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Went for a long drive to eastern Washington to push my Festiva over 100,000 miles. Had driven around & about at home for a while, then the trip over the Cascade Mtns. to Wenatchee. Filled on 100% gasoline there, indicating I got 49.7mpg...... so far so good. Traveled north along the wondrous Columbia River, then up the excellent McNeil Canyon switchbacks. Despite the realtors, who have discovered the place, its still a sweet climb out of the gorge the Columbia River has powerwashed into existence. The small & large blocks of exposed volcanic rock towards the top should make interesting names for the various plots of land where the developers will build homes....... Volcanic Mtn. View, Pumice Place, Lofty Lava Living. Anyhow, a great view west across the Columbia to Lake Chelan, & Cascade Mtns. Looking east, south & north from the McNeil Canyon Rise, hundreds of miles of dropping views to distant Spokane, the Okanagon, & toward Satus Pass.
Traveling on, mostly east into dry farming regions, & past other volcanic rocks, sentinels, & formations, many whirlwinds can be seen, some of surprising vigor & size(biggest rise well over a hundred feet & could maybe jolt a vehicle off roads). Years before, one crossed the road in front of my Festiva, so I stopped. Didn't need to test its strength against a sub-ton Festiva. Ended at Grand Coulee Dam. What a magnificent structure! Someone at the view point to the Dam told me, after viewing that speculative documentary about how quickly man-made structures would degrade if humans were suddenly removed from Earth, that Grand Coulee would be one of the last remaining evidences of human existence, existing probably not as long as the Egyptian Pyramids. I was just thinking it might not last as long as the Three Gorges Dam in China, either.
Then traveling northwest on Highway 155, I saw a mule standing in front of one of the volcanic monoliths in a field. My wife loves mules that she often paints as portraits in wild scenes. So I photographed the mule & the volcanic rock & maybe he'll be made famous by my wife!
Onward through the Colville Native Tribes Land. I will return to this strange place onto which the white, even stranger conquerors corralled many Native Tribes, much as they did my own ancestors on the west side of the Cascade Mtns.
Continuing along 155 to the Okanagon River & Omak, then down to the city of Okanagon. Following Highway 20, past Twisp to the increasingly & now overwhelmingly touristy Winthrop, at times still with some wooden sidewalks.
Up into the deep Cascade Mtns. Of course, with the snow piling deeper along the Highway 20 towards 5500 foot Washington Pass, I took some pictures........ & Festiva took that time to give me trouble. Suspected the sparkplug wires started causing problems, as they twice did in the past & had to be replaced. Anyhow, Festiva bucked & kicked & stalled & kicked some more. Working the clutch & throttle, I was able to keep Festiva moving & spurred her for 140miles. Fortunately, I found one throttle setting that was almost even, altho the setting usually caused a minor amount of acceleration, which I would have to back off to keep the speed safe. In the late evening I pulled into our driveway. Next day I called my mechanic. Before I took Festiva over to him, I replaced two sparkplugs....... & solved Festiva's problem. Still think the sparkplug wires will give problems, altho they were new only 25-30,000 miles ago.
Despite the adventure, I saw Festiva over the 100,000 mile mark. With its nearly 50mpg performance earlier over the Cascade mtns., Festiva will have lots more life to run across America, maybe to Canada too.
Traveling on, mostly east into dry farming regions, & past other volcanic rocks, sentinels, & formations, many whirlwinds can be seen, some of surprising vigor & size(biggest rise well over a hundred feet & could maybe jolt a vehicle off roads). Years before, one crossed the road in front of my Festiva, so I stopped. Didn't need to test its strength against a sub-ton Festiva. Ended at Grand Coulee Dam. What a magnificent structure! Someone at the view point to the Dam told me, after viewing that speculative documentary about how quickly man-made structures would degrade if humans were suddenly removed from Earth, that Grand Coulee would be one of the last remaining evidences of human existence, existing probably not as long as the Egyptian Pyramids. I was just thinking it might not last as long as the Three Gorges Dam in China, either.
Then traveling northwest on Highway 155, I saw a mule standing in front of one of the volcanic monoliths in a field. My wife loves mules that she often paints as portraits in wild scenes. So I photographed the mule & the volcanic rock & maybe he'll be made famous by my wife!
Onward through the Colville Native Tribes Land. I will return to this strange place onto which the white, even stranger conquerors corralled many Native Tribes, much as they did my own ancestors on the west side of the Cascade Mtns.
Continuing along 155 to the Okanagon River & Omak, then down to the city of Okanagon. Following Highway 20, past Twisp to the increasingly & now overwhelmingly touristy Winthrop, at times still with some wooden sidewalks.
Up into the deep Cascade Mtns. Of course, with the snow piling deeper along the Highway 20 towards 5500 foot Washington Pass, I took some pictures........ & Festiva took that time to give me trouble. Suspected the sparkplug wires started causing problems, as they twice did in the past & had to be replaced. Anyhow, Festiva bucked & kicked & stalled & kicked some more. Working the clutch & throttle, I was able to keep Festiva moving & spurred her for 140miles. Fortunately, I found one throttle setting that was almost even, altho the setting usually caused a minor amount of acceleration, which I would have to back off to keep the speed safe. In the late evening I pulled into our driveway. Next day I called my mechanic. Before I took Festiva over to him, I replaced two sparkplugs....... & solved Festiva's problem. Still think the sparkplug wires will give problems, altho they were new only 25-30,000 miles ago.
Despite the adventure, I saw Festiva over the 100,000 mile mark. With its nearly 50mpg performance earlier over the Cascade mtns., Festiva will have lots more life to run across America, maybe to Canada too.
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