Time for a road trip

It was time for a road trip today. I've been under the weather all week with a bad cold. I can't say I felt all that much better this morning but Tristan and I also had a bad case of cabin fever. Poor guy has been cooped up with me all week and hasn't gotten his daily quotion of fetch. I figured I could sniffle and sneeze in the car just as well as at home. I threw cold tablets, a bottle of cough syrup and Kleenex in my purse and we were off.

Another big motivation was that I wanted to see some autumn colors and this might be the last weekend to see them. The weather report forecast several non-rainy days and I need some sun!

We headed over Stevens Pass and the drive was absolutely spectacular. Every leaf seems to have turned color and it is bright and beautiful and totally golden the whole way. I'm surprised at how much I loved seeing the gold leaves when it's usually the red maples that seem so picturesque. The sheer mass of gold envelops the hills and highway creating a warm and welcoming corridor. The various reds and oranges punctuate with their own drama. It really is glorious now.

Tristan and I stopped at campgrounds along the way. The campgrounds are mostly empty so Tristan can tear around being crazy dog. He's such a great traveler but I know he enjoys his breaks the most. We also stopped at the Leavenworth ranger station to get some maps that show Forest Service roads. I haven't really found a good resource for locating great back road trips so maybe this will help in our explorations.