Central WA & turning east

Monday, July 9th

Everything went smoothly today:  checked out of hotel about 9, a 45 minute wait at border crossing in Blaine, WA at the Peace Arch crossing, 

returned rental car, caught shuttle to airport, caught airport parking shuttle to Rhoda and was on our way EAST by 2:30.

Like everyone else I'm sure, it was hard to leave the vacation behind but once I was behind the Rhoda's wheel again, I was ready to move on.

East of Seattle I began to ascend - to about 4000 ft - and then descend some pretty fierce looking mountains which must be the northern Cascades to include Iron Horse State Park and the John Wayne Trail.  I'm thinking I must be near Mt. Baker because all around me are peaks with snow still on them.  (and yes, I have the "tow-load" button pushed in)

It seems like most of the towns leaving Seattle all begin with the letter "S" and I can't pronounce any of them.

When I stopped for the night in Ellensburg, WA 

View from campsite
Yakima River

and got out of Rhoda to check in to a KOA, I thought I was back in Las Vegas - holy heat!!  After wearing 4 layers of clothes in Seattle and only 2 in Vancouver, I forgot that part of WA was a desert.  But I was just in the mountains with snow - how can it so quickly get so hot.  First order of business - off with the socks, off with the long pants, screens on Rhoda because even though it was hot, there was a nice breeze and a fast-flowing river right at my back door.  It's the quietest river  for being so fast flowing.  You can't hear a thing.

DATA:

Mileage: 124                                            Campground:  $42

Trees to Traffic

Monday, June 25th

     I left Jane and McKenzie Bridge this morning and drove through the lush Cascades on my way back to civilization. 

 Said good-bye to the Three Sisters with their snow-capped peaks and their lava-feet thinking about what lay beneath all that seemingly inert material - hot, bubbly lava?  waiting for the next time???  Gives pause to think of all the natural, potential disasters no matter what part of the country/world we live in - hurricanes, tornados, earthquakes, tsunamis, floods.  

Snow-covered Mt. Jefferson

     The McKenzie River followed me all the way to about Detroit - Detroit, OR where I found the Willamette Lake which I'm guessing was the damed up river and so it must be where the McKenzie flows into the Willamette.  Beautiful, large lake with beautiful homes around it, camping, a marina and still that gorgeous blue/aqua water and tall every green trees en masse.

I tried to move these pictures

next to each other to make 1

but couldn't figure it out??

    

 I love the road sign that's posted just before a little town - "Congestion".  That says a lot doesn't it and you know you should slow down and look around.

    Also of note are the numerous opportunities for coffee or espresso - every little town, every country road, every cross road, every market has a little kiosk or sign on the building for coffee or usually it says espresso and even one such kiosk said "Pony Expresso".  You know you're in coffee country now - unlike OK or TX.

     Today the roadside colors were bright golden yellow with a small bush, purple low-growing flowers, the white daisies, and lighter purply-pink foxgloves.

     As I got closer to Salem and the trees got left behind there were acres and acres of - NOT grapevines but baby pines or larger orchard trees in a funny shape - branches almost to the ground, pyramidal in shape but with the tops cut square and a decent size dark purply-red fruit being picked - maybe plums??

     Fireworks must be legal in both OR and WA as every large parking lot of shopping centers, Wal-Marts, Lowes, etc. had huge tents set up with all kinds of signs and flags flying advertising Fire Works for sale.

     I learned something new today - well probably I knew it at some time but hadn't had use for the knowledge so it got buried - the capital of OR is not Portland, it's Salem and do you know the capital of WA??  I now do.

     Another questions - even though no one ever answers my questions - what's the 45th parallel 1/2 way between?  It was on a road sign but I didn't see it in time to finish reading it and I've been wondering what was so notable about it.

     Wouldn't you like to sleep at a SnoozInn?

     In the state of WA, I-5 is called the Lewis and Clark Trail.  I'm loving the names of all the highways I travel as well as the names of other things, in case you hadn't noticed.  Like Toledo, WA.  Do you think that by the time the pioneers got out west they were getting really homesick so named their new home after their old ones?

     Another name that caught my attention - Going St.  Do you think there's a Coming St.?

    In case you're wondering - yes, it has rained today but only briefly.  Basically it was rather nice - bright even though heavily clouded with white thick clouds but still a little on the cool side - probably didn't hit much above 68-70.

     So, most of the day I've traveled in traffic after leaving the beautiful pine-cover Cascade area - a rude comeuppance but I made it all the way to Tacoma - only about 10 mins. from the airport so I'll hang out here tomorrow and pack for my week in Seattle and Vancouver with my family.  I've made my first list of things to do since I've left home so I'll be busy crossing things off - never fear - I won't be bored.

DATA:

Now I've been corner to corner - almost

mileage:  323                          gas:  $71  @ $3.56                  camp:  $115  (for 2 nights)