Northwest Trip

[Sykotyk]

I was going to do a bigger write-up for this, but really don't have much time. I will post this to my website: http://www.sykotyk.com sometime in the near future with photos.


Basically, this was a trip to finish off the remaining counties in Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. I also got to visit British Columbia and the rest of northwest Montana. Just a few months ago I finished the entire central part of Idaho, southeast Washington, and eastern Oregon. I do have pics from that, and again, will try to make a write-up with photos on my site for that when I have time.

In March, I finished off all of Louisiana and Texas (only had three counties of Texas remaining). That led me to taking a vacation with my wife back to New Orleans and hit about 50 counties along the way down through Indiana, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Alabama. As well as completely finishing Mississippi.

This most recent trip, however, was not planned.

Being solo, I opt to sleep in the rental car. It's cheaper. Less stress in 'wasting time' at a hotel or not getting your money's worth for only being there for such a short time. You can shower at truck stops for $10 for hygiene.

So, the first day started in Spokane, Washington where I drove northeast on US2. I passed the new bypass construction and continued into Idaho. In Washington, I entered Pend Oreille County before entering Idaho. With only Bonner and Boundary left, it was a short drive into Montana. With hitting two counties in Montana on MT200 and MT135 (Missoula to St. Regis), I had all but the northern stretch remaining. I took US2 east, stopping to explore the southern entrance of Glacier National Park. I opted to stay on US2 for expediency, and went to Shelby on I-15. I continued east to Lothair to hit Liberty County before racing back to Shelby to take I-15 north to the Sweetgrass border crossing. I drove as far as I could past the last exit before turning around. I was going to walk across the border (as I couldn't take the rental into Alberta), but couldn't find my passport. So, I gave up the chance to mark Alberta off my Provincial list.

I then took off down I-15 to Great Falls before following the I-5 Business Loop and stopped just north of Helena.

In the morning, I finished clinching the rest of I-15 in Montana to Butte and headed west on I-90 to follow MT1 to Anaconda. That is a very beautiful drive and the waterfall west of the dam is quite nice.

Back on I-90, I stopped in St. Regis for souvenirs and something to eat. In Idaho, I clinched the three eastern Business Loops (Osbourne, Wallace, and Mullan; not in that order). I opted to time to avoid clinching Post Falls. I had been on a part of that road on my super trip in 2007, but can't remember exactly what stretches I was on it for as I didn't keep track darting from street to street.

I then stopped in Spokane to find out my stay in Washington was going to take me through the weekend. With knowledge that I could take my rental into British COlumbia as long as it was written into the contract, I opted to stop by the rental agency to get a new agreement printed out.

I then went west to Medicine Lake, and turned north in Reardan off US2 up towards US395 to avoid rush hour through Spokane. This, unfortunately left a gap in clinching both US395 and US2 (which will, hopefully, be rerouted onto the new bypass which I will clinch at another time). Once on US395, I headed north to also clinch Ferry County and crossed the border around 10pm near Grand Forks, B.C.

I initially planned to head north to Banff and tip-toe across the border into Alberta. But, not realizing I wound up on the Crows Nest Highway, I changed plans. I couldn't pass up the opportunity. Plus, this gave me the western edge of Washington and Oregon that I've been missing for a while.

If anybody gets the chance, Crows Nest Highway is a great drive. I could only imagine what it's like east from the 395. I stopped for the night in Grand Forks at the visitors center before driving on in the morning for Day 3.

I went west through Osoyoos, which is an amazingly scenic view as you head west down the winding hillside.

The drive through Manning Provincial Park is a beautiful drive onto the Yellowhead (BC5). I headed north one exit before turning around south to follow the last few kilometres of BC3 to Trans Canadian Highway 1 as an almost continuous freeway. I followed that west to Exit 40. Along the way in, I believe, Chilliwack, I had some very good sushi at a little travelers trap behind a Burger King/Tim Hortons complex. The Port Mann Bridge is coming along nicely, although it horribly complicates traffic.

From Exit 40, I went south along toward Marine Way. It really is amazing there's no direct freeway connection from TCH-1 to route 91A to 91. And then it was onto BC99 back to the border.

The crossing on I-5 was simple with my passport and astonishingly quick. I find that a little alarming that Canada has a more stringent requirement to enter their country.

Besides the political aspects of it, I was finally in Whatcom County and clinching the rest of I-5 not between the north and south I-405 interchanges.

