Rural Washington State

We here in the Intermountain West take beautiful scenery as our normal. We are used to and expect wonderous views everywhere we go.

THis last weekend I was able to add a new area to my experience. We went through Washington State diagonally, I had been to and love the Tri-Cites with the Columbia River and the vinyards. Spokane is pretty with the mountains in the background and green without being soggy, The I-5 corridor is well.... it's I-5.

I'd been to the Olympic Rain Forest many years ago, Coast pretty, forest too soggy. (I am a desert person).

We drove from Tri-Cities to Yakima, lot s of vinyards and other farms, then you go through a desert then hit Ellensburg and start the mountains. It just gets prettier - Cle Elum (Washington has lots of oddly named towns) is gorgeous , then you're up and over Snoqualmie Pass and down toward Seattle, but we went further North and West.

The Skagit Valley and Whidbey Island are farming areas I didn't know existed = I always thought the whole area was greater Seattle.

We delivered a piece of farm equipment to Coupeville on Whidbey Island - farms and lovely homes (planning and zoning meetings ought to be interesting there) with lovely water views EVERYWHERE.

The weekend of May 21 and 22, rural Washington State was wonderful, we didn't hit rain till we came back home to our Eastern Oregon desert!