Wow, was it ever wet this weekend! I knew there would be rain but I guess I didn’t realize how soaking it would be. Between Baring and Merritt the rain came down harder than a normal Western Washington rain. Instead of small drops they were large and copious. As usual the worst weather makes for the most interesting photos so despite the rain I feel I was able to capture some very nice images.
At Merritt there is plenty of snow on the ground. The warm temperatures and rain have caused the snow to fall from the trees leaving them to look no different than on a chilly spring day. Douglas Fir trees always look great with their branches laden with the latest blast of snow. Alas this year that situation was just not to be.
Just down the track a few miles we ran into a gentleman clearing the parking lot for the ski trail parking. The layers in the snow show just how many times this area has been coated but the slushy wheel tracks in the lot show the true condition of it. That poor snow blower was having a tough time spraying saturated snow.
On Thursday night, my travelling partners Robert Scott and Scott Lothes drove down to the Miller River bridge west of Skykomish to attempt a photo of an eastbound freight climbing up from Baring. That evening the Miller river was already over its banks with overflow crossing the Old Cascade highway in a dip. Just like the desert southwest washes this dip allows the excess flow of the river to cross the road without destroying the it. I’m sure this is a much more cost effective means to handle the occasional flood on such a lightly used road. By Friday evening the road was officially closed though many locals and law enforcement forded the deluge in the dip anyway. Of course the early 20th century era railroad bridge was not affected by the high water.