It was then west on WA20 toward Anacortes to the ferry. I paid the $37 and change to go to the first stop, Lopez Island. With that, I drove briefly around the island to clinch San Juan County and returned for the eastbound ferry just 15 minutes later. Back on Fidalgo Island, I headed south to Island County and crossed Deception Pass. With the Port Townsend Ferry booked for the night and next morning, I opted to high tail it back to WA20 and to I-5. I got down I-5 to Edmond and made the line for the Edmond-Kingston Ferry with a few minutes to spare. The $15.20 ride to me to Kitsap County was quick. I got to really enjoy the ferry system, even if it is a bit cumbersome.

It was then a quick drive up WA104 to US101 West through Jefferson County to Clallam County. I then turned around and headed East. At the 104 junction, US101 appears to change designation to South. I then stopped at a small gas station in Brinnon for the night as I was almost out of gas as I did not anticipate the length it would take late at night to find a gas station and I didn't stop just west of the ferry.

The next morning I woke up around 7am when the station opened, got gas, and left. I headed down US101 to WA108 west to the WA8 expressway until it is overtaken by US12 west to Aberdeen. I exitted at WA108 to US101 South, again.

Then US101 South to WA4 to stop in Wahkiakum County and backtrack on WA401 to US101 just north of the Columbia River. I then crossed the bridge in heavy fog into Astoria, Oregon. This is a unique bridge as you loop back twice before reaching the western terminus of US30 and the right turn to US101.

From there, it was US101 south along the coast until I reached Curry County. I then turned back north to WA42S to cut up toward Myrtle Point. Then, WA42 until I reached I-5.

I stopped at the Pilot to shower, and proceeded north to the rest area south of Eugene.

In Eugene, I stopped to see Autzen Stadium, clinch I-105, Delta Highway, and drove west on the Beltline from the Delta to OR99. I then drove OR99 and OR99W north to clinch Benton, Polk, and Yamhill Counties. It actually was a very relaxing drive that went very quickly.

I bypassed McMinnville on OR18 back to OR99W into the OR217 freeway to US26 Freeway to I-5.

I crossed back into Washington and got on WA14 to clinch it east to Skamania County. This finished off the counties in Washington. Turning around, I proceeded to I-405 to head north. Then leaves a very small stretch of I-405 I haven't clinched from WA14 to I-84 in Oregon.

I went north to Longview and took the mini-freeway west of WA432 to the slight cutoff truck route to WA433 to cross the bridge into Columbia County to clinch that state.

From there, it was back on I-5 north to US12 east to Yakima. I stopped and drove up to the visitor's center in Mount Rainier National Park. I couldn't see it, but the drive up was great. Then east by White Pass, there were three elk grazing on the shoulder.

Then, it was on to Yakima to I-82 west to Ellensburg to I-90 East to Spokane. I stopped at a rest area as I was getting tired around midnight. Woke up about 5am and drove the rest of the way in to drop off the car.

All in all, a really fun week. Albeit impromptu. Somewhere about 3,000 miles and given that I was driving in a Dodge Dakota (the last car available), I spent about $750 for gas for the trip, $200~ for the rental, and about $300 for food and miscelleanous.

Definitely a once in a lifetime trip.

Some road geek tidbits now:

Mount Rainier National Park has US123 shields instead of WA123 shields.

The Spokane bypass is coming along northeast of town.

US95/ID200 has a bypass being built around Sandpoint that is looking pretty close to finished at the north end. You currently enter the southbound offramp and then crossover. The bypass still dumps traffic into a business strip north of town.

US2 has a new bridge being built near East Glacier, Montana.

US2 from Idaho to Kalispell is a great drive. Relatively little traffic, great sweeping vistas, little small towns sporadically. Just a great drive.

I-15 from Great Falls to Helena is a very scenic drive. Akin to US2, but on a level with interstates, very sparsely traveled.

US101 from Astoria to south of Coos Bay is a LONG, LONG drive. It's beautiful. It's got some great ocean views (even with the heavy fog and mist from the ocean). The problem is it is one small town after another. Throw in even the nominal traffic I dealt with and it becomes an arduous drive.

There are places where US101 moves quickly as a pseudo-expressway from south of Warrenton towards Tillamook. But, that still doesn't help out that much.

