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Still in the thinking and would be nice to do stage
but would like thoughts of the states
would go through Boise ID then have to decide if I go through
Bend then through Portland or if I go up to Yakama and that way the
location I'm heading for is Port Ludlow
So what are you thoughts not pulling so don't take that in consideration
sheila

My first question was.. what time of year are you taking this trip? From Boise thru Yakima is the most direct route. If you cut west through The Dalles to Portland you're adding about 100 miles. If you go thru Bend and continue west to I-5 you add about 200 miles to the trip. All of it is beautiful country and the drive would probably be unaffected by weather till mid October or so.

Most direct from Boise is Yakima, then perhaps 12 west to I-5 and north.

If I had the time, I'd go through Bend and also into Sisters. Love that drive and the area. But also - time of year would matter - and if you want to get there faster, etc. Enjoy any route you take And let me know when you'll be going - I'll be traveling south through OR this month.

Washington's beauty can be seen far better by coming in from the east as opposed to up from Portland. Since I was born and raised here I would suggest coming in from Boise via I-90...there are 100 miles, or so, of wheat fields from Spokane to the Columbia River but even wheat fields are pretty.But, then I would go through Quincy into Wenatchee, head north along higway 97 right on the edge of the magnificent Columbia River all the way to Winthrop which is the gate to the NorthCascades Pass tunoff which is the newest and most beautiful of the passes. It will take you to Burlington which is north of Everett and you can take the ferries over to Port Ludlow...a ferry from Mukilteo to Whidbey Island then another ferry off Whidbey to Port Townsend which is close to Port Ludlow....that is the trip I would do...you will see the wheat fields, the mountains, the most beautiful Winthrop area (a small western themed town surrounded by mountains and lovely aspen filled meadows and wilderness, the magnificent North Cascades then down to the Puget Sound and the islands and ferry system over to the Peninsula....it just doesn't get any better than that. You probably know that Eastern Washington is arid and famous for its apple orhcards, the magnificent Columbia River then up into the Cascades to cross over to the west side. There the beauty is Puget Sound and the harbors and inlets all through the islands. Port Ludlow is simply lovely.

Now the I-5 corridor up from Portland is the most boring drive on the planet. Although, you can take a side trip up to Mt St Helens which you can see from the freeway but other than that it just drives through farmland and little towns then takes you through the "HIDEOUS traffic of Tacoma!!!!!! Don't do it, you will have missed what Washington is if you go that way.

If you can't do The North Cascades route then next best is Hwy 2 out of Leavenworth...that takes you over to Everett where northern ferry routes take you over to the Pennisula and you can bypass any Seattle/Tacoma traffic. If you take 12 out of Yakima it will drop you onto I-5 south of all that crappy Tacoma mess, unless you are able to take hwy 410 through Mt Rainer to Puyallup area which still means Seattle Traffic. It's those norther passes "2" and "20" that drop you north of Seattle which is what I would do. Muckilteo Ferry out of Edmonds....is the way to go.

If you decide on hwy 2 through Leavenworth and it happens to be dinner time when you get to Leavenworth....THE ALLEY CAFE (which is a fine dining restautand and not a cafe) is the best food I have probably every eaten in any restaurant in the world...I kid you not! they are kinda slow with the service but it's so worth it. Thier seafood fettucini is the best in the world...crab, prawns, and a creamy alfredo....out of this world! I just may hop in the car and head over there right now...be dinner by the time I get there

Thanks for all the info on driving thru Washington. Carole and I (God willing) are hoping to take a west coast trip next summer. Altho we were hoping to do the northern California and Oregon coast drive but I DON'T want to hit heavy Tacoma or Seattle traffic. My GD and her new hubby will be stationed on Whidbey Island and my daughter Kim lives in Redmond. Would appreciate any suggestions on how to do this route, even if it takes more miles, without doing Tacoma or Seattle directly. PM me with any suggestions. Thanks.

