June 12, 2005 - Day Three: Yakima, WA to Coeur d' Alene, Idaho
Miles: 286
Miles-to-date: 1391
States: 2
Gas Stops: 1
Rest Stops: 2
Crappy Breakfasts Served: 2
Number of On-Road Naps: 2
Miles of Dirt Today: 40
MLB Games Heard on XM: 3 (Go Angels!)
Tech Editor Sean P. Holman:
When you are on the road for work, your lifeline to your job is an internet connection, and you'll do anything just to hook up and check your e-mail. Heck, we even put up with a 26.4 kbps modem connection to upload our Day 2 blog this morning. Finally after an hour and a half and a missed KOA pancake breakfast we were on our way to the little town of Natches, WA where we could pick up a trail to bypass the I-90/I-82 interchange and drop down in to the little town of Ellensburg.
A filling breakfast of biscuits and gravy, topped with eggs, greasy hash browns and bacon had us feeling pretty good about the day. Then, we were presented with the check, only to be told after the fact that the credit card machine was no longer accepting plastic. After digging deep for singles and pennies, we had a few cents left over for a tip. Ken and I then headed to the local Chevron, where we filled up our blue beast, stocked up on our obligatory Dr. Pepper and Coke (actually paid for) morning serum and headed out of town.
With a few minutes of Ken's fiddling, the Garmin GPS system was up and running and it pointed out several routes that we could take over the pass. After scanning the maps, a decision was made to take Black Canyon, which unbeknownst to us at the time had been shut down by the state. Every alternate spur we took had the same ending - closed. Feeling somewhat disheartened that our wheeling plan for the day may have been curtailed, we backtracked and headed back to the road. Soon, the GPS software was indicating a huge trail system just east of the road. With adventure strong in the air and a good set of maps on a laptop, we left the hard packed and played around in the mountainous terrain to the south of the Wenatchee National Forrest. After some photos and exploration we dropped down in to the town of Ellesburg where we caught I-90 east to Coeur d' Alene, ID.
The Hummer H2 certainly has it detractors out there, but we still keep getting the looks and everyone we've met here in the Northwest seems to be enamored with the passing of our Stealth Gray H2, except for the gas station attendants who enjoy when we don't pass them. We have watched as kids plant their little faces against windows, saw an old man stop dead in his tracks and have caught lots of stares from strangers. There have been many questions from fellow travelers who want to see the H2 up close and personal. Out on the highway, the H2 is one smooth machine, effortlessly and comfortably eating up the ribbons of asphalt, mile after mile. Out on the trail, the 35s and locker will get you over anything reasonable, while rock rails protect the body front pesky boulders. One thing that we can say about the H2, is that while many new vehicles we test fail to incite passion, Hummer has managed to keep character in the H2. It's a vehicle that garnered many mixed feelings on its introduction, even from some on the Four Wheeler staff, but has won over every one of us who have spent any amount of time with it. It may not be perfect, but maybe that's why we enjoy our H2's personality so much. Ken and I think it is the perfect vehicle for this adventure.
Today has been our easiest day of traveling so far. We started late this morning, and ended up at the Coeur d' Alene KOA at 6 p.m. right on the nose, giving us plenty of time to each do a load of laundry (remember, we've been gone since the beginning of TTC), write our blog entries, download photos, and hopefully leave for dinner, all before sunset here. After we post today's entry, it will hopefully be an early night to bed, as we are planning some snow wheeling early tomorrow before heading off to Glacier National Park. So if you don't hear from us for a couple of days, we were probably eaten by giant hungry bears, deciding to take an extended leave of absence from our jobs, or maybe we have decided to keep the H2 and run. More likely though, we might find ourselves without an internet connection. Until the next blog, happy wheeling! And don't forget to say hi if you see us out exploring in your neck of the woods.
Senior Editor Ken Brubaker:
Today we met another Four Wheeler reader! He works at the Coeur d' Alene, Idaho KOA Campground and his name is Race Bingman. This transplanted Alaskan drives a white '99 F-150. Hey Race, thanks to you and the KOA crew for the laundry soap! You have no idea how grateful we are.
Speaking of laundry, we found that our wet Top Truck Challenge clothes were beginning to congeal. The wet Tank Trap clothes that were in the bag for three days were the worst. You guys that competed in TTC know what we're talking about (by the way, we hope all of the TTC competitors made it home safely). Needless to say, our clothes were generating some very unique odors. Thank goodness we could throw them in the cargo area of the H2 SUT. As this is written we've commandeered almost every washing machine at the campground to remedy this problem.
After finding our intended trail closed today, we rallied and found a neat little trail that wound us through the Washington backcountry, past an observatory, and eventually to Ellensburg, Washington. After that, we had to make-up some serious miles due to a late start (created by a slow internet connection which forced us to linger at the Yakima KOA late into the morning) and the hassle of our trail being closed.
Both Holman and I are stoked about tomorrow's trail. It's high up in the Idaho mountains and will hopefully give us the opportunity to do a bit of snow `wheelin. We're being led by Mark Tihonovich of the North Idaho Trailblazers. Talk to you tomorrow.
Today's observations:
1.We've driven 1,391 miles so far, and we're only on day three of H2our De Force.
2.The Hummer H2 SUT attracts an unbelievable amount of attention. I'm not sure we could attract more attention if we peeled down to our skivvies and rode zebras for the rest of the trip.
3.Our camp setup times are improving. Early times were dismal, hovering around 45 minutes, during which mass chaos ensued. Tonight we set a record and had our tents up in 12 minutes. Tomorrow night at Glacier National Park we're shooting for 10 minutes- if the bears don't get us.
VIDEO introduction
Day 1
Day 2
Day 3
Day 4
Day 5
Day 6
Day 7
Day 8
Day 9