Day 53: Madras, OR (27.6.24)

Good morning everyone, after a not very restful night in a somewhat run-down hotel complex, I’m starting the new day in the rain. My plan is to drive as close as possible to Seattle’s landmark, Mount Rainier, and then continue south to Oregon. Unfortunately, there was absolutely nothing to be seen from Mount Rainier and visibility at Chinook Pass (5430 feet = 1655m) was also zero. It wasn’t until we left south that things cleared up and became really beautiful in the afternoon. The Columbia River, which forms the border between Washington and Oregon, was gigantic and the subsequent journey through the open plateaus was also very interesting, because again and again large, free-standing mountains suddenly appeared, drawing an impressive silhouette on the horizon.