Saturday, June 28, 2014

Over the mountains and through the woods . . . to Idaho we go!

After waiting for a part to arrive, we finally left Centralia late Tuesday afternoon.  We wanted to cover a lot of miles, so it was going to be a long day with an overnight stay at Walmart.

DSC_0634

 

Rather than going up I-5 through Tacoma and Seattle to get to I-90, we decided on the more scenic route along US-12 (yes, the very same US-12 that we know as Michigan Avenue!) to the Yakima Valley, and then along the Columbia River to I-90.

 

 

 

 

Yep – we’re headed east now!!

 

The day started out overcast as we drove past Mt. Rainier – couldn’t see much of it today!

Starting the drive with overcast skies

As we passed by the mountains, the sky started to clear and it turned into a beautiful day.     DSC_0573

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Blue Skies

Nicolas was driving the RV, and he enjoyed the ups & downs, and twisty turns as we crossed over the mountains!

DSC_0598

DSC_0619

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We drove around lots of mountains,

DSC_0590

alongside lakes,

DSC_0603

through forests,

DSC_0635

and tunnels!

DSC_0621

We followed a flowing river for several miles,

DSC_0632

with lots of National Forest Service campgrounds along its shore.  It was a beautiful location, and I’d love to come back this way and spend some time here.

Eventually the forests cleared out and the landscape became more rugged and desert-like.

DSC_0642

DSC_0645

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bryce thought this looked like a great sledding hill!

DSC_0641

We reached the Yakima Valley, and started to see evidence of fruit farms within the desert.     Yakima Valley

Yakima Cherries are just starting to come in season, and I would have loved to stop at a U-pick farm, but we were about a week too early!

 

 

 

After a quick dinner at McDonalds in Yakima, we took I-82 north through what looked as desolate as the Mohave Desert in California!

DSC_0653

Making the turn east on I-90, we drove out of the desert and back into farming country.

DSC_0660

We drove past corn, wheat, alfalfa, onions . . . and windmills!

Windfarm

DSC_0670

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We crossed the Columbia River,

Columbia River

as the sun was getting low in the sky,

Bridge over the Columbia River

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and finally pulled into the Walmart in Moses Lake a little after 8pm!  It was a long day of driving, and we were relieved to finally get off the road.  We settled in behind the Auto Service Garage, did some grocery shopping, and had a quiet night in the parking lot.

DSC_0693

 

Bright and early the next morning, well-rested, we drove the last 125 miles into Idaho.  It’s not new on our map, but this is a new area of Idaho for us to explore.  We’ll stay here for a few days before we continue on to Glacier National Park.

4 comments:

  1. Whew... that was a long drive, but so beautiful!! We were traveling that area in the Van during Sweet Cherry season. I lived on Sweet Cherries for about 3 weeks;o)) Never been to Glacier NP. Can't wait to see what you find!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Long but beautiful trip. It makes you feel good just driving through those areas but would be better to be able to stop and explore.
    Someone told me it is safer to park with the door side of your trailer facing the entrance to the stores because the security cameras at the entrance would be keeping a look in that direction. Thus it keeps intruders at bay.
    Be Safe and Enjoy!

    It's about time.

    ReplyDelete
  3. You must be in Coeur d alene - my old stomping grounds for many years -- lots to see and do

    ReplyDelete
  4. I hope Glacier is plowed out....had a snow a week or so back.
    Closed roads to the top.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for reading! We'd love to hear your comments!