Continue July 23, Day 2

We left our hotel in Kent, Washington and traveled along highway 2 which is part of the northern Cascade Mountains scenic byway.  Initially we went through beautiful mountain scenery which was lush and forested.  This was part of Stephen's Pass area.  Once we started down the eastern side of the Cascades, the scenery changed remarkably.   Along this side the terrain was sandy and arid except for irrigated portions which included the many apple orchards.  There were many stands along the way selling cherries, apples and peaches.  The temperature throughout the day got up to 104 degrees which although dry heat, was unexpected.  We drove 340 miles to our hotel in Okanagan, Washington.  While it was rated 3 stars, that report apparently hadn't been updated for years.  The hotel was in the process of "remodeling" and it was very apparent.  With the heat of the day, we were happy for that the air conditioning was intact and we all had a good night's rest.