Mississippi Bound On the road...

July 5

We left Seattle at 8:00 heading for Monroe, Washington, where we planned to hook up with a couple from our BMW motorcycle club who had arranged to “ride out of town” with us. We weren’t heading into the sunset--that would be west--but it’s much more poetic to say heading into the sunset than riding out of town which sounds as though we are one step ahead of being tarred and feathered. Anyway, a haze lay deep over the Seattle dales and depressions from the quantity of fireworks last night. It lent a surreal view of the towering construction cranes around Mercer, houseboats on Lake Union and Queen Anne hill off in the distance. Scooting up I-405, we arrived easily at Monroe where we met Bob and Marti, who also ride a Goldwing.

The four of us on two bikes merged onto highway 2 in route for Stevens Pass and Leavenworth. A lazy lunch, good conversation and bon voyage; Bob and Marti headed to Icicle Ridge Winery and we continued eastward to Spokane.

Driving highway 2 was a nice change from I-90 without the demands of steep Cascade Highway further north. Scenery morphs from exquisite treed Cascade mountains to coulees (dry falls) with their sheer vertical walls rising up from a millennium old river bed.

As we progressed the temperature rose. 94 degrees! Hot, hot, hot...the air felt like a shot of tabasco! We donned our cooling vests, but water evaporated quickly in intense heat and arid conditions. Fortunately, Bob seemed to be doing fine; no vertigo or anxiety.

Finally, in Spokane. We stayed at the elegantly affordable Montvale Hotel downtown. Our Spokane kids came downtown to have dinner with us. Walking through alleys to Europa Pizzeria, always a favorite Spokane restaurant, our 2 year of granddaughter Lexi ran heedless of danger but was frightened by a man with a long white beard at the restaurant.