US12 from I-5 to I-82 in Yakima is one of the great drives, especially the stretch east of Glacier National Park where you descend climb and descend White Pass and then go by the lake on the south side of the road.


I will get photos up on my site soon (as well as hopefully adding photos of my trips in Florida, Wyoming, California, Central Idaho, Louisiana, and Mississippi).

I've just been backlogged with photos with no time to organize them or post them to my site in any sort of manner.

[nexus73]

Since I live in Coos Bay and know my home area quite well, I wish I could have known you were coming through in order to let you know about road history, viewpoints and places to eat.  Your sleeping in the car deal is the way I used to travel alone but now I'm too old and worn down for that so I'm glad you were able to hit the road and the hay at the same time to squeeze the max value out of your dollar and make a great classic roadtrip!

Having driven every inch of 101 from Olympia to LA (and the section of I-5 that used to be 101) over the years, I hope you'll come back to see all there is to see along the West Coast.  Now THAT'S a Long Drive...LOL!

Thanks for the wonderful story about your journey!

Rick

[Sykotyk]

I would be interested someday doing the entire drive (although in CA, taking CA1 along the coast in places where I've already clinched US101). It was so foggy and misting most of the day it made for a weirdly depressing vacation mecca. I guess if you're from the northwest you just get used to the rain off the coast.

Yeah, I tend to always sleep in the car. I figure I only sleep 5 or 6 hours a night anyways when I'm out on a road trip, the cost of a hotel equals to $10/hour which is just unreasonable in my eyes.

[xonhulu]

Great trip!  Sounds like you covered a lot of territory.

Driving US 101 in Oregon is an exquisitely frustrating experience: a lot of winding sections, too much slow traffic, too few opportunities to pass.  That being said, in the right traffic conditions the drive is pretty spectacular.

I agree on your description of the Crows Nest Highway.  I've only seen the section from Hope to BC 97, though.  In general, I need to get up to south-central BC and check that whole area out.

I look back fondly on the days when I slept in rest areas and parking lots to travel on the cheap.  I'll still occasionally sleep in the car, but I usually take my pickup on trips so I can sleep in the canopy.  But even that's rare these days.  To be young again!

[corco]

US12 from I-5 to I-82 in Yakima is one of the great drives, especially the stretch east of Glacier National Park where you descend climb and descend White Pass and then go by the lake on the south side of the road.

I agree with that- I have had the pleasure of driving the entire Washington highway system and US-12 across the state is pretty much my favorite overall drive, rivaled only by the North Cascades Highway (SR 20).

[agentsteel53]

US12 from I-5 to I-82 in Yakima is one of the great drives, especially the stretch east of Glacier National Park where you descend climb and descend White Pass and then go by the lake on the south side of the road.

I'm not sure if I can parse this.  how many Glacier National Parks are there?  the one I know of is on US-2 in Montana, and is not between I-5 and I-82.

[Alps]

Perhaps Snoqualmie?

[xonhulu]

Pretty sure he means Mt Rainier NP, but there are two Glacier National Parks: there's also one in BC.

[agentsteel53]

Pretty sure he means Mt Rainier NP, but there are two Glacier National Parks: there's also one in BC.

yeah, one per country.  I find it kinda odd that Canada's Glacier is not opposite the US one - the land reserved as national park does extend into two countries, but Canada's part is called Waterton Lakes National Park. 

[xonhulu]

yeah, one per country.  I find it kinda odd that Canada's Glacier is not opposite the US one - the land reserved as national park does extend into two countries, but Canada's part is called Waterton Lakes National Park. 

I guess you could also chalk up Parque Nacional Los Glaciares in Argentina as a third Glacier National Park.

[Truvelo]

I crossed back into Washington and got on WA14 to clinch it east to Skamania County. This finished off the counties in Washington. Turning around, I proceeded to I-405 to head north. Then leaves a very small stretch of I-405 I haven't clinched from WA14 to I-84 in Oregon.

Do you mean I-205? I-405 is the innerbelt. I've just done the section between I-84 and exit 24a although I can't remember if I did the stretch between there and WA-14 on my previous visit in 2008.

[Sykotyk]

Yeah, you caught both mistakes. I was in Glacier earlier in the trip and meant to type "Mt Rainier". As for I-205/405, yeah, that was an error on my part. Thinking of the eastern loop of Seattle instead of Portland when typing it up.