Traveling Northwest

[reelfastgreg]

let me point out again, the PNW is in the middle of spring right now in February. mountain snows are virtually non existent, freezing levels are hovering around 9,000'. with the exceptions of the passes i posted above as being closed, you will not encounter any difficulties crossing the cascades no matter your route. could things change? sure but the long range forecast has us high and dry which should make an 'unusual' summer maybe putting us in the same condition as CA.

[Len n Jeanne]

If you decide to take I-90 west past Spokane, Airstream of Spokane, which is just off the Interstate, offers free overnight parking w/ electrical on their lot for any Airstreamers.

[Woosch]

Dont know if you are AAA members but they have a map of the Pacific Northwest that show every lighthouse in this part of the country. The title is Oregon and Washington Coast by GM Johnson maps.

[pappy19]

Just another tid-bit, the highest 2 months of snowfall in Colorado is in March and April. I was once stuck in western Montana for 5 days waiting on a blizzard to stop as they had the main highway closed. Finally on the 6th day the skies cleared and they had received 56" of snow. I followed the rotary snow plow across Henry's Lake Flat to get home to Island Park, Idaho. That was on the 28th of March.

[reelfastgreg]

interesting, the weekend forecast is for mountain snows down to 2,000'. that means ALL of the cascade passes will see snow on the roadway. of course this is just a forecast so take it for what its worth. more accurate info can be obtained at: Welcome to the Washington State Department of Transportation

bookmark the site as it will be your best source of up to the minute information.

[John&Vicki]

Looks like we're about done with the February bluebird stretch and Wnter #2 is starting. Very often more snow than Winter #1. Be careful out there.

John

[thumbelinadj]

I am very excited to hear what your plans are and your reports along the way! It has rained today in Seattle- It seems to be getting rare it does that. Chilly too.

[srpuywa]

thsi is a great campground - with a lighthouse
Dungeness Recreation Area

WA Campgrounds - reservations
Reservations | Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission..

Tulip Festival - I bet they will be early this year
http://www.lovelaconner.com/skagit-v...ulip-festival/

[reelfastgreg]

Originally Posted by srpuywa

thsi is a great campground - with a lighthouse
Dungeness Recreation Area

WA Campgrounds - reservations
Reservations | Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission..

Tulip Festival - I bet they will be early this year
Skagit Valley Tulip Festival - Love La Conner

don't know how long your total rig is but in Loop 1 (can't reserve these) site 7 is a really long pull through and site 12 would be easy to back into and stay connected if you are in the 50-55' overall. Loop 2 can be reserved and there is one pull through there as well. tougher back in conditions, for most of these sites. the park is 5 minutes from my front door.

walking to the lighthouse is an all day adventure, pick the lowest tide you can as walking out there on the cobble is very difficult and time consuming. RT is about 11 miles. lighthouse is open to visitors 7 days a week and you can actually climb to the top.

[SeeMore]

All the suggested routes are great ways to head west to the Oregon/Washington area. The destinations mentioned are certainly worthy of your consideration. We have come close to many of the recommended sights, but the Idaho border at the Snake River was the limit for us after visiting some towns that were so captivating we unexpectedly reached our time limit and headed home again.

You can certainly head west using Lookout Pass and find yourself in Doubt quickly. I prefer to drive through, but many here will caution you to assess everything once you get there. Its a beautiful drive most of the year, yet there are snowy days which can cause a premature stop in Continent. It may be an age thing, but I found it too damp for comfort.

Coeur d'Alene was beautiful, especially the lake. Just south of there you can stop in Cognito. No one will recognise you there so you won't be bothered - very relaxing. The sights are almost as good a bit further west in Sane. They have no public transportation so you must be driven there, usually by family or friends but more likely it will be by other campers who ask incessantly how much your Airstream cost.

Since we turned back before entering Oregon, I haven't been in Kahoots. Apparently, the local custom states you can't go alone. You have to be in Kahoots with someone so take your bride along to do it properly. I'm told its as good as being in Flexible if you have a firm travel timetable for your trip.

On your way back, be sure to spend some time in Capable. I go there more often now that I am retired and have assumed sole responsiblility for our route planning. One of my other favorite places to be is in Suspense. It really gets the adrenalin up and rounds out the trip with a bit of a high as you head back into the Rockies on the road home that time of year.

No matter what you do, enjoy every minute of the trip!

[tjdonahoe]

In April we do get some pretty good snow storms, here in northern Wyo,and Mt, all the way across to Spokane, tonite it is lite snow and 10 degrees, and cold most of next week,we are planning on leaving the 3/17 ,to San Diego, if we can get a clear shot to SLC......it is the luck of the draw......