If I go and it's still an if it would be probably end of this month first of Oct
my first thought was to go to Bend chiefly to see Kerry but she will be in Q end of Nov or into Dec so really
debating that trip I want to see what is prettier my dd says fly mom it might be cheaper yes it might but
I want to see those states...so stubborn Sheila is going to drive she doesn't want me to drive by myself
I have a friend in Caldwell that I've not seen for years and have a nephew in Caldwell as well so will go that far spend the night
and go on
Hopefully will get to see those of you in that area...some where
sheila
oh yes thank you all for your ideas

Sheila, the gtg in OR is the end of this month. Just sayin'. I wish I had more room in my rig - but would manage for a night or two somehow if you wanted to come. Would be great to see you. And it's a great location. Not on the routes you were talking, but hey - a great group of us will be there

kdmac - I'm here to agree with you about the beauty of Washington State. I want to add that if you go far enough East, you'll approach the rolling Palouse wheatland in the South and the foothills of the Rockies in the North. That's where I call home, and I live at about 2000 feet of elevation. As you approach from the West, within 30 miles of Spokane you start seeing the scrubland give way to the evergreens and the basalt formations, SO different from either the middle of the state's ranchland and orchards or the coastal beauty west of the Cascades. Sigh... I hear myself waxing poetic and I'm not even native to Washington like you are.

ellenw wrote:kdmac - I'm here to agree with you about the beauty of Washington State. I want to add that if you go far enough East, you'll approach the rolling Palouse wheatland in the South and the foothills of the Rockies in the North. That's where I call home, and I live at about 2000 feet of elevation. As you approach from the West, within 30 miles of Spokane you start seeing the scrubland give way to the evergreens and the basalt formations, SO different from either the middle of the state's ranchland and orchards or the coastal beauty west of the Cascades. Sigh... I hear myself waxing poetic and I'm not even native to Washington like you are.

The beauty of Washington will make a poet out anyone. I love the Palouse area. Washington has what no other state has and that is the inland PUget Sound and San Juan Island beauty with glacier strewn mountain views, killer whales, otters, porpoise, etc, rocky shored beautiful islands, then intot eh lush boreal forest of the Cascades then the arid rolling beauty of the orchard country in Central Washington, the basalt cliffs and volcanic wonders of the Columbia basin, on to your beautiful mountains of your area and the history of indians, Lewis and clark and westward Ho the movement of the Snake River....man it is the best of the best. And, again, it is better seen coming from the east across the beautiful arid east side through the Glacier snowfiled peaks of the Cascades and on to the islands and beauty of Puget Sound. I know every inch of this state and all the back roads so thought it would be time to move on to another place in my retirement....but alas, it's just to hard to stay gone. BTW, forgive all the typos, I am going by feel here, can't find my glasses and too lazy to go out to the truck to get the other pair.

Bethers wrote:Sheila, the gtg in OR is the end of this month. Just sayin'. I wish I had more room in my rig - but would manage for a night or two somehow if you wanted to come. Would be great to see you. And it's a great location. Not on the routes you were talking, but hey - a great group of us will be there

that is so tempting!!! need to look it up do some figuring my youngest is going to fly to Seattle that weekend to visit her aunt she lives near Port Ludlow let me look it over and give it serious thought
sheila

While we lived on the sailboat, every year we talked about sailing up there and "cruising" the San Juan's. That never happened. My brother has been a motorcycle guy his whole life and has tried to get me to ride with him. Last August, I flew up to Seattle and went on a motorcycle cruise with brother through the islands taking the ferries, staying on Orcas Island on the beach. I don't think anyone can put into words the beauty of this part of the country. When you are in Port Ludlow, take time to take the ferries to Whidbey and Orcas Island. Next time I'm up there I want to take the ferry to Victoria Have a wonderful trip and stay safe with the mode of transportation and route you choose

We did the ferry ride to Vancouver Island from Vancouver. All of us said we wished we had gone out from Seattle instead. But that ferry ride was where I saw my first whales in the wild.