Washington Isn’t What I Expected
Prior to this trip I had been to Seattle before. Twice actually. It’s a great area, with the Cascades providing a gorgeous backdrop just about where ever you go. Leaving Idaho and coming into the state from the eastern side, I wasn’t prepared for the drastic difference. I pictured most of Washington to be fairly similar to the what I had seen in the western part of the state. Boy was I wrong.
When we got up that morning in Idaho I was a little bummed. The trip was just about over. Well, at least as far as Steve and I traveling together. Both of us were to go on separately for about another two weeks. But for now we had a little less than 3 days to get to Seattle. We left Coeur d’ Alene, which was a very wooded and hilly area, and it didn’t take us long to cross the border and hit Spokane. Coming out of the west side of the city, everything just completely changed. Man, Washington just flattens out. It was how I’d picture Iowa or Nebraska. As far as the eye could see, just rolling fields of this golden grass. Definitely not what I expected, and definitely not like the Seattle area. It’s like a totally different state. Unlike sections of South Dakota, which I’d encounter on a later trip and was similar to this, this landscape really didn’t hold my interest too well. We were on our way to the Yakima area but I decided to take a different route, maybe make things a little more interesting. We got off of 90 and took 395 south to Kennewick, then hopped on 12 to Yakima. That route took us from a South Dakota feel to well, a Mars-type vibe. The terrain was just these fairly barren hills that just rolled around us on both sides and off into the distance. I have to admit, our visit to Taco Time excited me a lot more.
We eventually made it to Yakima and set-up shop for the rest of that day and part of the next. I had some business to take care of and it turned out to be a good time. I remember having an absolutely killer chat that night. Looking back I can see there was a great deal of foreshadowing going on…
The next day I conducted a little more business and then we decided to just head for Seattle. It was definitely a better drive. On the way it transitions into an area that seems to be way more like what you’d expect Seattle’s kind of turf to look like. As far as cities go, I highly recommend it and the surrounding area as well. I’ve been to a lot of urban areas, and this one just didn’t have any down-and-out sections (at least from what I saw). Everything was at least in decent shape. Plus, the whole area just gives out a different vibe from cities in other sections of the country. Portland, Oregon does the same. It’s a laid-back outlook, but savvy and a step ahead as well. The people seem to care more about where they live, much unlike the impression I get from a lot of east coast cities. And all the different joints to eat (which are all great, except for one), don’t get me started!
At this point I was sad that the trip was coming to an end. It was time for me to spend some time in Seattle, and then it was off to Houston. Steve had his own plans as well. Looking back, this road trip was incredible. It was the biggest one I had undertaken to this point in my life. Let me tell you, it was well worth it. I feel so blessed to have had the opportunity to do all this. On top of it all, I had two more amazing road trips coming up within the next year-ish. If you ever get the opportunity to just hop in a car with a good friend, and explore large chunks of the western part of this country…don’t pass it up!! You’ll bump into me at some rural truck stop somewhere and thank me for the advice. I guarantee it.

Comments (2)











great article! keep em coming!
Beautiful picture!!! Just now getting caught up on your stories. Keep them coming!