Category: Road Trip
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Golden; Ghost Town of Southern Oregon
In Golden we have standing structures that can be entered, at least some of the structures as of this writing (October 2025). There are five main structures to Golden and these were vital to the community when it had residents roughly from 1890 to the mid twentieth century. The structures include a one room schoolhouse. These were common in rural areas and in this case…
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Marta Becket and the Amargosa Opera House, a chance meeting
Some thirty years ago, my wife and I were wandering the region around Death Valley. We were coming in the back way for some reason. We came to an odd looking building and I just had to stop. It had a strange color scheme and long arched exterior corridors. It was absolutely deserted or rather…
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The Washington I really like, at Kayak Point.
It’s embarrassing. Some of the places I haven’t been. Now that I’ve been to Kayak Point I want more of the same. Here’s a sampling of what we saw on this short trip. Not even a day trip; more like a short excursion and we’re back in Bothell by noon. Kayak Point is just north…
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Yuma Territorial Prison
A prison well suited for the frontier days of lore where bad men and women lived in an untamed territory and occasionally needed locking up for bad behavior. Like Pearl Hart a repeat criminal who dressed like a man and robbed stage coaches. She was a guest at the prison until her pardon by the…
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Nairn Falls Provincial Park. One mile hike to these powerful falls
Yet another river-side trail to a stupendous waterfall. And the hike is less than a mile. The Nairn Falls on the Green River is incomprehensible. The cascading falls are close to 200 feet high with the viewing platform about mid-way. The view of the top of the falls is made possible by large gaps in…
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Gondola to Whistler Mountain
Die hards find a way to ski to the last remnant of snow. Snow by mid-May will have receded to the top of the mountains. Here we go, not to ski, but to sight see. We aren’t the only ones taking the gondola up to Whistler Mountain to get a better lay of the land.…
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Brandywine Falls, British Columbia.
Nice, easy 30 minute walk along the Cheakamus River to Brandywine Falls. How it got its name is somewhat of a mystery. There are stories. The falls itself is spectacular and shoots right out of the forest over a steep drop-off and into a chasm of mist and churning water. A sight similar to Upper…
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La Push on the Quileute Indian Reservation
Everything about La Push appears exceptional. At the Quileute Oceanside Resort we have first classaccommodations, an ocean view like no other, and a beach to roam with more driftwood than I’ve ever seen in one place. The best part is that we arrive in daylight and have time to enjoy it. The view from our…
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Port Angeles: Gateway to the Olympics
Another promising day that begins in La Push with a quick stop at Rialto Beach. Back on Highway 101 we head north and then go west with the highway. If the Olympic Peninsula were a square we’d be in the upper left. The highway, unfortunately, doesn’t hug the coast but cuts inland bypassing the northwest…
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Mt. Olympus from atop Hurricane Ridge
If the Olympic Mountains were a crown, Mt. Olympus would be the jewel. Protected by miles of deep valleys, glaciers, and thick forests, they’re only viewed from afar by most. To have a grand view of the entire range is to appreciate a place called Hurricane Ridge (elevation 5,242 feet). Hurricane Ridge is popular with…
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Port Angeles, Sequim, and Port Townsend
We descend Hurricane Ridge on the same windy road we came up. The only difference is there’s more traffic as the day has worn on. The line at the park entrance has gotten longer. We avoided this line by purchasing a 7-day pass at the Hoh Rain Forest. We’ll head east on Highway 101 without…
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Summer’s last road trip to Fidalgo and Whidbey Islands
For every day of rain there’s four following it that are hot. On Friday it poured more than the previous three months combined. We got over two inches, close to a record for an August 14 day. The rain was accompanied by lightening that sparked numerous fires in the eastern part of the state. As…
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From Grand Coulee to Leavenworth on Highway 2
One last glance back at Coulee Dam before we start back home. We go at our own pace becausenobody’s behind us pushing, pushing, pushing. However, we’ve got to make good time because I told Michele we’d be home by noon. With the dam behind us, we breeze through three towns whose existence is owed to…
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Grand Coulee Dam
The goal lay ahead; Grand Coulee Dam. I’ve wanted to come here since talking to an older lady some 30 years ago when Curt and I lived off the Hood Canal. She went on about her husband working on the Coulee Dam. Every other sentence had the words “Grand Coulee” and she was boisterous as…
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Nepselem: We share our traditions
Having been to Inchelium twice in one morning, it was time to go. From a side street with potholes ourroad became a two-lane highway. Through thick forest we cross a pass and dropped down into Nepselem. Old homesteads and wide open fields mark this territory. Nepselem means large flat meadow and there’s plenty of that…
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Colville: Welcome to the Reservation
Kettle Falls turned out to be a remarkable place of mountains, valleys, forests, and small towns. Thenthere was Lake Roosevelt; huge and wide with hardly a boat on it. Where is everyone? This area marks the farthest point east on our giant loop. Looking at the map of Washington we’d be near the upper right…
