We are still happily set up in the Chehalis Thousand Trails RV Park. We have not really done anything we deserve a reward for but we chose to reward ourselves anyway with a breakfast out at Lisa’s Diner in nearby Onanalska. Peggy chose an omelet but I, not surprisingly, selected their chicken fried steak and eggs which was delivered alongside a small pyramid of hash browns and toast. Both breakfasts were very tasty and the prices (+/- $10 a head) are pretty good, too. I had to leave some of the stuff behind when we departed. After Lisa’s, we were ready for some exploration of the surrounding countryside.
From Lisa’s, our route became quite random although we were generally trying to go northeast, passing east of Chehalis and Centralia. We climbed over many minor ridges dividing watersheds of different rivers with funny names like Skookumchuck and Newaukum. The country is quite nice to drive through with a combination of sections passing through groves of large standing timber, large plots of reforested acreage where logging and tree planting are evident, pastures with cows and big wood barns and nifty homes in the center. Birds dart between the hedges everywhere. We spotted our second bald eagle in three days. Deer seem quite content to graze in the neck-high grass along the roads. Everything is bright green except the flowers and some red leaves on the vine maples. It is pretty here.
We returned from our tour through Centralia where we stopped for diesel and groceries. As we passed through town, we became distracted by the abundance of houses along the 1st Street corridor that exhibit magnificent architectural flair. Most were wood-framed, wood-sided palaces with great porches, porte cocheres, bay and turret windows and striking roof and gable configurations. There must have been some terrific residence architects here back in the early decades of the 20th century. Their legacies survive.
I wouldn’t mind loafing a bit longer in the Chehalis area but tomorrow we are leaving to continue our quest to go north. We can always return here once it starts getting cold and we head south.
We took a few pictures along the way today and you can see them if you click here