Day 6 - Republic to Seattle

Today would be our final day on the road. Awakening early after a good night's rest, we did our t-clocks and headed away from Lake Curlew. It started to sprinkle and the skies looked threatening, but we elected to stay in our mesh gear and Andy donned a jacket.

#33 Okanogan County - Okanagan

We rode WA20 west before turning south at Tonasket on a US97A detour route. Arriving in Okanogan, we found the courthouse which looked sparkling clean. A local gal engaged us in conversation (her husband rides a Wing) and she indicated that if we had been there last week, we wouldn't have been able to position ourselves in front of the courthouse. But we took our pictures and headed for the Caribou restaurant for breakfast.




Yes, breakfast was good and it wasn't McDonalds!




#34 Douglas County - Waterville

We took a cross country route from Okanogan to Waterville (WA17 and some county roads).

We took a brief stop at the Chief Joseph dam.



Arriving in Waterville we grabbed a quick photo, refueled and rehydrated.



#35 Chelan County - Wenatchee

It was a fairly short ride down to Wenatchee; however, there was lots of traffic in the city. All of us were becoming quite comfortable with little to no traffic. Arriving at the Chelan County courthouse we were disappointed that we could not position the motorcycles in front of the building. Here's where Andy exercised his bravado and hopped off his Wing and went in to the courthouse and explained our situation and obtained permission to ride on the sidewalk and take a quick picture. WAY TO GO Andy!!




#36 - Grant County - Ephrata

We quickly got off the sidewalk and headed for Ephrata with a quick stop at Chet's Honda for a mic sock for Angela. After snagging the photo (it's the centennial year for the Grant county courthouse) we took a lunch break at DJ's on the north end of town (another very nice burger joint).




#37 Yakima County - Yakima

We headed south out of Ephrata for I-90. Cresting the Vantage Hill we were greeted by very strong winds that wanted to take off our helmets. We refueled at Kittatas and then headed down I-82 for Yakima where we eventually found the courthouse on Yakima Avenue. We snapped a quick photo.




#38 Kittitas County - Ellensburg

Finally we could smell the end with one more stop before King County. We rode up the Yakima Canyon Road which was also windy but more manageable at 45 mph. We headed for the Kittitas County courthouse and apart from a truck that had the primo parking spot, we bagged our picture. The lettering on this courthouse was of a definite western flavor as this is a rodeo town.




#39 King County - Seattle

We figured we would be able to make the King County Courthouse before dark at the pace we were riding. Heading over Snoqualmie Pass and across the I-90 bridge, we note that our exit at 4th avenue is closed, so we go to plan B and exit at James Street, circle the blocks and pull up in front of the King County Courthouse in a bus zone. I hop off, snap a couple of pictures and then we ride a partial block up to a parking area where we congratulate each other for completing the ride safely.





Reality starts to set in that we've done it! We completed in one long ride a visit to every county seat in Washington state. What's next? Stay tuned. It was a great geography and architectural lesson. Consider doing it. It's around 2,000 miles and there are lots of different ways to accomplish the ride. Like I posted earlier, it's something that politicians should try doing.

Day 5 - Colfax to Republic

#26 Whitman County - Colfax

After doing our tclocks, we headed directly to the courthouse for our picture.



#27 Adams County - Ritzville

Leaving Colfax, we headed west on WA26 to Washtucna where we headed north on WA261 which is a very nice road to motorcycle through to Ritzville. Arriving in Ritzville, we fueled up at the local Chevron and enjoyed breakfast at, yes, McDonalds. We then got our photo at the courthouse (our first time in the actual downtown part of Ritzville) and motored on to the Lincoln County courthouse at Davenport via a fairly straight and boring road.

#28 Lincoln County - Davenport

A county worker commented that the roof was replaced in 1996 after a fire that was intentionally set by a juvenile miscrit who was trying to destroy his criminal record. Here's a link to a picture after the fire. Compare it with the photo we took.

http://l.yimg.com/g/images/spaceball.gif





We did catch a cowboy snagging a kiss next to a nice little park.



#29 Spokane County - Spokane

After witnessing the romantic encounter in Davenport, we rode east on US2 to I-90 where we took the Maple Street Bridge route north and zeroed in on the Spokane County Courthouse where there was great parking for a large city courthouse. The only problem was that the courthouse was so large it was difficult to photograph in one picture. This, for me, was the prettiest of the courthouses with its French Renaissance architectural style. Here are a few pictures:






#30 Pend Oreille County - Newport

It took us a while to get out of Spokane with lots of traffic. Riding up US2 to Newport, we passed by a major WSP Radar sting in the southbound lanes using a number of unmarked SUV's. Arriving in Newport, it took a bit to find the courthouse but "eagle-eye" Angela spotted it and we snagged our picture there. This was one of the two courthouses that didn't have the county name above the door although it had the marking in the cornerstone.





After taking the photo we found a VERY nice little family owned (4th generation) deli called Owen's which is right on the main traffic corner across from the historical display of sawmill machinery. Again, this was a very refreshing stop and we highly recommend it.


We refueled once again and then headed west on WA20. We took a rest stop at Tiger and enjoyed some conversation with a number of motorcyclists who were riding in from the west.

Of course, I couldn't miss taking a photo of Tomoose's protective poster. (inside joke and you'll have to ask me privately for an explanation).



This Tomoose fellow is apparently pretty valuable as elk are fair game.

