The Blewett Pass Highway was once one of the most heavily-traveled passes in Washington. Although US Route 97 is now the only route to traverse this roadway, US 10 was once routed over Blewett to Wenatchee for the Columbia River crossing. Nowadays, US 10 no longer exists in the West and I-90 is routed southeast,… Continue reading US Route 97 ‘Blewett Pass Highway’
Category: Sweepers
Washington State Route 509 ‘Marine View Drive’
Note: This article concerns the Tacoma to Federal Way section of SR509. I’m not at all interested in the 4-lane commuter super-slab that the rest of this beautiful road has been and is being turned into. SR509 starts near the Port of Tacoma docks at Interstate 705 at the Thea Foss Waterway. The route zips… Continue reading Washington State Route 509 ‘Marine View Drive’
Tyee Road / Tyee-Umpqua Road
To get to the south end of Tyee Road, take Oregon 138 west from Interstate 5 and take a left at Fort McKay Road. You’ll travel about 7.5 miles on Fort McKay before you see a sign for Tyee Road. What you’ll find is about 22 miles of sweet riverine sweepers with a nice river-crossing… Continue reading Tyee Road / Tyee-Umpqua Road
Ben Howard Road (Monroe, WA)
On a grey mid-October Sunday, I went up to Snohomish County to find some of the road the locals tend to frequent, and also tend to rave about. Note: This road has become somewhat passe as it’s also a favorite of some of the high-performance enthusiasts living on the east side of King County. Due… Continue reading Ben Howard Road (Monroe, WA)
Blue Slough Road (Cosmopolis, WA)
Please note: Some mapping systems incorrectly indicate this road as South Bank Road for all or parts of its length. This lovely little gem is a two-lane squiggle that doesn’t show up on most paper maps. To truly understand, it must be first put into perspective. To go to Aberdeen from the east, you take… Continue reading Blue Slough Road (Cosmopolis, WA)