I drove from Portland to Lynnwood, WA. I wanted to be outside of Seattle and close to Hwy 2.
I found my little motel and checked in, then hopped in the Jeep to checkout the water.
I wandered down by Edwards Point and the marina.
I had dinner at Arnie's Restaurant Edmonds.
Between the salad and the main course, fish tacos, I checked out the movie selections.
There was a superhero movie (RDJ) in an AMC theater by the freeway.
I quickly ate my meal and paid the check.
The theater was freaking huge!
Day 2: May 15, 2019: Iron Goat Trail, Leavenworth, WA
In the morning, I randomly stopped by the Historic Flight Foundation is an aviation museum located at Paine Field in Mukilteo, Washington.
I hiked about 1 hr on the Iron Goat Trail. (*Yikes, it's supposedly haunted. must make a trip back).
I found my hotel in Leavenworth and got checked in.
Dinner at Mozart's Steakhouse.
Day 3: May 16, 2019: Cle Elum Lake, Salish Lodge, North Bend, WA
Continued east on Hwy 2 to Hwy 97; south on 970 then to Cle Elum on I-90.
Side trip up to Cooper Lake but I didn't make it that far. I reached stretches of the road with wheel trenches in the snow that were pretty deep. Even with a 2.5" lift, I was running out of clearance.
I turned back around on NF-46 to Cle Elum Lake I was checking my phone and a local resident pulled up next to me. I was right in front of her driveway. I held up my phone to show I was just paused there. She asked how the road was doing by the campground. I told her I hadn't made it that far but told her about the snow trenches. I bet I could have made it all the way. the snow was soft.
I got to the Salish Lodge around 5pm and checked in. The parking valets asked about the sand on my bumper; they recognized it as being from the local forest roads. I told them about Cle Elum lake adventure.
I had a super nice room! I went to wander around the waterfall viewing area. I recalled the opening credits to Twin Peaks and the shot of the Great Northern.
I had a nice dinner in The Attic. They were booked in the main dining room.
Day 4: May 15, 2019: North Bend, Mt Rainier National Park
I woke up and had a lazy morning. I checked out around 10am and headed into North Bend. I had breakfast at Twede's Diner (R&R from Twin Peaks).
Some where on the way out of town I passed by a car wash. I scrubbed the bugs off the front and washed the top layer of dirt off.
On a whim, I popped up to Paradise Lodge. On the way up the road, I did a quick 45 min hike to a waterfall. It was the first bit of extended movement since the RA symptoms had quieted down.
At at the Paradise Lodge, I grabbed a coffee and took some photos. I thought about Mr and Mrs Haines.
I drove back to Portland.
