The evergreen state

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

ELLENSBURG, WA. — It was tough saying goodbye to Ken, Linda and Al after breakfast this morning, and doing all the little jobs to get ready to hit the road once again. We had a terrific time with the Byrts, who spoiled us totally, and we had also enjoyed being in one place for several days in a row — a luxury we will not be able to take again this trip.
The U.S. border was a very short distance from Chilliwack, and there were quite a few other people heading across at the same time as us, but it didn’t take too long before we were heading south toward Seattle, passing through lovely farmland and quiet little towns. We entered through Sumas, and took Highway 9, with the intention of connecting to Interstate 5 as directly as possible.
Harvest time is very much in evidence, with the corn standing tall in the fields, apples in the orchards, and bales of hay near the barns. There were lots of little roadside stands along the way through the northern part of Washington state, selling fruit and vegetables of all kinds.
By the time we got to the Interstate, we were in a much more populated area. Seattle is a big city with a lot of suburbia built up around it, and even though we were not heading into the city proper, we were definitely not in a rural setting any more.
One of our destinations today was a stop in Burlington to visit Camping World, a big box store dedicated to owners of RVs and tents, with every gadget, accessory, part and add-on you could imagine. We saw everything from clamps to keep your awning from flapping to patio lights shaped like the Stars and Stripes to doggie life-jackets! There were a few items we picked up, as well as a catalogue for future reference, so it was a successful visit. We even took advantage of their spacious parking lot to pause and eat our lunch before hitting the Interstate again.
The state of Washington has, as its slogan — which you can read on any licence plate you pass — "the evergreen state", and there were plenty of evergreen trees along the highway near the coast as we passed through Mount Vernon, Marysville and Everett. We took the ring road around Seattle and then headed east on Interstate 90, which took us into the Cascade mountain range.
The mountains were steep, closing out the sky. There were lots of rock cuts, covered with a giant version of chicken wire to keep boulders from tumbling onto the highway, and tall, stately evergreen trees on the slopes. We went through the Snoqualmie Pass, and when we got out the other side, the terrain opened into flat, sweeping plains with yellow grass and low shrubs, and beige-coloured, rolling hills in the distance, with a great big sky full of puffy clouds. It was a refreshing contrast to the congested city areas, as well as the closed-in feeling in the mountains.
The sound of trucks and cars whizzing past on the highway is quite audible here at the RV park in Ellensburg. We’re next to a Days Inn on paved sites with full amenities — except the Internet connection has been flipping constantly between "connected" and "not connected". That has been a constant challenge on the trip: finding a strong, persistent signal to allow communication via the Internet. The traveling public demands this means to stay in touch with family and friends, and most campgrounds try to furnish it, but it’s not always reliable. Sometimes I think ESP would be a better way!