Small Town Saturday Night

I was very homesick this weekend--yes, again--so I risked a trip to Tacoma. I knew there was a snow situation in Snoqualmie Pass, but I thought I'd be able to sneak through unscathed. Unfortunately, as I neared the pass conditions worsened and I finally resigned myself to either turning around and heading back to Spokane, or finding a place to stay over. Thus, I ended up spending the night in Cle Elum, WA.

At the Traveler's Inn. My room smelled like horse dust. From a very, very dusty horse.

I had to buy a bunch of necessities, like contact lens solution and toothpaste and beer, all of which I didn't have with me because I thought I'd be at Mom's house by 6:30. Obviously, I wasn't prepared for the possibility of weather delays. What a terrible former Girl Scout I am.

But the weather was fine on the eastern side of the state. See? Columnar basalt cliffs along the Columbia River. 

Here are the wind turbines along Ryegrass Summit on the other side of the Columbia. Doesn't everything look promising?

But the pass was all "compact snow and ice and multiple accidents due to adverse weather." Boo. This is entering the Wenatchee National Forest the next morning. 

And heading up the pass. Pretty, right? But let me tell you, the roads were not pretty. 

I tend to allow myself to get really worked up when my plans are foiled. It's annoying for others, I know. Usually when my plans go awry due to weather conditions, I attempt to get myself back on a reasonable track by thinking about Lewis & Clark or fur trappers dealing with similar weather. Something along the lines of: I could be in this exact situation but with a mule train. More often than not, this little exercise puts things into perspective. 

Still, I regret nothing! 

And I rediscovered my Hal Ketchum cd.