I-90 leading to Snoqualmie Pass down there in the valley

Seen on my 2005 trip from Iron Horse Bike Trail.

Today's news says pass is closed again. Another rock slide. This time just east of the pass. They don't know when highway will be reopened.

Last summer, during my trip, a rock slide closed west bound lanes just west of the pass. 3 people died when rocks crushed their car. I had no idea what had happened until I stopped in a store along US 97 which connects I-90 to US 2. Wondered why there was so much traffic headed north on 97 as I was going south. Turns out they were diverting I-90 traffic to Stevens Pass (US 2).

Except for seeing streams of traffic detouring over 97, my trip was not effected. I took the Iron Horse Trail across Snoqualmie Pass anyway, so I wasn't planning to take I-90.

That was September. Now it's happened again, only no one killed, luckily. Rock slide east of Snoqualmie Pass has closed freeway in both directions. I just hear about it on the radio.

Yes they do need to put money into maintaining highways. Hope Initiative 912 fails. It would cut gas taxes for our transportation system.

Of course I could be smug and say it doesn't matter. The Iron Horse Bike Trail is still available. Actually, I think that closes for winter.

While I don't drive or use gasoline, I do drink plenty of chocolate milk. Much of the hay that fuels our local dairy farms is trucked over the mountains from eastern Washington. Hay trucks use I-90.

It's all part of the interconnected web of our economy.


Approaching light at west end of 2 mile long Snoqualmie Tunnel. It's a part of the Iron Horse Bike Trail east of North Bend, Washington.