The Sun Lakes-Dry Falls was a one of my favorite highlights of the road trip! The view is unbelievable, the rock formations are unbelievable, the size is unbelievable and it is just plain breath taking. Photos honestly do not capture it's scale . It is the largest waterfall that no longer exists and worth the detour.
The visitor center was closed by the time we arrived but it still had a great view and there were a few informative signs on the outside of the center. It was also great to stretch are legs but given there were signs everywhere warning of rattlesnakes we did not wander too far :).
Stopped by the Cascadian Home Farm's to stretch our legs and eat some Affogato and ice cream. It was a great little place to stop and recoup.
The Vantage Bridge is on I-90, which crosses Columbia River near Vantage WA, just east of the Cascades. If coming west on the I-90 you can stop at an fantastic viewpoint over the gorge and get a good view of the bridge.
Wallace, Idaho is a great town. Full of flying beavers, bordello museums, mining tours, tacky UFO art and a pothole plaque declaring it the "Center of the Universe." Our crew of 12 arrived hungry after looking at all the town had to offer and they were able to serve all of us unbelievably fast. Everyone was super happy with their meal. Also, there is tons of crap to look at on the walls here, lots of weird oddities from taxidermy heads to plastic rats. The waitress was also the nicest person in the world. It had a lot of small town charm.
It looks a bit like a resort town frozen in time from the 1950s. It has bright coloured (probably in lead paint) flaking point of interest signs, dozens of horse shoe courts, and a large RV park right next to the lake. It is the sort of place I wish I could have stayed longer. I only was able to stop and photograph an astonishingly beautiful sunset. This is what the (rather dated) point of interest sign reads at the front of the lake, "Soap Lake contains 17 minerals and Ichthyol like oil. The only comparable water in the world is Baden in Baden, Germany. Cowboys and settlers learned of the health-like qualities of the bouyant water from the Indians, who for ages past, sent their ailing to bathe in the great spirits 'Smokiam' or 'Healing Waters.' This was a favorite camp site for Chief Joseph and his people. White men name it Soap Lake because of the soapy feel of the water and the 'suds' that formed along the shore. This in indeed a God-given body of water for the ills of mankind."
Wallace, Idaho is a great town. Full of flying beavers, bordello museums, mining tours, tacky UFO art and of course a pothole plaque declaring it the "Center of the Universe." The only issue is it is smack right in a four way intersection where you have to dodge traffic to grab a photo of it. It should be called, the "idiot death trap." There is a long history here involving a mayor and the EPA but that is what google is for :). In the meantime, it is best to have a lookout, otherwise if your head is down trying to focus on a pothole cover you may be hit by a car or more likely a truck, since it is Idaho.
It is the oldest standing Mission in the Pacific Northwest and is interesting to both visit and to photograph. That said, I felt uneasy about the one-sidedness of the Mission's depiction of history. Call me naive but the simplified story of the of how the Jesuit Missions and the Couer d'Alene and Salish tribes found a universal God, seemed mildly revisionist. That said it is a great place to teach youth to think critically and not believe everything that is presented to them :).
The Yellow Church Cafe, Ellensburg, Washington. It was great place to stop and get dinner during our road trip. I can not comment on the rest of the menu but their mac and cheese with bacon comes in a hot cast iron skillet and is unbelievable, especially alongside a pint of the local IPA. The yellow church is also next door to the Dick and Jane's Art spot which makes for a great tacky attraction lunch break!
I am a sucker for tacky roadside attractions and this fits the bill. I mean the building has a miner's lamp on it!