We left the Econo Lodge in Helena, Montana early in the morning.
My grandmother was in a panic because when she woke up and looked out of her motel room window, she saw a cemetery. We arrived at night, so we didn't see it then. My grandmother said that if she had known the cemetery was there, she never would have stayed at the motel.
We had left home in the Seattle, Washington area on May 25th, 48 days earlier. As much as we all enjoyed the trip, we were looking forward to being home again by the evening.
We followed U.S. Route 12 43 miles (69 km) west through the Rocky Mountains. It was a cloudy day. At an altitude of 4058 feet (1237 m), it felt as if we could simply extend our hands and touch the clouds.
We then joined Interstate 90 again, on which we would continue westward all the way home. 249 miles (400 km) later, we crossed the border separating Idaho from Washington State.
For the first time in almost seven weeks, we were back in our home state. We all let out cheers upon seeing a sign welcoming us to Washington State. Our drive across the barrenness of eastern Washington felt like the car was borne on the winds. It seemed that the road was passing by quicker with each mile.
188 miles (303 km) further west, we stopped for dinner in Ellensburg at a Perkins Restaurant.
After dinner, we took the final 102 miles (164 km) of the trip. Before we knew it, we had crossed over Snoqualmie Pass (elevation 3015 feet/919 m) and were back in the familiar territory of western Washington, descending out of the mountains toward sea level.
After an eleven hour drive, we arrived at my mother's apartment on Mercer Island, Washington in the evening. We took our luggage inside, and collapsed on couches and chairs. After one day shy of seven weeks, it felt good to be home again. Sitting there, it was easy to wonder if the entire trip had been just a long dream.
The three cats were ecstatic to see their people again, and promptly started begging for attention. The neighbors had taken good care of them, but they were no substitute for us. They also seemed to take us to task for having been away for so long.
It took a few days to get used to being home, but life settled into its normal routines again. We had been there and back again, and were left with fantastic memories.
My grandmother passed away three years later. I'm glad she was able to experience traveling so extensively before she died.
Thank you for taking this journey through my memories.
Total Travel Distance: 582 miles (937 km)
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