Roads Less Traveled

Prior to retirement, my job took me all over the beautiful State of Washington.  Although most of my colleagues flew to their destinations, I preferred to drive (a sign of things to come).  But, I mostly stuck to the freeways and rarely ventured onto the back roads.  So, this year I'm exploring some of the "Blue Highways" that I had previously just zoomed by.

Our back roads route ... a slightly slower but much more beautiful journey ...

Yesterday, John and I headed toward Yakima, just for a drive.  On the freeways it's a straight shot -- I-90 east, then I-82 south.  But, instead of staying on I-90, we got off at Cle Elum and took SR-10 to Ellenburg, then SR-821 south through the Yakima River Canyon. 

View south from Heritage Marker on Yakima River Canyon Road (SR-821)

I thoroughly enjoyed it!  The hills were still mostly green, the river was running high, the sun was out, traffic was sparse, and I was with the man I love.  Along both back roads, the basalt rock outcroppings made interesting patterns on the canyon walls and hills.  At a heritage marker on the Yakima River Canyon Road, we learned that the basalt was formed by the largest lava flow in the world, covering parts of Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

John, on the other hand, wasn't that much into meandering like me.  Although he enjoyed some of the sight seeing, he would have preferred freeway speeds, especially as we were homeward bound.   I think I tested his patience.  We'll see if he wants to do more shunpiking with me in the future.

For another day's drive, I want to head toward Yakima again; this time taking SR-410 through the north-eastern side Mount Rainier National Park.