This just in! The loop will loop again

According to the Seattle P-I, the Mountain Loop Scenic Highway, is set to loop again!  Here’s a link to their story.  Essentially, back in 2003 we had some really severe flooding up at Barlow Pass.  It washed out the entire road connecting the two sides of the western slopes of the Cascades.  But it looks like the US Forest Service is reopening the pass today!  So after years of waiting we can now expect to see this scenic road trip reopen in its entirety. 

Interestingly enough, the snow level has been dropping down.  We can already see snow starting to accumulate on the north side of Mt. Pilchuck, which is our front view.  To top it off, our first real frost of the season hit us at the 1000 foot level.  So, I woke up to white frost covered grass in the front yard.  Funny, now that the Mountain Loop is reopening, it probably won’t get much traffic until the snow passes and Spring arrives.  So, we’ll have to see if we can steal away during these last sunny days (it’s expected to be 59 degrees on Sunday) and drive up and over Barlow Pass.  Of course, we’ll probably turn around and come back instead of making the entire trip. 

Now if only we can getting funding to repair some of the trails that were damaged…