I'm in Wenatchee, Washington, right now. The Apple Capital of the World. You know of it, right? I'm spending some days in random cities between Boise and Seattle; trying to get the feel of eastern Oregon and Washington. Its my first time in both states and I'm zig-zagging my way through, trying to see as much as possible.
From Coeur D'Alene I drove down the western border of Idaho. I'll call Idaho the Crying State. I listened to all of my Josh Ritter songs in alphabetical order for five hours. The crying occured because of the sequence that: Josh Ritter is from Idaho and his sad folk songs needed a good listening to in order to enjoy the state --> Josh Ritter is my friend, Sara's, fav singer (or her self-united husband, if you happen to read thatschurch.com, which, if you are from Pittsburgh, you really should) --> Sara is one of my prime partners in crime and is the Laverne to my Shirley (or the Myrna Minkoff to my Ignatius Reilly, if you've read "A Confederacy of Dunces", which, if you are a breathing human being, you really should) --> Sara has moved to Boston as of August and we now are separated by many states for the first time in years. Thus, the tears. But they were needed.
I stayed a night in Riggins, Idaho. It was a spontaneous stop. I got tired to driving, found myself in a cute town in the middle of the mountains that had one hotel, and decided to spend the night. I checked the Riggins website to find something to do to pass the evening and found a recommended scenic drive to the top of Hell's Canyon to look at the Seven Devils (a range of mountains.) Long story short, the road to the top turned gravel within five miles and continued that way for another fifteen. I knew I should have turned around but got stuck in the mindset of "I've made it this far...". I ended up ascending 6,000 feet at a rate of 25 miles an hour, only to turn around when I almost got to the top because I started to fear a serial killer was going to be the only person there when I got to the lookout. This is the best picture I got:
I passed many cows on the road, getting close enough to almost get their flies in my car. I obviously have no fears of pulling up close to a cow, and would find it very ironic if, after my chronic fear of bears, a "cute" cow charged my car, and when I got out of my car, invited her friends over for a good maiming.
So, my car went through the abuse of a fifteen mile, straight up-hill and then straight down-hill road, only to get a semi-decent picture, the view of a cow and me cursing the website that ever suggested I try that route.
Boise treated me well. Again, it offered a many-mile paved walking path that connects the various parks around the city. I'm really digging the walker-friendliness of Idaho. I went to a recommended diner, the Flying M, and restrained myself from buying everything in their eclectic gift shop. And I visited their Basque Cultural Museum after finding that Boise is a hub for immigrants from the Basque region and found it an interesting culture to know more about.
I came to Wenatchee by way of Bend, Oregon and was extremely impressed with the homey feel of Bend. Its a much recommended visit. And today I will see the Pacific Ocean for the first time on my trip. I'll be staying in Ferndale, Washington, right below the Canadian border. Then, its off to Seattle to be reunited with my mom for a 5 day visit. I'm counting down the hours.
Random pic of a shoe tree somewhere in Eastern Oregon:
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