Today is a travel day with not much else going on. The plan is to get from Boise, Idaho to Bothell, Washington (near Seattle) without getting caught in a snow storm. The weather for this 500+ mile stretch called for rain but that is at the lower elevations and we had 3 mountain passes to go through. I had the MiFi set up so I could check the 511 web cams as we approached each area in question. While I was getting all of the electronics set up we crossed the Idaho state line into Oregon and I missed the picture so I borrowed one from our last trip
We noticed the landscape changed into sweeping green valleys shortly after we entered the state. The striking feature that took us a bit of time to realize was that there weren't any trees. We guessed that it was green because of the moisture left in the soil from the winter snow melt but that it is actually very poor soil and dries out in the summer as there were also lots of sage plants and tumbleweed along the fences.
Still following the Snake River just like the pioneers did.
Then we started up and found the snow. By the time we reached the top of the pass there was a good coating on the road but they didn't have the chain up lights on so we trudged on through and as we started down there was . . . .
Rain, rain and
more rain. We were grateful to be out of the snow and for the temperature to be rising. As we approached the border to Washington we could see the sun shining there.
Of course Al was passing a truck and I didn't see the sign until it was too late so I took the picture anyway but . . . .
this is what it really should look like.
Southwestern Washington is primarily agricultural. . . .apples, cherries, grapes and more. There are many small wineries that we have visited on previous trips and it would be fun to do again sometime.
A few sprinkles on the windshield . . . almost spoiled my picture of the vineyard.
The final pic of the day is of Snoqualmie Pass, the last mountain pass in the distance.The road was clear and dry although there was plenty of snow on the sides at the top.
We made it to our hotel about 4pm despite lots of rush hour traffic. Fortunately, for us, we could use the HOV lane because we had 2 people in the car. It is unreal to see how many people are making the commute to Seattle everyday alone.
We drove about 5 miles (15 minutes) to Karen's house and went to dinner with her at The Rock - Wood Fired Pizza and Spirits . . . . forgot to take a picture though. After dinner it was back to the hotel for a good nights sleep.
Tomorrow we are doing the Taste of Seattle Tour - Pike Place Market.
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