We took a full week to drive around and visit friends and family in the Pacific Northwest between Saturday August 26 and Saturday September 2. Among the goals of our trip was to finish clinching the Oregon and Washington Interstate systems, for me to visit Idaho and Montana for the first time, to meet fellow road enthusiasts Matt Strieby and Chris Kalina, and to explore the Columbia River Gorge and Seattle among other locations.
Since we had next to no internet access during the trip, let alone time for the computer, I’ll be writing posts based upon our travels in retrospect. Additionally I’m writing about the last day first, as I don’t have the photos from the rest of the trip yet (those are on Andy’s laptop).

Day 8 – Olympia to Portland:

Not much to this day, woke up a bit after 0-dark-30, drove around Olympia to document some I-5 Washington shields we found, also photographed the “north” end of U.S. 101 at Interstate 5, and then headed down I-5 to I-205 and Portland International Airport so I could fly out. In the process we finished clinching I-5, the whole shabang from Mexico to Canada.

The “southbound” beginning of U.S. 101, just west of the interchange with Interstate 5. U.S. 101 travels west to Washington 8 along a freeway before turning north to Shelton and Port Angeles. The east-west segment of the highway along the north end of the Olympic Peninsula is signed east-west. U.S. 101 turns southward at Beaver and there finally gets the “South” cardinal direction banner.

The “north” end of U.S. 101 at Interstate 5. An end sign resides along the northbound on-ramp to Interstate 5. Like most Washington reassurance signs, the directional banner and shield are made out of one piece. There are 365 miles of U.S. 101 in Washington according to the mileposts at Olympia!

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