One of my favorite drives in Washington is heading east through downtown Cle Elum (about 1 1/2 hours east out of Seattle over Snoqualmie Pass on Interstate 90) to Teanaway then up the 970 to 97 and over Blewett Pass. Take a right onto State Route 2 then down through Dryden, Cashmere, Monitor, and Sunnyslope. The hillsides are beautiful and you’ll see a lot of orchards and vineyards along Highway 2 all the way into Wenatchee on the Columbia River...
This evening, October 8th, I’m homeward bound over the same route and headed west back to the Puget Sound megalopolis and my home in Renton. The sun is still bright, but low in the October sky around 6 pm, as I'm driving through Swauk Prairie in this high plains area snuggled up in the Cascade Mountain Range. I’m loving the views and the long shadows.
I saw a lot of charred hillsides both over and back. The wildfires were really bad this year in Eastern Washington. There are still several active fires as of today (October 15, 2015) but thank goodness for cooler temps and some much needed rain many are now out or under control.
Comments(22)