Cruise to Colville

The open road awaits

Sidelined from hiking by an inflamed knee, I turned to four wheels to
propel me to points of adventure for the weekend. A dear friend was having a birthday on Halloween so what better time to join the party! As our calendars coincided with open space, a friend and I loaded up on car snacks and beverages, suitable entertainment should the conversation lag (which it didn't), clothes for the occasion and headed for the open road. Destination: Colville, Washington in the northeast corner of the state.

The Portland weather made it easy to leave, gray clouds and raindrops threatening overhead. The long journey of seven or more hours prompted us to leave ahead of traffic at 6:30 in the morning. Windshield wipers screeching, we navigated our way slowly eastward, riding the early wave of morning traffic. Once across the river, we began to sail along, chatting in a catch-up manner about our lives and loved ones. The Columbia River Gorge, always an impressive stretch of the drive, was lined with colorful trees, enlarging waterfalls cascading down the basalt cliffs of the southern side of the river and the oft-present wind.

Magic happens at MP 59 when the air dries out a bit, the clouds evaporate and blue sky runs to the horizon as you enter the Hood River area. The trees change from Doulas fir to pine, the green hills become brown with grass and rock as their only covering and the road opens to fewer and fewer vehicles. Towns diminish in size as the traveler passes The Dalles with acres of hilltop wind machines, pulp trees and green irrigation circles covering the flat, open landscape.

Aged fencing lines property

Turning north towards Umatilla and the Tri-Cities on 395 brought
memories rushing back as trips to college flashed through my mind. It wasn't so populated then, and with the city traffic picking up we decided to skirt west around Richmond and Spokane by taking 231 into Colville. This brought us onto a two lane country road, mostly untraveled but newly paved and smooth, gentle curves and hills taking us through Palouse country, some of the most fertile farmland in the United States. The crops had already been harvested, but the stubble remained like a kid's newly buzzed blonde head, soft and even. Aging wooden fencing, barbed wire attached, leaned tiredly along property lines, suggesting vast stretches of land ownership.

Golden tamaracks amid the pines

Arriving in Colville at mid-afternoon we were greeted by pine-clad hills dotted with golden tamaracks, those quirky needled conifers that turn color and drop their needles in the winter only to re-green in the spring. The air was chilly and hinted of snow to the nostrils. The town has an interesting history linked to the Hudson Bay Trading Company of the late 1800's. We were greeted by our lovely birthday lady and proceded to settle in for the duration of the weekend, getting acquainted with the cat and dog and watching the deer gather for their sunset feeding in the pasture below the house.

 Morning-feeding quail, deer and a stovepipe captive starling greeted us as we sipped our fresh coffee and spooned apple crisp into our mouths. The cat was riveted on the wood stove  by the scratching sounds of yet another hapless starling that mysteriously and shall I say stupidly plummeted down the cold stovepipe to rest on the damper shelf. A sigh of resignation emitted from our hostess as she prepared for the routine of freeing the bird, a messy process at best. Corralling the cat first, she donned heavy gloves, opened the stove door and removed the damper shelf, waiting for the bird to crash into the ashes and make a blackened escape. We tried to help by holding up a sheet to direct the escapee to the open door to freedom, but in the excitement of our first escape experience we dropped the sheet just as the bird flew up and towards the picture window. Crash! Vases on the windowsill rattled as the frazzled bird attempted to fly through the pane. Experienced hands grabbed the bird carefully and tossed it out the door. Just another busy morning in Colville.

Hapless starling awaiting release

 Shopping and lunching our way through downtown  took up our afternoon as well as a trip to the local library with its basement book sale. Our hostess, a retired librarian, loaded us up with boxes of good reads at a bargain. Happy with our acquisitions, we headed home for a steak dinner as only a transplanted Texan can prepare it. Conversation filled every crack of time as we swapped stories of all kinds and traded recipes and foodie experiences.

Rainbow

Quick weather change

Winter fuel

Bunker

Morning snow warning

Princess

 Evening movies rounded out the visit, complimented with popcorn and jammies. Farewells exchanged in the morning, we headed for the reverse of the trip, noting the sprinkling of snow on the hills warning of the deeper stuff to come. We chose a few alternate routes to explore as we made our way along country byways with their occasional outbuildings, farm equipment groupings, baled hay and bright red barns standing in sharp contrast to the beige fields.

The sun provided a spectacular setting as we crossed the mighty Columbia once again. Those familiar rain clouds darkened the horizon as we drew closer to home. A happy birthday weekend of shared joy and encouragement was the outcome of our travels as well as captivating views of the eastern side of the state. It is a journey for the traveler with time to stop and explore little towns, side roads and in the summer, farms with produce stands. Enjoy a little get-away to Colville and take your passport so you can jump into Canada for an afternoon exploring our northern neighbor.

The mighty Columbia River