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Kettle Falls and a step beyond to Colville
In my haste I had us staying in Kettle Falls. The name comes from a location on the Columbia Riverwhere the Indians would gather and catch salmon. The falls hemmed in the fish for easy harvesting. Only after making reservations did I find out that the falls are under water. They are no more. They…
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The road less trampled: Omak, Okanogan, Tonasket, and Republic
With the North Cascades behind us we drop into the high desert of Eastern Washington. Temperatures will reach and exceed 100 degrees in the next couple of days. At State Route 97 we head north through the towns of Omak and Okanogan. From here on out it’s small dusty towns with the road leading right…
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Returning to Hoodsport and Lake Cushman
Sunday after a long weekend. We are returning home after circling the Olympic Peninsula in aclockwise direction. If the peninsula were a clock, Hoodsport would be at 4:00. To say Hoodsport is a small town would be an overstatement. Thirty years ago, it was even tinier. Today, it has a winery bearing its name, a…
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Drift-wooding into Rialto Beach
Being at Rialto Beach has been one of my goals in coming to Washington. I didn’t think it would happen so soon. And like many goals directed towards places, it doesn’t entirely meet my expectations. The beach itself lacks nothing in beauty and wonder. But I thought that it would be more isolated. The truth…
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Roosevelt Beach
Last week Michele wanted a road trip for her birthday and Mother’s Day. We did over 700 miles circling the Olympic Peninsula. It was an epic trip done in 2.5 days. Come Monday I really felt I over-did it as usual. Yet, nobody complained about being tired. Our first full day was packed with driving,…
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Day trip thru Mt. Vernon to Bellingham
While we have the Puget Sound nearby, we rarely get to see it. The kids and I needed to see some country, and water. I decided we’d go north and pop into the cities of Mt. Vernon, Burlington, and Bellingham as goals. I printed out the addresses to each city’s visitor center to plug them…
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Leaving Yakima for Toppenish and Zillah. Where?
With a continuous snow storm and two kids down with the noro virus, we contemplated the situation. We can go back in the direction the storm had already passed, stay put and wait it out, or move forward. Neither option sounded right and check out time approached. A better, fourth option emerged to re-evaluate and…
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Palouse Falls, scablands, and Ellensburg
Another full travel day. This time on state route 26 heading west through the scablands in the central part of the state. It’s straight through with a couple of planned stops. In Colifax we hit a thrift store and take a look at the codger pole. The pole commemorates a football game played between rivals.…
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Last Stop: Roslyn
Still one more town to see in the high Cascades. Roslyn is an old coal mining town with a wide main street called Pennsylvania Avenue. The downtown is just a few blocks long and full of small shops and cafes. All the structures are old with false fronts and made of wood or brick. We…
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Moving through Cashmere / 9/11 memorial
In the small town of Cashmere is a 9/11 memorial located behind the library and adjacent to a large public park. The memorial honors those who died on 9/11 and those who served and lost their lives in past wars. Cashmere is located on the east side of the Cascade mountain range. Once over the…
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300,000 miles on the 2006 Odyssey
The van has reached 300,000 miles and here’s the picture to prove it. The last time we had a car do 300,000 it was Michele’s 2001 Honda Accord. Right when it hit 300k it started to die at stop lights. At about 305,000 it died on the road and was given its last rights. I…
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Mural, mural, on the wall
From Seattle to Port Angeles I’ve come to appreciate murals. Granted, some are gimmicks. Some are a form of public art that can draw you in. Like a scene from a bygone era or depiction of a forest scene. In this mix are a couple of murals from the border fence between the U.S. and…
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A Forks in the road
We’re making our way up the Olympic Peninsula, traveling on the western side with mountains on our right and the Pacific Ocean to our left. We’re returning to Highway 101 from a short visit up the Hoh River. Our next stop is the town called Forks. Those familiar with the Twilight novels and movies will…
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Camano Island for the landlubber
We came for the water – blue, rolling white caps, skiffs plying Skagit Bay, and a distant dreamy view of the Olympic Mountains. It all comes with the territory here on Camano Island. Touching the water is not necessary to enjoy this multi-faceted island getaway. What makes Camano Island so inviting is its close proximity to…
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Close To A Mile Wide, GRAND COULEE DAM
The goal lay ahead; Grand Coulee Dam. I’ve wanted to come here since talking to an older lady some 30 years ago when Curt and I lived off the Hood Canal. She went on about her husband working on the Coulee Dam. Every other sentence had the words “Grand Coulee” and she was boisterous as…
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North to Bellingham
Our final excursion of October 2015 would be the longest and promised to be a good one. From Interstate 5, we headed north passing the city of Everett, once known as the City of Smokestacks. Like many old lumber and industry towns, Everett has become almost genteel. But it still has a ways to go.…