Gotta get out of here - Our trip around Washington

A busy work schedule, college orientation, and various other commitments have kept us off the highways this summer. Sitting around watching summer pass us by is just not our style. My family was having serious road trip withdrawals so I announced a couple of weeks ago that we were going to pack up the RV for a quick six day road trip around Washington State, into Idaho and back. Here's a recap of our trip.

Day 1 (Friday) - Getting out of town...heading east over the mountains

Driving along the Columbia River

We left the green and moist climate of Western Washington and, as we do several times a year, drove over the Cascade Mountains into the warm, dry and brown side of the state. Those of you not familiar with the entire state of Washington should know that Washington east of the mountains is completely different from the Washington you see on TV (I mean Seattle). Our first destination was the Horn Rapids RV Resort in Richland, WA. This is a favorite of ours and we stay there at least once a year. 

Cereal for dinner

Night 1 in Central Washington

After enjoying the late afternoon outside, we decided to bail on our "burgers and dogs" dinner plan and had cereal instead. Afterwards we settled in for a rousing game of "Loaded Questions". We managed to turn an innocent question and answer game into a contest to see who could creatively use the word "penis" in as many answers as possible. I think I won. It was a great time. 

Day 2 (Saturday) - Lewis and Clark Trail and Mom's first time behind the wheel !!!

We left Richland and drove east to the Idaho border. Our destination was the Granite Lake RV Resort in Clarkston, WA. Clarkston is right on the Washington/Idaho border. The Snake river divides the two states. Just across the river is Lewiston, Idaho. To get to Clarkston we drove through a few small towns along the Lewis and Clark Trail on State Highway 12. You should be putting two and two together right now -- Lewiston and Clarkston...Lewis and Clark. Yup, you got it? 

My first time as a passenger

Mom's first time at the wheel

About 30 miles from Clarkston, I asked my wife if she wanted to drive the RV. After initially saying "no", she reluctantly agreed to go for it. Just so you know, up to this point, she had never driven the RV before and I had never been a passenger before. Even though we were towing our CRV, traffic was very light so it seemed like the perfect opportunity. I pulled over and we swapped places. With a little instruction, she was off and rolling. Not realizing what was around the corner, the rookie big rig driver was starting to feel pretty good behind the wheel. But after a few miles we saw one of those signs indicating that a steep curvy downhill stretch of highway was ahead. I thought "uh oh!" With no place to turn off, she gripped the wheel a little harder and kept on truckin. I had already put our E-450 in tow mode so I instructed her to tap the brakes a couple of times which caused the automatic transmission to start down shifting. To make matters worse, the downhill trek involved a continuous set of s-curves with only a single lane in each direction. The knuckles got a little white when there was oncoming traffic.

She handled the rig very well and kept her stress in check. Once we passed the runaway truck ramp, I knew we would all live through the experience. My daughter, on the other hand, was still freaked out by the fact that Mom was behind the wheel. 

An awesome spot in Clarkston, WA

In the end...we all survived. Taking us all the way into the RV park, my wife got a strong taste of the "driver" experience and I got the "passenger" experience. That was weird for me. I sat in the dinette, plopped down on the bed, and even attempted a visit to the bathroom once the highway leveled out. Everyone else has been able to master the "going to the bathroom on the road" thing but I had yet to get my "road legs". I was a little unsteady standing to pee while in motion, but I got-er-done...well mostly.  

We got an awesome waterfront spot at the Granite Lake RV Resort and enjoyed another relaxing evening together. The next day we would head into Idaho. 

Day 3 (Sunday) - Over the hills through the woods...to Silverwood Theme Park we go

Too windy and cold for August

We left Clarkston and drove across the Snake River into Idaho. We hooked up with highway 95 north heading towards Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. On the way out of town, we stopped at a lookout point which gave us a great view of Lewiston (Idaho) and Clarkston (Washington). It was windy, but I made the kids get out of their comfy spots to take a picture. After the picture, they ran back into the RV. 

Freedom on the open road Idaho

The drive north through the farmland of western Idaho was awesome. At one point the song "Free" (by the Zack Brown Band) came on the XM Radio and I got lost in my own little moment behind the wheel thinking "this is what it's all about." 

For the kids, our visit to Coeur d'Alene would be the highlight of the trip mainly because we were going to the Silverwood Theme Park. We checked into the Silverwood RV Park located just across the street from the theme park. After getting settled, we got the kids a couple of twilight passes to the park and sent them on their way to ride roller coasters until the park closed at 9PM. This is one of the few benefits of having teenage kids. Mom and I stayed in the RV and enjoyed some quiet time with just the two of us and a bottle of wine. Oh yeah...I grilled up some chicken that the kids inhaled when they returned starving. 

Day 4 (Monday) - Roller coasters, water slides and junk food

We fueled up with some biscuits and gravy for breakfast (yummy) before heading into the theme park. We returned for lunch and a quick nap then changed into swim trunks before hitting the water park in the afternoon. Dinner consisted of Elephant Ears, Funnel Cake and Ice Cream. Why not...we're on vacation right?

Video of my son and I on the waterslide

Day 5 (Tuesday) Turned back towards home on our way to Moses Lake, WA

Nate Dawg in the pool at Suncrest RV Resort

We left Idaho and headed back into Washington. In order to squeeze one more day out of the trip, we stopped for one more night at the Suncrest RV Resort in Moses Lake. We love going to Suncrest at because they have a great pool. The weather in Moses lake was really pleasant, but when we dipped our feet in the pool, we jumped back because it was "freezing!" At that point, it became a challenge to see who would jump in first. My son went in, then so did I. We spent the next few hours going between the pool and hot tub.

On our last evening we grilled up some T-bone steaks, baked up some potatoes and spent the night playing another inappropriate game of "Loaded Questions". Belly laughs all around. 

Day 6 (Wednesday) - Drive home back over the mountains

The drive home from Central Washington is one we've done sooo many times. It's not worth elaborating. We left early in the morning while the kids slept and arrived home just after 12 noon. Having the rest of the day was great. 

Some final words

On this trip there would be no more states added to the "map" and no record setting miles driven, but we made some great memories none the less. This road trip would also mark last time the four of us RV together before my daughter, now 18, heads off to college. As she moves on we're left wondering what life will be like without her. It is the next chapter in the story of our family...but that's another post. 

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