After finishing up our stay at Bonners Ferry we came back down to Sandpoint. Just for a night. We stayed at the same campsite on the river and Amanda got some work done in town before we moved on over to Spokane. We were officially in Washington state.
The only thing that I know about Spokane is that Gonzaga University is there. If you participate in March Madness every year you are probably familiar with the name. Amanda found a place to work and I checked out the park by the river.
Nothing too special. The Spokane River runs through the south part of town and the park is average a best. There is a little waterfall and a few urban art pieces scattered throughout. But I wouldn’t say it was amazing. At the least, it was a good walk outside.
All in all, Spokane wasn’t all that special and I doubt I will be coming back, outside of just passing through on the way to somewhere else. Got a rock climbing session in and we hit the road.
We drove about halfway across Washington that evening and stayed near a rest stop near Ellensburg. We crossed the bridge over the Columbia River on our way there. That was pretty cool. The river itself is huge – similar in size to the Hudson in NYC. Maybe a bit smaller but still impressive.
Man, was it windy in this area though. My car was getting knocked about on the drive-through. Driving over the bridge was a nervous experience. But I took it slow and everything was fine.
Woke up in the morning and we were greeted with some great views of Mount Rainier in the distance. We didn’t see it when we rolled in the night before because we came in shortly after dusk. Got on the road early and made our way toward Yakima. The last town before heading into the Mount Rainier area.
We found a short hike in the White Pass area to a lake and it was a pleasant walk. Barely any elevation gain. It was nice to be surrounded by these gigantic trees that the Pacific Northwest is known for.
We camped just outside the park in the national forest. Found this great clearing with these enormous Douglas Fir trees. We got there in the afternoon and we had a ton of time to hang out in the hammock and just enjoy the spot.