Took I-5 to 90 to get to Wenachee in a Semi once and only once never again. Those tunnels are out-right creepy. Sit in 405 traffic, you'll be comfortable, maybe a little creeped out when I-90 comes up but it's far less creepy then hitting I-90 off I-5.
I'm also in Moses Lake. Take 405 to I-90. The exit from 405 to I-90 is extremely confusing with the far right lane "Seattle Only". Moving lanes can be difficult due to traffic. I always use some version of "street view" to virtually drive sections that I'm unfamiliar with. The actual merging onto I-90 is also difficult as it's uphill and you have to move left a couple of lanes to keep from getting stuck in "exit only" lanes.
Check out Google Maps (satellite view).
There is a State Park south of Vantage (Wanapum) and the Gingko area north of Vantage is worth seeing. Kind of a funky rock shop in Vantage that's fun, too. Winds can be fierce here with the majority blowing from the west.
After you cross the Columbia River and head north up the hill keep your eyes posted for the "wild horses" that were paid for by local school children.
The winery you want to visit ("Cave A" ???) is too ritzy for my blood but I hear it's fun. We mountain bike on the trails below the rim rock between the winery and the Columbia River and there is a stub of the trail that heads up to the winery area.
Moses Lake has a nice RV park on the lake right off I-90. Take Exit 174, bear right then left and straight on to the park. Again, check Google Maps.
Moses Lake itself has an excellent water park downtown with slides and a "lazy river" as well as a surf zone. If you are traveling with kids it makes a great afternoon rest stop with shady trees and picnic tables. Rates are not too expensive, either (compared to the commercial parks). Visit the Moses Lake home page for details (run by the parks department) and then use Google Maps to find your way there. Use the toad!
East of Moses Lake there is not much but wheat farms until Spokane
Just a few miles north of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho there is an excellent amusement park with roller coasters, trains, a water park and a nice RV park. Take US 95 north to Silverwood. Google it.
We have a favorite family-run RV park just before you get in to Kellogg, Idaho on I-90 called the "Kahnderosa RV Park" (Google it). It's on the "Trail of the Coeur d'Alenes" bicycle path (an old railroad grade) and on a river as well. Nice people, too.
This area is rich in mining history including a former brothel that's now a museum in Wallace, Idaho just a few miles east. There is a mine tour in Wallace, too. The Cataldo Mission is next to I-90 just a few miles west of the Kahnderosa and was an early Catholic Mission to the First Nations' peoples of the area.
You can ride the gondola up to Sun Mountain from downtown Kellogg, Idaho. You will, no doubt, see lots of mountain bikers as this is an excellent downhill mtb area.
That's as far as I can take you.
Craig
* This post was
edited 06/01/12 12:11am by wa_desert_rat *
Fishinghat wrote: The infamous S curves were taken out a year or two ago with a complete rebuilding of the section down in Renton, just north of the intersection with Hwy 167. Going from Vancouver, BC., to I-90, via 405, you won't be going far enough south to even get in that area.
Be aware I-405 is a parking lot during much of the rush hour. I-5 thru Seattle isn't any better. Why not consider going east off of I-5 over the North Cascades Highway? It is much more scenic and a pretty good highway. Connect up with I-90 over in eastern Washington.
I haven't been over that route in many years, but absolutely, U.S. Highway 2 over Stevens Pass is beautiful!
IMO, it is a very good alternative to being anywhere near Seattle!
Check it out on the map.
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mowermech wrote: I haven't been over that route in many years, but absolutely, U.S. Highway 2 over Stevens Pass is beautiful!
IMO, it is a very good alternative to being anywhere near Seattle!
Check it out on the map.
Many years ago Steven was a great alternative. The pass is still beautiful, but now you have to get through many miles of stop and go traffic between Everett and around Sultan or so to get through it. I-90 is usually wide open unless they are doing construction at the pass.
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mowermech wrote: I haven't been over that route in many years, but absolutely, U.S. Highway 2 over Stevens Pass is beautiful!
IMO, it is a very good alternative to being anywhere near Seattle!
Check it out on the map.
Many years ago Steven was a great alternative. The pass is still beautiful, but now you have to get through many miles of stop and go traffic between Everett and around Sultan or so to get through it. I-90 is usually wide open unless they are doing construction at the pass.
I quit driving US2 (Stevens Pass) years ago simply because of the numbers of drivers going 45 on the 2-lane sections and 85 in the areas where you can pass. Perhaps an RV would be too slow to make this annoying but it's also worth pointing out that Stevens Pass is 1,000 feet higher than Snoqualmie Pass (I-90) (4,000 versus 3,000).
Much prettier though... and the stop in Leavenworth is worth while.
MitchF150 wrote: Ric is from Calif.... He's thinking of Calif Hwy System..
Mitch
Funny thing is we also have a 405 freeway here in SoCal. I was thinking the same thing until the OP mentioned the S curves. Having grown up in that part of town, I knew the OP wasn't talkin California.
I was going to post and say there are no S curves on the 405 that I've ever seen. But I figured I better look to see where I-90 was and I couldn't find it. Had to keep on reading to see they were talking about WA. For you WA guys, the I-405 is an alternate route to I-5 when passing through Los Angeles.
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MitchF150 wrote: Ric is from Calif.... He's thinking of Calif Hwy System..
Mitch
Funny thing is we also have a 405 freeway here in SoCal. I was thinking the same thing until the OP mentioned the S curves. Having grown up in that part of town, I knew the OP wasn't talkin California.
I was going to post and say there are no S curves on the 405 that I've ever seen. But I figured I better look to see where I-90 was and I couldn't find it. Had to keep on reading to see they were talking about WA. For you WA guys, the I-405 is an alternate route to I-5 when passing through Los Angeles.
There's a I-405 in Portland, OR too, .... You just gotta love the numbering system.
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