Road Trip 2009: Washington to Idaho

Day one of road trip 2009 we took the Edmonds to Kingston ferry and left the Kitsap Peninsula behind.

Our drive took us from Spring to Winter and back several times, over mountain passes, from Douglas Firs to Ponderosa Pines, past literally hundreds of waterfalls, grazing elk, mountain views and small communities.

We took the North Cascades Highway across the northern part of Washington and although a beautiful drive, it was cloudy enough that we didn’t see the spectacular peaks I have seen before. Perhaps this was best since with blue skies and sunshine I would have tested Jim’s patience asking to stop and photograph each waterfall and overview. Jim shared stories about each small town; the stakeouts and arrests he made when it was part of his district for Secret Service, and the small restaurants that had the best meals.

We played the song track of “Stand by Me,” a reminder of another road trip I took to Colorado about twenty years ago with my son Brian and his best friend Drew. The boys played that single song track every time we didn’t have radio reception. Needless to say, I know the words to all the songs.

The second scenic byway for the day was Sherman Pass; beautiful with many tempting side roads to lakes and out of the way hikes. Very remote with no towns.

I found it interesting to see what each town is doing to capture tourists. Having just taken a seminar about our own “Highway 101 Scenic Byway,” and spending time brainstorming ways to improve the experience, I noticed the variety of signage trying to entice people off the main road to the downtown areas and shops. The best signage was in Ferry County and I assume it was county signage for the various stops and areas. It was large, attractive and consistent. Other areas were less consistent or there was no signage at all. This part of Washington is more rustic, a sense of being away from things. The perfect start to a road trip; definitely got the feeling we are away from home.

We passed several places that looked like fun evening stops but kept thinking it was too early to stop. Eventually we found ourselves following my GPS program onto a dirt road. On the map it looked like a good shortcut. In reality, in early Spring, I think not. I am sure the road would have gone were we wanted to go, but I am not sure we would have gotten there. After a short drive we ran into a snowdrift and seeing the road rising even higher we thought it best to reroute. Back on pavement it now appeared we had a long drive to the next small community, it was getting dusky and we were both tired, even a bit testy with each other over my mapping abilities. Suddenly before us was a sign; “resort area ahead”. A small lodge appeared; we pulled over and now, after a very satisfying dinner, we are nestled in our cozy cabin at Beaver Lodge Resort on Lake Gillette; the deluxe cabin with a bathroom. The owners are new; just started in March so this is the first season and we definitely felt welcome. We both commented that it is just the sort of place we hoped to find during the unplanned parts of our trip.

May 8, 2009: I was up at 5:30; took Abby for a walk where she found way too many good smells - something definitely lives under our cabin, I’m just not sure what. I’ve updated this blog on WORD since there is no internet and I will post it later along with the pictures. It’s now 6:30 and I am thinking I should wake Jim . . .

He’s up, in the shower and I’m reviewing the plans for the day. We’ll cover the bottom part of the International Selkirk Loop Scenic Byway and then hook up with Highway 2.

Highway 2 in “Road Trip USA; Cross-Country Adventures on America’s Two-Lane Highways” is called the “Great Northern”. Once on the Great Northern we’ll follow it to the eastern terminus of the western segment in St. Ignace, Michigan. Unlike this first day, I won’t have much navigating to do once on Highway 2; just sit back, read about the areas we pass through and decide on where to stop and explore and spend each evening.