August 12, 2021
We spent the last three days camping in Concrete, WA. We found our campsite through Harvest Hosts, an organization that offers RVers a spot on their property in exchange for purchasing something from their establishment. In this case, the establishment was a farm. The owners have set aside a few spots for RVers to park for a night or two in exchange for purchasing your choice of homemade baked goods, vegetables from their garden, grass fed beef, etc.
This was our no frills spot on the farm, just off the dirt road.
Our view across the road
We got a view of Mount Baker every time we drove down the road to our campsite.
We chose baked goods and fresh vegetables as our exchange. We got to pick our own from this garden.
Here's some of our haul. The summer squash was so delicious. No pictures of the baked goods, but we'll be enjoying the giant chocolate chip cookies, carrot bread, and blueberry crumble for awhile. Yum!
The farm property borders the Skagit River. After we settled in, we took a walk down the dirt road to see it.
On the way back, we found a blackberry patch, so we picked a bunch for our breakfast.
We planned to spend the next day at Baker Lake in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest, so the next morning off we went with our kayaks and our hiking boots. Baker Lake is one of a pair of reservoirs formed by two dams on the Baker River. Baker Lake is a popular place for boating and fishing. There are also several hiking trails and a campground.
When we started paddling, the North Cascades were cloud covered with just the tip of a mountain peaking out.
Just a tiny portion of the shoulder of Mount Baker was visible. We were determined to wait it out. That's a jet skier leaving that wake in the background. All kinds of water sports in this popular lake.
Meanwhile, we continued to explore the lake and its many quiet coves.
There's a log bridge in the background that we walked across later in the afternoon when we went for a hike.
This Great Blue Heron found a comfortable perch in the lake.
Mount Baker with most of the clouds gone.
Finally, a clear view. Our patience paid off.
In the afternoon, we traded our paddles for hiking shoes and hiked along the Baker Lake Trail. It was mostly forest, with a few views of the lake.
I spotted this Boreal Chickadee in the bushes. It's another new bird for me.
An interesting thick blanket of moss covering the base of the tree.
These little white butterflies were very common. We've seen them all over the place.
Looking out at the spot on the lake where we were kayaking earlier. (As mentioned above.)
A Hairy Woodpecker - another to check off my list.
The next day we decided to try Lake Shannon, the second of the pair of reservoirs described above. We soon learned why everyone goes to Baker Lake instead. The road leading to Shannon Lake is very long and primitive. The area around the boat launch is just now starting to be improved for day use.
Despite the primitive condition of the parking area, the lake was just as beautiful as Baker Lake. We were the only ones there. What a strange feeling to be the only ones on this big beautiful lake.
Our first view of the lake and Mount Baker from the boat launch area was gorgeous.
We have the whole lake to ourselves!
Almost all to ourselves, except for a couple of loons.
We watched from a distance as two loons were chasing each other across the lake.
That evening back at the farm, we watched the sunset over Mount Baker. The smoke from the fires to the east of us had finally reached us. We've been lucky so far. I think our luck has run out.
Our next stop, North Cascades National Park.
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