Missoula on Home~

Dawn~

The final leg seemed the longest of the trip.  I'd slept the night before & enjoyed the very nice room.  I woke an hour before my alarm, took my time & watched the weather report.  Freezing rain near St. Regis had me worried, so by the time I called Butch - I'd stopped at Starbucks for a hot tea & was already on I-90.  Pretty much the only car on the road.  I had some interesting radio stations that I listened to along the way!  The Bear, the Wolf & the Eagle!  I'd listen until I ran out of the range of each station, early in the mornings anyway.

Daylight~

As the day lightened, all it did was to show me how icy in spots the roads were.  I just maintained my speed, kept the wheel straight & didn't make any sudden changes.  I'd wait for the straight stretches to pass any trucks.

Near St. Regis~

By the time I was near St. Regis - the road was down to one clear lane, but with no traffic - I had it to myself :-)

Rest Area~

I made a very short stop here - up on the pass.  No lack of snow in the Tamarack Forest!  Some of the trees look almost dead in winter, dropping their needles.  Coeur d'Alene was the next goal & the WA state line after that.

Coeur d'Alene

Filling up whenever I got down to half a tank worked out well.  That usually took two-hours & by that time I was ready for a short break & stretch.  I pulled off for gas at Liberty Lake & was right back out on the road heading for Ellensburg, when I realized that the tank wasn't totally topped off.  Oh well, if it got too low - there was always Moses Lake.

Central Washington State~

 On such a slate gray day - the monochromatic views were far from inspiring.  I'd started the trip doing about 70 mph.  Once in Montana - with the 80-mph speed limit - the Bronco just seemed to go 80 all on it's own.  That's the speed we did all the way across, so at least we were making time.  I stopped at the Schrag rest area & did a few jumping jacks just to get the blood flowing!

The Columbia~

Views of the Columbia, gave me at least a little of the scenic interest I was using to enjoying!  I didn't get a photo of the lit, blinking sign that greeted drivers climbing the hill on the far side.  It read;  "50+ Elk killed in a year, over the next six-miles."  Believe me - I kept both eyes open through there.
At Ellensburg, I stopped at the truck stop & asked about the pass.  The truckers were worried & wondering about it as much as I was.  It started snowing lightly while I was there & lasted for a few miles out of town.

Leaving Ellensburg~

Now, so close to getting home, I sure didn't want to be stopped on the pass!  Friends let me know that the eastbound lane had been closed due to an accident.  It was noticeable - hardly any traffic coming eastbound.   It started raining about half way up!  Rain!  Hadn't seen any of that since I'd left!  :-)  The worst part, was on the down hill grades - the lanes were narrowed for the construction & had No shoulder!  With snow packed up against the barriers - there was maybe a lane & a half of space.  No fun...

Eastbound Emergency Rigs~

I didn't have much of a chance to get a photo - but What a Mess!  The backed up traffic went on for miles & miles...

Trucks line the shoulder of I-90~

More trucks were off to the side than I'd seen my entire trip...  Just a way further & the wind struck!  Huge gusts blowing the rain right at us in sheets.  I took the Fall City exit & let me tell you - following a car at 35 mph. seemed like a crawl!  I stopped at daughter Courtney's for a minute - to tell her I was back & took the back roads home!

I just have to brag up the Bronco.  Purchased in April of 06, after my other one was totaled, we bought it with 117,000 miles.  It was almost impossible - even then, to find one that was in decent condition.  We've always taken good care of it, maintenance when needed etc.  I drove it on this same trip in July of 2012 - to see my Dad, so this was our second long-distance haul.  Not one single problem the entire way!  The engine just purred & purred!  The harder I worked it - the smoother it ran.  I think the Bronco enjoyed his vacation from pulling the horse trailer & all the short around town trips that constitute the work week :-)  Our total mileage was 2,808 & I was gone nine days.  Of those nine, only three weren't on the road.  I still feel like I'm moving today!   The cold/wet of the great north-wet has already settled back in my bones :-)

P.S.  The one thing that I noticed the most - in every state I traveled through - was the lack of snow.  All the way across - there was maybe 3" of windblown snow, nothing like the Winters of old by the time January rolled around...