“”We don’t have WiFi.”
“What do you mean you don’t have WiFi?” I said in exhausted disbelief.
Vacation planning began in March with state highway maps of Iowa, Minnesota, Nebraska, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho and Washington spread out on the dining room table. Each day of our trip was neatly planned with one or two historical or educational sites to see along the way. An occasional shopping mall thrown in to appease my wife and teenage daughter AND a reservation at a campground each evening that had good WiFi. My daughter was taking an online class for college. It was now the middle of August. After five days of driving, my family of four had reached its destination – Winthrop, Washington our gateway to North Cascades National Park.
We discovered the beauty of the other National Parks we had visited over the years was unequaled to that of the North Cascades. We also discovered the distinctive charm of Winthrop, Washington, a town providing Western hospitality at its best.
My family was delighted with dining alfresco at Duck Brand Hotel & Cantina and 3 Bears Cafe & Quilts. The Rocking Horse Bakery provided excellent coffee and sandwiches to pack for hiking in the park. Between trips to the park we filled the hours with visits around town. We went to the Shafer Museum, the Smoke Jumper Base and the Winthrop National Fish Hatchery. I purchased a coffee cup downtown made by an artist named Dean and have used it almost everyday for two years. It fits my hand.
As for the WiFi, it was there all along. It seems the campground host at Pine Near RV Park was trying to lighten the day of a weary traveler from Wisconsin. She was providing Western hospitality at its best.”
