Today is the last day of our road trip. We got up around 7:00 AM to another beautiful day in Eastern Washington. Emma slept in while Tina and I got things packed up and ready to go.
We finally got on the road around 10:00 AM and headed west towards the Columbia River. Not a lot of traffic as we passed the Gorge at George and dropped down off the central plateau to the Columbia River. Crossing the river we got off the freeway at Vantage and drove up to the Ginko Petrified Forest for a short hike (http://iceagefloods.blogspot.com/2008/12/ginkgo-petrified-forest-sp-part-i.html). There is a large parking area with a well developed set of trails that make the petrified trees and petroglyphs accessible. We stayed on the paved portion of the trail since we weren't really prepared to do any serious hiking and it was a good thing too. As we headed back to the coach I suggested looking at one more specimen that was just uphill from the main trail.
Since we had the dogs with us they were sniffing their way along the trail scouting all sorts of small critters. Suddenly, Emma jerked Wicket back from a boulder and said, "Snake!" Sure enough, partly covered by a rock, there was a Western Rattlesnake. Surprise!! Tina took a picture to send to Marni and we left the snake to his peace and quiet. That was enough excitement for the day!!Getting back in the coach we returned to Vantage and get on I-90 for the ten mile hill up from the river to the eastern ridge of the Ellensburg valley. With the engine running about 3,800 rpm in 4th, we cruised up the hill at a steady 55 mph all the way to the top. I'm glad we had the "Banks Power Pack" installed when we bought the coach, it makes pulling hills much easier, especially towing the car.
We made our first stop in Ellensburg to get gas only to find road construction in town. We finally wound our way through to where we could get the rig turned around and headed back to I-90. A few miles later we were able to pull off and get gas with no problems.
Next we had to stop at the "Thorp" fruit stand for some cherrys and watermelons. Thirty minutes later after exploring the antiques and other goodies we got back out to the coach, put everything away and hopped back on I-90 for the run to Snoqualmie Pass. Reaching the summit we stopped for lunch and to take the kids for a walk. East of the mountains was full sunlight while ahead of us on the west side of the pass was a thick cloud bank. Surprisingly though, as we headed into Western Washington, the clouds went away and it became a beautiful day. We got off I-90 and onto I-18 for the run up Tiger Mountain before dropping into Hobart and eventually getting off in Covington to drop Emma off at her home.
Next we had to stop at the "Thorp" fruit stand for some cherrys and watermelons. Thirty minutes later after exploring the antiques and other goodies we got back out to the coach, put everything away and hopped back on I-90 for the run to Snoqualmie Pass. Reaching the summit we stopped for lunch and to take the kids for a walk. East of the mountains was full sunlight while ahead of us on the west side of the pass was a thick cloud bank. Surprisingly though, as we headed into Western Washington, the clouds went away and it became a beautiful day. We got off I-90 and onto I-18 for the run up Tiger Mountain before dropping into Hobart and eventually getting off in Covington to drop Emma off at her home.We stayed overnight at Marni and Darrens home, then made the drive Federal Way where we stopped to look at a 2005 Fleetwood Expedition, 38N. This is the coach model we will probably buy next year to continue our travels. From there we jumped on I-5 for the short drive to Tina's Moms house in Lakewood where we plan to visit for a few days before heading back to Whidbey Island. We started our road trip from Lakewood and we ended it eight months later in Lakewood.
It has been a very enjoyable trip and looks like we might just get a bigger unit so we can spend more time exploring our beautiful country. If anyone is interested, our coach is for sale (with tow car) for $45,500. We are planning our next trip with our friends Don and Diane to drive to Yellowstone from LA with stops at Zion, Bryce, Cedar Breaks and the Grand Canyon.
To see all our photos click on the following link:
Distance for this leg of the trip, 178 miles. Total for the trip, 10,228 miles.
Until next time, may your travels be fun and interesting!!
Best wishes,
Mike and Tina
1 comment:
WHAT A WONDERFUL TRIP!!!
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