Oct 11 (Sun-day 66)
Cheney to North Bend, Washington
Weather – low, 17(-9C) to high, 45 (8C) with frost, clear and cold to start, warming to a balmy 32 (0C) low and 50 (10C) high west of the Cascade Mountains



Image: Bridge crossing the Columbia River at Vantage, Washington



We left the 17F temperature of Cheney at 8am after, fueling Gus and getting a coffee at the truck stop. Our move to disconnect the water line last night to avoid possible freezing of the pipes seemed to work, the water was running just fine....wish we could have figured out something equally as effective to keep the chill out of the old bones when we had to step outside!



The wind picked up early in the morning, but fortunately it was all tail wind and there was no problem driving Gus down the road. Between Ritzville and Moses Lake there were several spots with blowing dust (really thick blowing dust) but nothing to the level of the storms that occurred earlier in the week.



After days of seeing animals everywhere we had our hopes up that we would see at least a few deer along the freeway. We sit nice and high in Gus and the view is perfect for spotting wildlife…. there were no deer, no pheasants, no coyotes, but we did see some awesome scenery. The fall colors were a bit dull until we reached the Snoqualmie Pass where the vine maples were displaying their brilliant red and yellow fall colours.



The closest we came to seeing elk was when we pulled into our next destination. The elk had been trying to eat out of my brother’s vegetable garden not too long before we arrived.



As we settle in at our new location near the foot of Mt Si, we’re looking forward to lots of visiting with family, a few hands of pinochle, beautiful scenery and more wildlife viewing. The adventure continues….



To see more of our Central Washington 2009 images click HERE



To read more about our travels click 'The Great Adventure 2009'