The Final Drive Home

We arrived at home safe and sound.  Twenty-two days of travel, 6041 kilometres driven, and eight states visited.  There were lots of boxes ticked on the “must see/do list”, lots of fun physical activities, quality time with friends, and lots of beautiful scenery to enjoy.

The day before yesterday we woke up in Butte, Montana to sunshine and crisp, white, snow-covered hills.  We enjoyed a full breakfast in the hotel and gassed up before joining I90 West for the trip through the mountains to Idaho and eventually Washington State, with Leavenworth as our destination.

Woke to a Light Blanket of Snow in Butte, Montana

Montana is truly “big sky” country and the vast expanses of ranch land are truly remarkable to view on a clear day.  As we neared the Montana – Idaho border we left the ranch lands and began to climb the Bitterroot Mountain range.  As we neared the summit the skies closed in and it began to snow.  Idaho is only 80 kilometres wide at this point but the cold, dark weather stayed with us until we began to descend into Coeur d’Alene and the Spokane Valley on the border between Idaho and Washington states.  Once we arrived in Spokane, the skies cleared and the temperatures rose.

Yes ... Those are Snow Flakes

Rain and Snow In the Bitterroot Mountains

Much Warmer & Sunnier in Washington

We switched highway routes in Spokane.  We left the quicker, southern route of the I90 through Snoqualmie Pass to the slower, more northerly, Highway 2, eventually leading to the Steven’s Pass. 

We had a few tense moments after leaving the interstate 90.  I hadn’t been monitoring the gas gauge and when I looked down at the on board fuel estimator, it estimated we had 29 kilometres of fuel left in the tank.  The problem was the next town was 50 kilometres away and there was nothing but rolling farm lands in all direction.  We slowed our speed to conserve gas and were relieved when we rolled into the one street and two gas stations town of Reardan.

After gassing up, Deborah took her turn at the wheel.  For the next 160 kilometres we cruised through nothing but huge tracts of cultivated land and the very occasional farmhouse.  Every once and a while we saw huge tractors dragging plows or planters across fields. 

Deborah's Turn At the Wheel

Easter Washington - Kind of Beautiful In Its Sparseness

Lonely Old School House

We crossed over the Columbia River, just south of the Grand Coulee Dam before arriving in Waterville.  Waterville is a very quaint farming town right out of an earlier time.  Locals play up the small town quaintness with lots of antique stores and vintage trucks, tractors and automobiles present.  We stopped for a short break and then were back on the road for the descent into the orchard country of the Wenatchee River Valley.

Lots of Old Stuff Like This in Waterville

We arrived in Leavenworth around 5:30 pm.  Leavenworth is located at the eastern terminus of the Stevens Pass through the Wenatchee Mountains that separate Washington’s interior plateau from the coast.  Like many of the small towns in this area, Leavenworth was in a state of decline many years ago and in decay with the loss of the old mining/logging industries.  The people of the area got together to save their town by reinventing themselves as a German Alpine town right out of Bavaria.  The buildings were repurposed, redesigned, and can easily pass as being authentically German.  It is a great place for a visit, hiking, and dinning.

Descending Into the Wenatchee Valley

Apple Orchards in Bloom

Views From Our Balcony at Alpine Inn

Dinner in Leavenworth

We stayed at the Alpine Inn on the Wenatchee River and dinned on Wiener Schnitzel, Goulash, wine and beer.  I don’t know if the innkeeper was German but she certainly acted German when she called us in our room at 9:03 when we hadn’t yet arrived for our 9 am complimentary breakfast.  I don’t know of many places outside of the real Germany that that might have occurred.

The next morning we wandered the town, shopped, and took some pictures.  We left around noon for the final drive home.

Leavenworth, Germany (USA)

It is a great drive along the Skykomish River with steep mountains walls soaring on both sides.  Once again, the temperature began to plummet as we climbed to the 4000 feet summit of the pass.  Spring is a long way away at the summit.  Huge amounts of snow were clearly evident at the summit’s ski area.   As we descended out of the mountains near Monroe, it was good to see the new green on the trees and smell the ocean scent in the air.

Stevens Pass Drive

The Summit

It Won't Be Spring Up Here For Awhile

Great To Be Back On the Coast

We left the Highway 2 and joined the I5 North for home.  We had one final stop in Bellingham to grocery shop and had dinner and a wander in Old Fairhaven on the Bay.

We arrived home at 9:30 pm, tired but happy to be there.

Travelling Can Be Tough On a Dog

The Surgery Was A Success!

That’s it for now.  Until we travel again.  What’s that … hiking 200 kilometres of the Camino Trail from Portugal to Spain in September… count us in!