September, 2022
What a great week this was. The hop museum, driving around the town of Toppenish, the fruit orchards, the railroad museum, driving up into the canyon. And there were other interesting things I didn’t show you. I enjoy talking with local people and I learn a lot from them. I have a good time doing that. But I don’t take video of that.
Anyway, it was a great week with beautiful autumn weather. This morning it was time to hitch up Towhee the Trailer to the big white truck and head home.
But first I took one last walk around the campground and took this photo (below) of my truck and camper while I was walking through another area in the campground. There’s lots of greenery here. Some campsites are close together but others have plenty of room and trees and shrubs around them for privacy and quiet.
Here’s one last photo (below) of the truck and trailer before I pulled the truck forward, then backed it up directly in front of the trailer and hitched them together. This is always a time of mixed feelings. I almost never want to leave! But I also do want to get home and get the mail and see my friends and play in my garden. And, while I’m hitching up, I’m very focused on each mechanical/physical chore in order to do them correctly, in the proper order, to make sure my rig and I are safe on the road. I double and triple check everything.
And then all things were taken care of and it was time to leave. I pulled out of the campsite and headed north out of Yakima, then turned left (west) onto the I-90 freeway that would take me over Snoqualmie Pass and eventually back to home.
I took the video below while driving west towards Snoqualmie Pass from eastern Washington. I usually head home from a camping trip on Friday morning or early afternoon when there’s a minimal amount of traffic. On Friday afternoon, traffic will be heavy heading east, outbound from Seattle as everyone heads out of town for the weekend. But I head towards Seattle then, so I don’t get snarled up in traffic. Just before I reach Seattle, I turn south on another freeway and head to my home in south Puget Sound. It pays to be retired! Let the weekenders have the weekend … I spend my weekends at home. 🙂
Snoqualmie Pass handles about 28,000 vehicles including about 6,500 semi trucks on an average weekday. That’s an average. Keep in mind that the vehicle traffic in winter is a fraction of the vehicle traffic in summer (or during good weather in autumn and spring). It’s one of the busiest mountain pass highways in the USA. It closes, on average, 5-6 separate days/year due to excessive snow on the road.
Notice the mountains in the video below. In the winter, they are completely covered with snow and ice, as are the trees … and sometimes the road is covered too. Average snowfall on the highway here is 233 inches/year. This mountain pass does close at times in the winter due to heavy snow, ice, avalanches, etc. There are a number of ski areas (downhill and cross-country and snow-boarding) and a number of snowshoe trails up at the top of the Pass. But on a day like today, it was just an easy peasy drive.
I apologize that the video below is often not in focus. I suspect that’s because of the poor road surface and the fact that the camera is continually being bounced around! But you get the idea. 🙂
After my short walk-about break up at the top of Snoqualmie Pass, I got back on the road and headed downhill, down the west side of these mountains. I was headed for home! I want to spend time with friends, do my laundry, and plan my next trip. 🙂
Thank you, all of you, for your comments, for your steady support and viewing of this blog. I sure like having every one of you along on this journey. Thank you from me, from the big white truck, and from Towhee the Trailer (and from Little Towhee, too). We are all in this together, and that includes you! 🙂
It’s such a joy to “accompany” you on your trips this way. You make us feel like we’re right there with you — and I believe we are! Thanks Ann.
You are, both you and Gary, riding shotgun! 🙂
Amen to Kathie T’s comment. I’ve never done any RV-ing and not traveled much outside the Seattle area except flying overseas. I sure feel like I’m now, at last, seeing my own State of Washington. Thanks Ann.
Seeing other countries is spectacular. And seeing your own homeland is even better. At least, that’s what I think, Bill. It’s all wonderful. I’m glad you’re here. If there’s anything in particular you want me to go see here in WA State so you can see it, just say the word.
I got behind in reading your blog posts. But now I’ve caught up. 🙂 I’d like to share info about the names of those campgrounds you drove past on your drive through the Yakima River Canyon.
The word Umtanum is Sahaptin language, meaning “full mouth”, reflecting the fullness of the river, the fish there, the plants that grow there, the richness of the land and the water.
The word Lmuma is Yakama language meaning “old woman”, an elder, a wise person.
