Sedro-Woolley is two towns that stuck together. Sedro and Woolley were separate rivals on the Skagit River until they merged in 1898, and the double-barrelled name, with its hyphen, has stayed ever since. It is a working town of about eleven thousand people on the flat, green floodplain of the Skagit valley, in north-western Washington, with farms, sawmills, a timber heritage and a loggers' festival in July. For riders it is the start of the North Cascades Highway, and the last easy place to buy supplies.
The valley around it is famous for its fields. In April, commercial tulip and daffodil fields blossom in broad stripes of red, yellow and pink, drawing crowds. In winter, thousands of bald eagles gather along the upper river to feed on spawning salmon, and the stretch between Rockport and Marblemount is a favourite for birdwatchers. Dairy farms, berry patches and potato fields fill the rest of the valley, and the climate is mild, damp and green.
State Route 20 runs east from here along the Skagit River, climbing gradually past the old lumber town of Concrete, then into the mountains, where it passes the turquoise lakes behind Seattle City Light's dams at Diablo and Ross. The highway was only completed in 1972, after decades of debate, and it crosses the Cascade crest at Washington Pass, at about fifty-four hundred feet. The road is superb, with long, flowing bends, clean tarmac and spectacular scenery, though it is closed by snow every winter, usually from November until April or May.
Fuel is available in Sedro-Woolley, and it is wise to fill up here or at Marblemount, the last town before a long stretch with no services, about seventy miles to Winthrop. Rain is common on the west side, even in summer, so take waterproofs, and it can be cold on the pass. Wildfire smoke in late summer sometimes obscures the views. September, when the weather is often settled, the huckleberries are ripe and the larches begin to turn gold, is a good time for the trip.