Places to see & Things to do in Washington ...

Washington has many great adventures to be found on either side of the Cascade Mountains. On the West side there is Seattle and the Pike Place Market ( http://www.pikeplacemarket.org/ ), a favorite for residents and visitors. Visit the Seattle Center and the Pacific Science Center. The Seattle waterfront boasts many shops to go into such as Ye Olde Curiosity Shop and activities such as a trolley ride or even catch a ferry and see Seattle from the water.

North from Seattle there is Mt. Vernon, the home of the Tulip festival in the spring. A few miles north of Mt. Vernon is Hwy 20 where traveling either west or east will provide you with a great ride. Westward is Anacortes ( http://www.anacortes.org/ ) and a beautiful scenic destination, Deception pass. Traveling East on Hwy 20 will provide you with some breathtaking scenery where you can stop along the Skagit River and view eagles. After your stop, continue on your way to the North Cascades pass and the town of Winthrop (www.winthropwashington.com), a great town to stop and get a bite to eat and do a little shopping. Since you are here continue on Hwy 20 to Hwy 97 and stop at Fort Okanogan. Head south on Hwy 97 to visit the other cities such as Chelan, Wenatchee and Ellensburg. The Ellensburg area is home to the Ginko Petrified Forest State Park and the Olmstead Place, a working pioneer farm. If you take Hwy 2 westward from Wenatchee you’ll come to Leavenworth a great Bavarian village ( http://www.leavenworth.org ). Continue westward over Stevens pass and you will visit Sultan, Gold Bar, Index and Monroe.

There are many great destinations in North Eastern Washington such as Omak, Tonasket and Republic. Go east on I-90 and you will have the opportunity to stop in a couple of places such as: Sun Lakes State Park near Coulee City off I-90, Moses Lake and Spokane. Spokane is a great place to visit with the Riverside State Park on the little Spokane river and the Spokane river. For more to do in Spokane, check out the city’s website: http://www.spokanecity.org .

On the Olympic Peninsula there are many places to visit such as: Fort Worden and Fort Flagler State Park. The ride up the peninsula would not be complete if you didn’t stop in Port Angeles; visit their website for more information: www.portangeles.org, and drop into Port Townsend their web site is www.ptguide.com.

Head to the Coast for a great ride and beautiful scenery and take in Cape Disappointment, near Illwaco and Long Beach. Go a little farther south and stop at Fort Columbia, just follow Hwy 101 south and it is just West of the town of Chinook. Stop in at Ocean Shores ( http://www.oceanshores.com/ ) for the great scenery and things to do.

In Washington there are so many great places to visit that it would be impossible to list them all, but I hope that this gives you some great ideas to get started. One last idea, for a weekend ride, is a tour of the wineries in Washington. Stop and rest for the night at a local bed and breakfast.

Ride Safe and have a great time!