Spokane and the Grand Coulee Dam

[pdedse]

In 2000 and 2002 I had two fantastic three week motorcycling holidays, touring the States - one, the Pacific Coast Highway up to SF, Tahoe, Grand Canyon (plus everything in between) and back to LA; then in 2002, Denver up to Canada and back via THE most beautiful roads and country in the Rockies.

As I look at the wonderful pics you guys post, my holidays come flooding back to me - I get so much pleasure remembering the Tetons, Redwoods, Rockies, plains, deserts, passes (loved the Bear Tooth for instance!).

So please keep posting those wonderful photos.

So glad the photos bring back pleasant memories for you

A bit farther downstream and I ran into some one-lane only construction area (long wait for some, but I was lucky in that I had only to wait 5 minutes. Hopped off the bike to stretch and take a quick photo of train-bridge:


Lots of Washington apple orchards--huge ones--in this agricultural area. Hiway 243 had now veered back east along the Columbia and I was momentarily heading with the wind...wow, what a difference! Everything got quiet and the tension of holding the bars eased and I was able to relax a bit.

But...time to cross the Columbia once again:

...and take 24 south which then bends back west again to 241 south to Sunnyside, continue south to 22 which I took west to Toppenish. About 5pm now and time to finish the trip home. There's nothing in the way of services between Toppenish and Goldendale so before crossing the Yakima Reservation I stopped at Subway--my "go-to sandwich shop" when mc travelling. So easy, 5 minutes and dinner! Ate 1/2 the footlong to stave off the hunger till I got back to the Columbia where I would be closer to home and knew of some beautiful overlooks.

A few miles after Toppenish on 97...I think the great man-made works like skyscrapers, hiways, canals, dams, cb1100s, pyramids, are all impressive in their own right. But then I think of powerlines...they don't get enough credit for what they do. And whoever hung these put in a ton of time and energy to string them across the open expanses out here. Quite impressive as well...



I was curious and looked it up...[url=http://www.northernpass.us/overhead-construction-process.htm]click here for wire stringing...[url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r75QjSghMH4]or click here for video

Made it through Goldendale with no deer sightings which always has me thinking out here, particularly late in the day. After Goldendale, 97 starts its march downhill back to once again...the mighty Columbia...first, more structures that tap into a different energy source:



Cattle grazing under the hum of the windmills


Time to head home before it gets dark...

Great road trip! Loved the pictures

Thanks, Rocky...the trip was relatively short, but very enjoyable.