In late August and early September 2004 I took a two week vacation from work with one end in mind. I was bound and determined to have as much fun driving as possible. After picking up and depositing my paycheck Friday morning, I was off. Leaving my Issaquah, WA job, I headed south for Enumclaw and Chinook Pass. Ive been told that Chinook Pass is a great road with lots of tight corners. I wish it were true. While the views were pretty good and the weather awesome, I really didn't enjoy the drive much. The pass sort of meanders from Enumclaw to Yakima and doesn't offer anything in the way of excitement. Aside from a brief stop for lunch, it was pretty much straight through to Yakima, then south on Hwy 97 to the Columbia River. Maryhill State Park is quiet, clean, and just a few seconds from the highway so I decided to camp there for the evening.

In my quest for two weeks of tire squealing, gas guzzling, winding road driving bliss, I made my way south to Oregon-California border, then out to the coast. On third day of my trip I got my first chance at the wonderfully constructed, trackless roller-coaster that doubles as the northern-most 22 miles of California's Hwy 1. Between a slow going motorcycle and various other Sunday drivers (it was Sunday; after all), I was forced to take it easy. Lucky for me, I met a motorcyclist named Monty. He was out for a spirited ride and was happy to chat about my intended adventure. Before parting ways, Monty was kind enough to suggest some roads to try. The easiest road to get to was Hwy 36, across the mountains, through Red Bluff and most of the way to Nevada.

I'm not general a fan of graphics on cars. Tasteful, well done, iconic imagery is a different matter. I'm not referring to vinyl stickers with foreign characters or spaceships. And I'm certainly not talking about manufacturers' logos plastered all over a car. A high quality, tasteful graphic may include a simple pinstripe in a complimentary yet contrasting color or a small personal icon on the fender. Or, as I recently learned, it can take up the entire rear window, when done right.

Starting from Redmond-Fall City Hwy (WA 202), Ames Lake Rd. climbs through several sweepers and multi-apex corners before topping the plateue. From there you'll enjoy several miles of flat-out straights and moderate speed corners. As you approach Ames Lake, the corners will start to tighten up and come closer together.