After Seattle and dropping Becke at the airport, Fred heads east through the Cascades toward Winthrop.

Spent the night last night at a beautiful campsite along the Skagit River; had a fire and woke up to a pattering of rain which had soaked my chair and wet down the remains of my firewood — “D’oh!”. Cleaned up camp and headed out — and ran over a big rock at the edge of the campsite — double “D’oh!”. Looks like I left a pretty decent sized dent in the spare tire pan and the front under-frame, but apparently no structural damage. “If this van’s a’rockin’, I’m driving on rocks.”

(Rolling backward in time) Before I headed out of Seattle I stopped at the ur-REI store — quite large and impressive, especially the massive climbing structure that I wish I was able to try — maybe after dropping 30 more pounds or so I’ll have another look at the rock climbing.

Winthrop is a cute little old-west style town with wooden sidewalks and decor. And yes, I’m at yet another brewery, trying a few of their samplers. Gotta keep those carbs up. Once I get over the fact that I don’t actually have to drink the entire sample glass — especially if I don’t really like the beer — I end up drinking about a pint. Oh, and a chili burger.

Winthrop Brewing Company — samplers:

  • Jingle Bell Ale — “A dark amber, heavy bodied ale with a malty aroma. Has a good hop character with a spicy smooth finish.” Quite good.
  • Bushwhacker Ale — “A malty, dark red Ale with a lot of aromatic hops. Caution: It will sneak up behind you and slap you.” Smells really good; tastes okay, very hoppy.
  • Grampa Clems Brown Ale — “A dark brown, heavily bodied ale with a toasted chocolate flavor and a soft smooth finish.” Not bad, fairly bland.
  • Tombstone Barley Wine — “Dark and malty. Just what your undertaker ordered, gives you the rest your body needs. Very smooth.” Smells wonderful. Tastes just a little like port, an amusing after-dinner beer.
  • Gruit Ale — “A 14th century ale of Europe, A favorite for at least 700 years. No hops added, instead a combination of three mild to moderately narcotic herbs: Sweet Gale, Yarrow, and Wild Rosemary. Stimulates the mind, creates euphoria, and enhances sexual drive.” Sounds like I need a couple of tankards to take to Burning Man! (In the end I didn’t try it.)

“This is perfect, they have guns” — new customer assessment of this establishment.