Ron and Linda took off this morning, eventually to end up in Teton. It was a constant discussion all week as Linda watched the wildfires and road closures, and I tried to anticipate the traffic bottlenecks due to major construction. Any choice involved ferry fares and/or fuel, nothing to ignore.
This morning I realized that once they got over the Cascades into Eastern Washington, fires and road closures in the Rockies were going to be a constant hassle during their journey.
It’s a real mess traveling in WA right now.
Locally, the Lavender Festival in Sequim usually gums up 101 pretty bad this weekend. It’s not necessarily that lavender is that big a deal, but that it’s a good excuse for the city folk to escape their traffic woes and the heat for an excursion. A nearby marijuana store on 101 was set to open today, but the owner didn’t, blaming failure to receive his license in time. If he had, the turns off the highway to his store would have backed up 101 even worse. My bet is the state patrol talked him into a delay until next week. It created an impossible situation for traffic control. The WSP are generally good guys, so he probably got some extra attention next weekend from them for cooperating this weekend. And their help will be needed. 101 in the summertime, no matter which state, is always a challenge.