Zeattle Caravan to 10YOC First Day
Seattle to Clarkston, WA
Departure
Carol and I were the only attendees from Washington. The other regular Z3 drivers
from Puget Sound all had to work, and the word didn't really get much beyond
Roadfly. We got the car all prepped, and departed Sunday April 23rd.
We left Puget Sound, on a beautiful sunny day,
towards I-90, headed for less than major roads. Over Snoqualmie Summit,
we joined up with a real convoy for a couple miles. They didn't want to keep up
the pace, so we left them behind. That convoy was stretched out for about 8
miles!
I was concerned about snow in all of our mountain crossings, but Snoqualmie
had the most snow we saw anywhere.
After a stop in Ellensburg, we headed out the Vantage Highway. We took pictures
of the backs of the Cascades, before heading down into Ginkgo State Park.
We stopped at the Visitors Center to learn more about the petrified forests of
Washington. The Visitors Center has a wonderful view of the Columbia River, and
it brought to mind Woody Guthrie's folk songs, including "Roll On Columbia".
Roll on, Columbia, roll on
Your power is turning our darkness to dawn
So roll on, Columbia, roll on.
Leaving Vantage, we crossed over the river, and into the Palouse Country.
The rolling hills were green with new crops, newly plowed land, and blue sky,
that cameras cannot truly capture.
Turning south from Washtucna, we made a stop at Palouse Falls for photos,
before heading across the Snake River at Lyons Ferry. Once upon US 12, the history
all changed to be about the Lewis and Clark Expedition. They had made many side trips
into the upper hills above the Snake River Valley, following Nez Perce trails,
exploring, foraging, and cataloging.
I lived enough Lewis and Clark in a past life,
we'll let them be for now. We made it into Clarkston, and found our hotel.
We had a fine dinner at a restaurant right on the Snake River.
Later we drove
around to take in the sights to be seen. For some unknown reason, I seem to lead
sightseeing tours in the dark. This has gone on since the early 90's.
This was no exception! We took in the towns of Clarkston and Asotin, and parked on
the bluff above the Snake to look at the lights of Lewiston.