#31 Stevens County - Colville

After a really twisty ride over WA20 and lots of elevation gain, we dropped down into the valley that Colville is located in. The temperature was 101 and we were very, very hot. We found the courthouse, snapped our photos and then headed for a museum that's got lots of shade and cold running water so we can cool off. Following this brief rest break where we watched a deer and two fauns frolic, we were off to ride to Republic and our stop for the night.




#32 Ferry County - Republic

We had hoped to get a bit farther than planned today, but the rest stops for heat and hydration took a toll on us. So when we hit Republic, we refueled the bikes at the local Chevron and bagged our photo.




Then I called our friends who live out on Lake Curlew to see if they could host us for the evening. They glady did so as we have a standing offer to visit them any time (I helped in a minor way to build the house they live in). We grabbed some dinner at Mel's drive in where I converted a mushroom beefalo burger into a salad.



We found it amusing that there was a planned power outage and what does the enterprising business person do? Invite everyone to a picnic in the park.




Arriving at the Byam's house, we watched Joe hand feed a very nice 2 point buck. I also took the opportunity to fix Angela's helmet communication system with a little solder and tape work.



We enjoyed a nice visit with the Byams and a wonderful sunset before retiring for the night. What a refreshing visit. And we only logged some 360 miles today.

Day 4 - Kelso to Colfax

#17 Clark County - Vancouver

It's now day 4. After a good night's rest, we headed out in a marine layer of clouds around 7:15am for the Clark County Courthouse in Vancouver. Shortly that marine layer was gone. Knowing that it was in a major metropolitan area, we didn't know what we would find for parking. Arriving at the courthouse, the parking was a bit limited and the courthouse is a modern building with no markings on the building. However, there was a signpost that identified the building. A fellow drove up in a Mercedes and engaged Andy in conversation. It turned out he was a chapter X member. After exchanging pleasantries, we were off for a breakfast stop at, yes, McDonalds.





#18 Skamania County - Stevenson

Following our nice breakfast, we headed up WA14 about 40 miles to Stevenson (home of the annual Dual Sport Rally) where we easily found the courthouse. It was starting to get warm, but this was only a pre-cursor.




#19 Klickitat County - Goldendale

We rode up WA14 to US97 and then a short 20 miles to Goldendale. At this point it was getting hot, so we refueled first and re-hydrated and plotted our next stop. The original route had us take a run to Yakima and then to Prosser; but that would be 120 miles. We decided to save Yakima county for the last day and get it from the north via Ellensburg plus it would allow us to ride the Yakima Canyon Road.

Arriving at the courthouse (we're now at the halfway point), there was lots of parking and we snapped our pictures.




#20 Benton County - Prosser

Leaving Goldendale, I led us east on the Goldendale/Bickelton Highway (really twisty where it crosses Rock Creek) to a re-hydration stop in Bickelton at the little market. It was then another hot ride on Glade Road into Prosser where we captured our photos at the courthouse.



Leaving the courthouse shortly after 2pm we started looking for a place for lunch (yes it was late, but we like riding!). Just around the corner we found a great little burger joint which also served hand-dipped ice cream (Davey's Burger Ranch 1305 Meade Ave, Prosser, WA 99350 (509) 786-2720). It rivalled Miner's in Yakima and shouldn't be missed on a trip through the area. Google the name for reviews. It was also air-conditioned which as a relief in the 90 degree temperatures.

#21 Franklin County - Pasco

After a nice refreshing lunch, we hopped on I-82 and headed a short distance to Pasco where we easily found the courthouse, hopped off, and took our pictures. Did I mention it was continuing to be hot?



#22 - Walla Walla County - Walla Walla

Leaving Pasco, we followed US12 south and then east with a fuel stop in Touchet. We then rode on into Walla Walla and snagged our pictures. This courthouse is dedicated to Christopher Columbus.





#23 - Columbia County - Dayton

We're really now on a roll and are ticking off courthouses fairly rapidly. The next one was in Dayton and we rolled into town, flipped a u-turn on US12 (no traffic) and snagged our pictures. It was a quick stop and we were off for Garfield county. But not before I lined the Wing up in the gunsight of one of the protective cannons. They also had some nice tapestries commemorating the courthouse on many of the light poles.





#24 - Garfield County - Pomeroy

It was again a very short ride to Pomeroy where we snagged the Garfield County Courthouse. It had an attractive lady of justice on the cupola. Pomeroy was special for me as my dad graduated high school in Pomeroy.





Bonus Stop - Pataha Flour Mills

At Pataha which is just down the road from Pomeroy, we stopped at the Pataha Mill, which is owned by some friends of ours and operated as a historical site and restaurant. We were able to have a very brief visit with our friend before heading off for Asotin County.



Heading west on US12 we came into Clarkston before heading down WA129 to Asotin where we grabbed a quick picture as darkness was now looming before us. WA129 south of Asotin is a motorcyclist's dream road and is called the Rattlesnake.



After refueling in Lewiston, we decided to ride the Old Spiral Highway out of Lewiston to the top of the 195 grade. It was a very, very twisty ride up in the twilight with lots of magnificant vistas.

We then rode in the dark to Colfax on a cooling evening. It was too dark to photograph the courthouse, so we saved it for the morning. We grabbed a 9pm dinner at the local subway, cooled off and then retired for the evening at Angela's dad's condominium.

Today was a long day from 7:15am to 9:15pm and 477 miles. It would be the longest leg of the trip. Rest was going to feel good.