The weather reports were not promising along our initial proposed route which would taken us west from Wenatchee along US-2 to Monroe and then from there south to Tacoma and Olympia. The alternative was much more agreeable – from a weather perspective as well as from a road perspective. So with an overcast day (but otherwise dry) we turned off on US-97 past Dryden and followed it south to Ellensburg. A pleasant road (designated DH-55 in Destination Highway’s Washington rankings) it had nice sweepers with good pavement through picturesque forests.
South of Ellensburg was more interesting as we followed WA-821 (which runs parallel to I-82) through Wymer and on to the outskirts of Yakima. This road follows Yakima river valley (canyon?) with great pavement and plenty of twisties and panoramic views of the river sprinkled with ardent fly fisherman along it’s path.
Heading west from Yakima on US-12 was unremarkable until after the WA-410 junction near Naches, but after that it was great as we passed through the Gifford-Pinchot and Mt Baker-Snoqualmie National Forests along winding segments of near perfect pavement. After a scenic stretch along Rimrock Lake we pulled over to check out the Palisades (columns of lava cooled against a glacier or cliff and then subsequently exposed by the Cowlitz river) and snapped a few furtive pictures of Mt Rainier in the distance.
Following a leisurely coffee break in Packwood (where we met Vernon) we followed the Skate Creek road to Ashford – a tight meandering backroad with a canopy of trees overhead with sporadic campsites and pull outs along the way where locals were enjoying themselves. Had to be careful on the blind corners!
From Ashford it was a quick succession of Washington roads (706, 7, 702, 510, 507) before arriving at the statehouse in Olympia. Fortunately we were allowed a brief tour before closing.
Finding a hotel was a bit challenging, but we eventually found a spot near the Tacoma Dome, which was hosting the new rap star Post Malone. The hotel was a bit chaotic as it seemed to be marshalling point for the fans and was packed with young people (and some middle aged chaperones). Fortunately we were able to escape the commotion for a few hours, enjoying a fabulous meal of seafood and salmon at Bjorne and Christine’s condo out near Ruston. A quick Uber ride back to the hotel and our day was complete.
