Marty's Travels

My house has wheels

Washington 14

Last fall I drove I84 in Oregon and planned on another trip this year along the Columbia, this time on the Washington side.

I’m in White Salmon in a decent RV park jammed up next to the highway on one side, the train tracks on the opposite, and a bridge crossing the river. There’s not a lot of workable real estate along the river, and the recreation demands are extremely high here. Fishing and hiking, and then board sailing, kite-surfing, etc.

I went into a convenience store and noticed the magazine rack held a lot of cannabis titles, something I don’t see a lot of in Washington. So I checked the state database and found that Klickitat county had 16 functioning growers and processors, a lot for such a small county population-wise. Klickitat contains Goldendale, and the portion that holds Hwy 14 is commonly referred to as “The Gorge”. I don’t know why this place is so attractive to growers.

This is an astounding drive, a bit challenging now and then, and pulling a rig is no fun, but you see a lot of big rig trucks on the highway, so it can be done. There are a lot of trucks pulling trailers with fruit bins right now. High vehicles will need to do the centerline through 5 short tunnels.

I went through the town of Stevenson, and became very intrigued. It’s a pretty place, and of some size. A nice choice for a visit someday. White Salmon isn’t bad, either. Rates are high in the Gorge, as it’s all about tourism.

Tomorrow I climb out of the gorge and head to Toppenish for a stay.