Hail Columbia

MISSOULA, MONTANA: Lots of driving today and not much sight-seeing. The problem is, there's not much between Seattle and Missoula in terms of tourist attractions. That added to the fact that I got a late start from watching the USA-Ghana soccer match this morning meant that I spent most of the day behind the wheel. Still, there was lots to see from the driver's seat. I drove from Aberdeen to Olympia where I picked up I-5 to Seattle. I then turned onto I-90, the longest highway in the country (Seattle to Boston).

I-90 runs through a bunch of mountain ranges, various parts of the Cascades and Rockies, creating many scenic views. The first of these that I stopped for was an overlook just past the highway bridge over the Columbia River. There in Eastern Washington, the deep greens of the Pacific Northwest give way to the drier, browner lands where the mountains have blocked much of the rain blowing off the ocean. Sometimes the "vista points" advertised from the road turn out to be boring views that make me regret I even pulled over. But this one was worth the stop:


After that I kept on along the same route across Idaho and through the Lookout Pass into Montana. The mountains here were greener with pine trees than the hills of Eastern Washington were. Again, I didn't see much, but I wanted to get a decent day's drive behind me. Tomorrow, hopefully, I'll have more time to stop and more interesting things to report.