Day 218

Well, this day was not what I had planned...but it was a really good day nonetheless.

Rob and I were just too pooped to party again today.  With our very busy day yesterday, we just couldn't get ourselves out of bed early enough to head to Lake Chelan to make it worth while with the short amount of time we had left, and still having to face the drive home.  So we leisurely got up and got ready and headed to Shari's for breakfast.  While we were there, I checked out a map and offered Rob two options...head home via I-90 and go through Moses Lake, or head down Highway 97's Blewett Pass through Ellensburg.  He chose the later.

We were about two-thirds of the way down Highway 97 when I spotted a sign that said Historic Liberty Townsite.  Rob quickly turned around and we headed the couple miles up the road to check it out.  It was pretty cool little place...very little.  The sign that welcomes you into town says...Liberty - The Oldest Mining Townsite in the State.  It is a true ghost town...the opposite side of the sign even said so!  It was once a flourishing small gold mining town, complete with a school, post office, general store, saloons...and a bustling population of 200.  But now all that remains are a few homes and a fire station...Kittitas County Fire District No. 7.

We spent about a half-hour in Liberty checking things out, then got back on the road. We stopped again along the way when we came across a wind farm...with those huge windmills that seem to be sprouting up on hills all around the state.  Then we headed into Ellensburg and just toured around a bit...we found the fairgrounds and the college campus.  We made one last stop at Wind River Gifts and then it was back on the road again...next stop...home.

It was kind of a whirlwind trip, but it was really good to get out of town even if it was just for 36 hours or so!  I'd do it again in a heartbeat.