We left Spokane, WA and ventured North to visit one of the great American Engineering marvels of the last century, the Grand Coulee Dam. For all I can say, it is impressive and by no means anyhow challenged by the Hoover Dam. Its 24 Francis turbines generate in the excess of 6000 MW, and the lake behind the dam is 151 miles long! and reaches into Canada. Leaving the dam we took the Country Road 155 to connect back to Hwy 2 and move further West along the Banks Lake and along the Columbia River to Wenatchee Pass and the beautiful alpine town of Leavensworth. This town is a copy of any Austrian, Swiss or Bavarian village, with the typical plaster paintings and wood carvings, and its architecture let you forget that you are in the state of Washington, USA. This town has it all, German and Swiss bakeries, hotels with names like "Enzian Hotel" or "Edelweis Hotel", (two typical alpine flowers), restaurants with Bavarian or Austrian specialities like "Kaiserschmarn" or "Haxn and Kraut". We have to visit this place again! From there we crossed the Wenatchee NF, the Mount Baker Snoqualmie NF and over the Stevenson Pass (4062 ft) which was also still covered in snow. This area is just plain beautiful, the forrest and mountain inviting for long hikes along the trails and the waterfalls, the river(s), just perfect for kayaking or rafting. And to run that with a motorcycle, a dream. Definitely one of our favorite Highways in the US, and worth coming back.
Then evening traffic caught us going down into Seattle, and my stop and go skills were tested. We finally reached camp site at about 7:30PM, and not to mention the weather, we got our tent up quickly to find dry storage for our stuff.
Grand Coulee Dam
Banks Lake, WA
The Plaines of Northern Washington State
"Being soaked alone is cold. Being soaked with your best friend is an adventure." - Emily Wing Smith
Quote provided by Phil
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