Left Mark and Jeannie's in Olympia around 8.45 am. Found I-5 with Marks expertise. Travelled north on I-5. Changed onto Rte 18 to get to I-90 East. Lots of trucks but travel was relatively quick. On I-90 climbed over the Cascade Range (Snoqualmie Pass, where there were ski fields just of the interstate. Steep grades, 3 or 4 lanes, so no problem.
Dropping down on the other side of the Cascades the landscape changed to open grasslands and cattle farming. What was noticeable was the increased number of Trump/Pence signs on people's property (the east coast of Tacoma, Olympia and Seattle are dominantly democratic). The part of Washington (being on the rain shadow side of the Cascades) is normally dry. Today it rained, and rained and rained.
Got of I-90 at a small place called Vantage- nothing to write home about, a gas station, closed buildings and a small resturant. So we stopped for fuel and food. Ok but nothing to right home about.
Got onto Rte 26 (the Pulosa scenic byway. Passed through a few vineyards and orchards (especially around Royal City and Orthello. The road was straight with light traffic. Had to watch the road because of the indentations made by heavy traffics were filled with water and there was the possibility of Aqua planning (especially when you are travelling at 60 mph.
The landscape was one of gentle rolling hills. All used to grow alpha or wheat. No fences, but just the stubble left. Around Orthello we passed a very large lot farm (where beef cattle are crowded in with no grass to graze, feed hay etc. as we got closer to Lewiston the landscape changed. Now we were driving through columnar basalt (from one of the basalt flood episodes which occurred a few million of years ago (I remember teaching this at St George's in Vancouver).
Passed through a little town called Colfax (in a gully among the basalt cliffs). Changed onto Rte 195 outside Colfax. Now we're headed to Lewiston. The descent into Lewiston was spect ulnar. We dropped from the plateau (about 700 metres above the Clearwater river. The road was steep-7% grade. You could smell the large trucks brakes.
Thank goodness for GPS. We found our hotel easily -Inn America. Checked in, then I went for a small walk (needed after all that driving). A few fast food stores were closed and looked abandoned. Found a supermarket with an TM - they only charged 1% commission -so took out a few $$$.
In the evening we drove up Lewiston's resturant alley looking for a particular resturant. No, didn't find it. Settled on Appleby's -which turned out to be a very good choice.
Driving at night, in the rain, and in a strange town and country is very trying. Had to concentrate very hard at all times.
Tomorrow we will spend most of the morning exploring Lewiston then head east to Missoula, Montana.
A little about Lewiston. It plus its sister town Clarkson is located on confluence of the Clearwater river and the Snake River. Clarkson is located just across the snake river. Both town are named after Lewis and Clark, who discovered the Pacific Ocean in 1805. Well they a troop of volunteers travelled overland from the Mississipi river area (already settled by Europeans to explore and find routes to the West Coast. I think their return trip took 500 days. When they reached the North Pacific at the mouth of the Columbia river they built a fort, Fort Clapsop (I think that it is the spelling). Tomorrow we will follow their route up to LoLo pass (over the Bitterroot Mts). It is called the North West trail. It involves the Nez Pece tribe as well.
So that's it for now.
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