. It's really crazy to think that many many centuries before all of this in the year 1792 a caption by the name of "George Vancouver" gave it its name, as he felt deceived as to the nature of the inner waterway. The more you know. #travelzoo #tzooroadtrip #👫🚌

A photo posted by Brandon Sharpe (@brandonexplores) on

Past. Present. Future.

A photo posted by Brandon Sharpe (@brandonexplores) on

It was 5:30am. We woke to a dreary and foggy morning, in a random RV Park. We arrived super late the night before so we really didn't have much of an idea on what kind of setting surrounded us, as it was masked by the darkness of night. I walked out of the RV to be greeted with people sleeping everywhere. Some in RVs, some cowboy camping right next to our vehicle, others putting on wet suits and getting ready for a day of adventure. You could feel the excitement in the air from everyone ramping up to head out for the day's activities. I found a little path in the bush and decided I would follow it for a bit and see where it takes me. After getting a little wet from the shrubbery, I was put out on a beach surrounded by Bald Eagles. In my life it has been a rare opportunity to get a sight of the elusive Bald Eagle, so this was a very special moment for me to experience. Out of my excitement I looked over to my left and yelled to the random guy taking it all in "holy smokes! Are you seeing this?!" He shrugged it off as if it was a normal occurrence in his life. I on the other hand ran back to the RV and got my camera to capture the beauty that sat in front of me. What a perfect start to a awesome day of exploring Cape Flattery, the most northwest point in the country. #travelzoo #tzooroadtrip #👫🚌

A photo posted by Brandon Sharpe (@brandonexplores) on

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