This is shaping up to be the wettest rainy season on record in western Washington, and, although as a native I am expected to thrive in the gloom, no amount of vitamin D supplement can produce the relief of seeing blue sky and dry ground.

The temperature in Seattle has not exceeded 60° since last November. The record for the latest date in the new year before the temperature surpassed 60° is April 27 (set in 1917), and local forecasters have begun speculating that we may break that record this year, viz.: it is not just wet, it is cold. The University of Washington Department of Atmospheric Sciences archive of local data for Wednesday (the second full day of spring) illustrates how dark it remains during a rainy spring day in our region via the measurement of mega Joules per square meter of solar radiation at the surface.¹ How dark was it? Dark. I was pretty happy when John suggested we brave the elements on Thursday to cross the Cascade Mountains into eastern Washington in search of a sunny afternoon. He proposed a route through Stevens Pass, Blewett Pass, and White Pass, and off we went.

We have previously gone to widdershins along this path. On this trip, we reversed course and went to Stevens Pass first. The state had issued a traction tire advisory for the pass, and, as we drove by the ski area at the summit, my thermometer read 32°, but the road was awash with de‐icer, and, after a burst of snow on the far side of the crest, the worst of it was quickly behind us. Once we got down to the Wenatchee River, things warmed up a bit, and for the remainder of the trip, we were dry and under the sun.