Highway 2 leaves I-90 in the dust

from The Spokesman-Review, July 1, 2000

There's no better way to, from Seattle, Jim Kershner says.

Highway 2 leaves I-90 in the dust

     As a lifelong advocate of the underdog, I urge everyone to try Spokane's distant No. 2 choice when driving to Seattle, meaning, Highway 2.
     Most of us just point the old family truckster onto the No. 1 choice, Interstate 90, and set the cruise control for 74 mph (the universally recognized English translation of the phrase, "Speed Limit 70").  Four hours of mind-numbing driving later, we plow nose-first into Safeco Field.
     However, this week, we decided to take Highway 2 on the way back from Seattle, just for variety's sake.
     Why was I enjoying this drive so much?  I had plenty of time to ponder the question, especially since the speed limit on Highway 2 is routinely 5 to 10 miles an hour lower, which just goes to prove that Highway 2 isn't best in every way.  But it is better in most ways, including:
     Cascade Mountain High -- You think Snoqualmie Pass is lofty?  At 3,022 feet, it's dwarfed by Highway 2's Stevens Pass, at 4,061 feet.  This may be a reason to avoid it in the winter, but not in the summer.  The peaks were towering, the brooks were burbling and wildflowers were running riot.  At the summit, I considered gamboling in an alpine meadow, twirling rapturously and yodeling the words to "Edelweiss," but my wife informed me that there is a $75 fine for "yodeling in a fragile alpine habitat."
     Better lunch options -- Nothing against the Arby's in Ellensburg, the site of many a wolfed-down I-90 sandwich, but the highway 2 lunch choices are far superior.  This is due almost entirely to the presence of Levenworth at approximately the halfway mark.
     This Bavarian-themed town has all of the Wiener schnitzel that a hungry traveler could possibly stuff into his kopf, as well as many nonwiener and nonschnitzel options.
     I recommend Visconti's, right in the middle of town.  It combines the two most noble restaurant genres, the Italian ristorante and the Northwest microbrew pub, in one happy package.
     High-quality small towns -- I-90 has some nice small towns, such as Ritzville and Cle Elum, but we generally do nothing but wave at them as we zoom by.  On Highway 2, we get intimate with towns such as Sultan, Gold Bar, Waterville and Coulee City, cruising their main streets and checking out the general quality of their lawn maintenance (high).
     Directness of route -- If you look at the map, I-90 takes a drunken sailor route across the state.  It staggers from Spokane, stumbles goofily across the Columbia River, and then gradually sobers up and heads all the way back north to Seattle.
     Highway 2 takes a straight east-west route except for one minor hiccup at the Columbia.  The result is actually fewer miles, at least if you are heading to the north end of the Seattle megalopolis.  And since you won't be going 74 mph, you'll use less gas.
     Grander coulees -- On I-90, the most thrilling diversion comes when you get to the "crop names in the fencelines" section.
     "Seed onions!  Yesss!"
     Meanwhile, on Highway 2, we feel like we have been plopped in the middle of a majestic John Ford western.  The Moses Coulee, a vast cliff-lined draw, ought to have John Wayne galloping through it, or at least, Gabby Hayes.
     Then, just when you think you've seen the most spectacular coulee on earth, you hit the Grand Coulee, which is, as coulees go, even cooler.

          Kershner:  Any highway that leads
          to Wiener schitzel must be good

     Lack of traffic -- Don't you just love rolling into Bellevue at 3 p.m., in plenty of time to beat the 5 p.m. rush, only to discover that the 5 p.m. rush routinely begins at 2 p.m. because everyone is trying to beat the 5 p.m. rush?
     Well, Highway 2 avoids most of the hellish traffic jams that afflict Seattle-area freeways, plus it doesn't nave nearly as much traffic for its entire length across the state.
     Plus it has the added advantage of not going anywhere near Bellevue.
     Sheer driving enjoyment -- On Highway 2, tight mountain curves keep you pumped up and awake.  Then, when you need a nice break, Highway 2 provides a stretch of highway east of Douglas that goes latitude-line straight all the way to the horizon.  You can drive it with your knees while playing your banjo, not that I would ever advocate such an unsafe practice.  Don't plink and drive.
     So what if highway 2 takes a bit longer?  Or a lot longer, if you're stuck behind an RV?  We must not allow time to determine all of our choices.  Sometimes, we have to take a stand and say, "We do not care about the speed of our journey through life.  We care about something more important -- the quality of the Wiener schnitzel."