I don’t know who Roza was, but maybe a strong, lovely, and important Hispanic woman.
The fourth area was Big Pines, maybe self explanatory.
I too love traveling along with you, Ann. You share so much with us, you teach, and you learn. Let’s keep doing this! 🙂
Sesapa, thank you! I couldn’t find any of that info. I like the meanings of those words/names, seems to fit the country, and the original people in that country. I like your interpretation of Roza too … same as mine. 🙂
Yes, let’s keep doing this.
Great bouncy drive. 🙂 We have similar mountain pass drives in BC, Canada. The road surfaces are so damaged from freezing cold and summer heat, and wet/dry, and the weight of semi trucks speeding over them, they just can’t be kept in prime smooth condition. You are our favorite blog. Thank you!
Jim&Janey
Wow, “favorite blog” … thank you! You two have been readers and commenters for several years now. Your comments are super. Next time I head north, I’ll let you know. I think the border has been open for a long spell now, so I can count on getting back south at the end of a trip. Maybe BC in 2024? Thank you, both of you.
Great week. Thanks for letting me/us ride along.
I’ve read online that this I-90 highway over Snoqualmie Pass is the 4th busiest mountain pass in the USA. Other websites don’t even list it in the top 20, so obviously they are wrong. 🙂
Ben, I found those same odd websites … most said this I-90 highway and Snoqualmie Pass was in the top 5 busiest mountain passes in the USA … but the other websites didn’t list this pass at all, even one that listed the top 100 mountain passes in the USA. I’m with you, those “other” websites are obviously wrong.
Case in point, when I was driving eastbound AWAY from Seattle at the beginning of this trip on a Sunday afternoon (when everyone else was heading home INTO Seattle), the traffic westbound on I-90 over Snoqualmie and into Seattle was at a complete standstill for MILES! Just too much traffic. Thousands of cars and trucks stopped dead on that freeway. It would take them hours to get just a few miles. And me? I was flying eastbound away from Seattle, hardly another car or truck in sight. 🙂
Loved the photos and videos, tho I always do of every one of your trips/posts. 🙂 I still remember those photos from this Yakima trip of the squash/pumpkins in that roadside stand. What a great photo. I wouldn’t miss your blog posts for the world. Thank YOU for taking us with you.
Those photos are among my favorites too, Mary. The colors and shapes, I just love them. I have a list of favorite photos that I may one day enlarge and frame … those photos are on that list.
You are welcome … thanks for being here. 🙂
Gorgeous mountain pass even without snow. I hope you get over/through there some time in winter and show us SNOW! I’m living in southern USA now and never see snow anymore and I miss it. Your blogs are wonderful. Thanks to LC for printing your articles and photos. Thank you too!!
Must admit I’ve thought about driving up to that pass in the winter to see the snow. But I’m afraid of ice on the road. BUT, my big white truck never seems to be bothered by ice or snow when I’ve driven the truck in that stuff. So I think the big white truck is just fine with that, and I should just watch the weather and go!
LC is great isn’t it? I always read every word.
Thanks for the encouragement, Olivia. Ok, a drive up there in winter with SNOW is on my list. 🙂
I can’t remember how I found this blog but I’m glad I did, I look forward to your posts! You thank us for being here … I thank you for doing the work and sharing part of your life.
Well, you are welcome, Greg. Very much so. A huge amount of my enjoyment with this blog is getting comments from people just like you. So I guess we’ll just keep on thanking each other, and we’ll just keep on doing what we’re doing. 🙂
Thanks for having us along, Ann. It’s “almost” as good as doing it ourselves. 🙂 Sometimes I wish we still were, but mostly I’m glad we quit when we did, just too much stress when we started not being able to physically do things. We have great memories and we both are sure loving you MAKING memories. Carry on! 🙂
Oh gosh, Marge, I wish I could sit with you and the hubby and listen to your tales. What a joy that would be. Maybe someday. In the meantime, please comment here to your heart’s content about anything and everything … this is your blog too. I love your comments and input. Yes, carry on! 🙂
🙆♀️ 👍 🤗 🖖 !!
Amen!! Thank you my friend. 🙂 More of the same coming down the road, eh?