The Test. Palouse Falls State Park

Well...the epic road trip down "America's Highway" is getting closer! We are getting excited for our upcoming adventure on Route 66. A couple of weekends ago, we took a short trip (about 350 miles total) from Hayden to Pullman, WA and stayed the night in a hotel just to relax. Then the next day, we drove to Palouse Falls State Park, just outside of Washtucna, Washington. I had never been there before - what an amazing place. It's fun to explore off the interstate and find the hidden gems that have always been there, but rarely driven to. Palouse Falls is a must see for anyone who lives within a day's drive or anyone passing through Eastern Washington. It's only about 30 miles off of Interstate 90, south of Ritzville, so even if you're a die-hard freeway pounder, it's worth the quick side trip. Our Route 66 Trip is just a couple weeks away. The Dart now has new upholstery and a new headliner. I owe a lot of thanks to my wife, Tina for the headliner. She worked hard to install it, with little help from me and she did a great job. The seats were upholstered by a gentleman in Spokane named Greg Link. He did a marvelous job. These were the first auto seats Greg had sewn. He has decades of experience working in a textile factory in Spokane, Washington and has sewn garments extensively and also simple upholstery like seat cushions, bus and truck seats. So...even though I was a little nervous, I didn't need to be. I'm very happy with how the seats turned out. I upholstered the package tray (the area under the rear window)and now with the exception of door panels, which I will take care of another time, the interior is done. Our trip to Palouse Falls State Park was worthwhile. The weather outside was in the high 80s to low 90s and the terrain we drove was similar to what we will encounter on much of our trip. The Dart also got just over 19 miles per gallon! I was not expecting that, but sticking with a two barrel manifold and carb setup has proven to be a wise choice. Enjoy the pictures below of our trip to Palouse Falls and a couple snap shots of the interior. The top picture is of the old driver seat upholstery! What a difference. The Dart passed the test...Route 66 here we come!