Day 4: A Long Stop(light) in Missoula

Not a whole lot to report for our fourth consecutive day on the road. At the beginning of day four, Carrie and I have traveled a grand total of 1,591 miles, with another 600 or so to go. We left Butte at about 9:30 Tuesday morning on I-90 and stayed on I-90 all the way to Ellensburg, Washington. We stopped at a Wal-Mart (an old-fashioned one, not a SuperCenter) in Missoula, Montana, to restock our traveling supplies and to have a quick bite to eat. Gas is still around 3 dollars a gallon. The Montana countryside is very pretty. I can certainly see why it is called Big Sky country.

After crossing into the Pacific timezone at the Idaho border, it was only 1:30. The Coeur d’Alene area is gorgeous. We crossed over into Washington at about 3 o’clock, and stopped just west of Spokane to get some gas, use the restroom, and stretch our legs. The temperature here in Spokane is 93 degrees. Outside of Ritzville, WA, we hit a dustnado, a whirling dervish of dirt. It fell apart as it hit the road, but it was pretty awesome looking. We’re driving through wheat country, as most of eastern Washington seems to be covered by the crop. We’re one hundred miles east of Ellensburg as I type this, and the temperature is 99 degrees!!!! I hope it cools down for Carrie and I in Seattle and the rest of the gang in Ashford tomorrow. We did make one neat stop today. There’s a scenic view of the Columbia River where I-90 crosses it, and we got out and took a few pictures. You can look at those below.

You read right above. The Burnin’ Daylight Crew is splitting up for a couple of days. Carrie and I will be driving on to Seattle tomorrow morning, and Bud and Rita and Boyd and Betty are going to Ashford (near Mt. Rainier). We pick up the final two members of our traveling party on Friday morning and then the four of us are on to Mt. Rainier for a couple of days before going to Suquamish for the family reunion. Posting may be a little sparse the next couple of days due to our busy schedule, but we’ll try to keep you guys updated as often as we can. Tomorrow night at this time we’ll be living it up in Seattle.

Day 4

-BDC