Drivers, riders line up for 'the highway' opening

The North Cascades National Scenic Highway opened last Wednesday (May 10), just in time for Winthrop's '49ers Days festivities.

Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) staff Jason Newman and Jesse Gurney swung the open gates at the Silver Star Sno-park at precisely 10 a.m., and the 20 vehicles waiting in line began the first ascents up to Washington Pass.

There wasn't any pomp or circumstance on the east side of the 48-mile corridor of winter closure, just a queue that included several interstate travelers, five logging trucks, two late-arriving bicyclists, two WSDOT staff members from the Twisp maintenance crew and a dog named Jake with a forepaw in a cast from an adverse interaction with an obstinate bull.

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