Just responded to the survey. But I will add, make sure to do a little basic research. J.A. Jance, a writer from the west side, wrote a mystery that involved Kittitas County. My favorite line from the book is when the Seattle detective asked the Kittitas County Medical examiner what her parents thought about her choice of career, and she responds with something like them wishing she didn't spend her life thinking dealing with murderers. At the time the book is set, the county population was so low we didn't even have a coroner (we hit 40,000 in the 2010 census and had to get one after that), and we don't even have a single murder in many years.

I realized when I looked at this that the lookout towers show up as 8 when you do the search - this is because the font set that is used for search returns needs to be updated, sorry about that.

This map shows you all camping cabins that I know of in the state. The places that have a cabin icon are just camping cabins or other roofed camping structures. (The icon gives you the primary type of place, e.g. Campground, Regional Camping Park, Boat Launch - but the filters highlight places that meet a condition - such as having a camping cabin.) As you can see, there are a number of cabins scattered around the state that you can try to make reservations at: https://maps.northwestportal.com/camp/#7.43/47.482766/-120.944531?filters=true&recreation=CC,

DNR has its rules. USFS has separate rules: https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/mbs/passes-permits/forestproducts/?cid=fseprd500137 The passes and precise rules are by forest (there are 7 separate national forests in Washington State.) You can only cut dead or downed trees, but there are lots of those out there. If you want to see who owns a particular area, you can click on any area on this recreation map and it will tell you the owner, the area name and give you a link. (You can download the free app if you want to navigate off-line) https://maps.northwestportal.com/outdoors

Back to my original question - have you or your wife been personally hassled in Ellensburg. I am not denying that there is undoubtedly been issues here - but I think that telling people to avoid coming into to a town to get Ice Cream from a local shop because you/your wife had bad experiences in a totally different community and thus you assume that all small towns are inherently threatening is not that different from the logic of someone who says I once worked with (a black, a woman, a jew, a hispanic) and they didn't do a good job so I don't want to work with (blacks, women, jews, hispanics).

Prejudice is horrible. I totally agree that we have some nasty bigots in our town (as you will find anywhere) and that there is probably more prejudice here than in a more multi-racial community on the westside, but less than in more conservative communities to the east. I also recognize as a community that is mostly white and hispanic, POC may not feel as comfortable as we would like. We have had incidents, such as Nazi pamphlets, but when that has happened we have had community wide movements to push back and assert that those pamphlets are not who we are. Prejudice can take many forms - and, just like it is always wrong to assume negative traits for everyone that is part of a particular gender, race or religion, it is also wrong to condemn everyone in a community because of some bad apples.

That is a pretty low comment unless you have been personally discriminated against in Ellensburg. It is a fairly white town, and I am not disagreeing that there are some racist assholes, but there are also a lot of very tolerant people who don't put up with that crap. There are far more "not in my Ellensburg signs" and "tolerance signs" in this community than confederate flags or nazi swastikas. And Winegars milkshakes are great.

You are right about the heat. It is a very dry heat. Up to about 105, I am fine sitting outside in the shade. I will admit that the few 110+ days we have had in the last few years (never had those before) are pretty incredibly hot, but still nothing like 95 and 95% humidity that I used to get in DC in the summer. In the winter, I don't care about the cold, but I like that (except whe we are in a fog bank) it is generally sunny. I can take cold, but I need my sun.

Ellensburg usually has a few really hot weeks in the summer (low 100s in past years, but we have been above 110 at least once a year in recent years). In the winter, lows are typically in the teens or 20s and highs in 20s-40s, but we get at least some sub zero days. We can get up to a few weeks trapped in a fog bank (temperature inversions trap fog over the city, and we are actually colder than Snoqualmie Pass.) Wind is the biggest issue - if you can't stand wind, this is not the community for you. Yakima is lower and typically warmer but also a bit drier. Wind is not as big an issue there. Ellensburg is a big horse community.

There will be wildfires (almost guaranteed) but you don't know exactly where. Less likely on the Olympic Peninsula than the Cascades. Be flexible and prepared to adjust your destination.

For anyone who is looking for it, it is on I-90 just NE of the Columbia River bridge at Vantage. It is closed for the season: https://maps.northwestportal.com/outdoors/#11.26/46.964149/-119.985398?search=true&f=namelc&q=wildhorse%20monument

If you want to check out campgrounds, you can find all of the public campgrounds in the state on our camping map https://maps.northwestportal.com/camp/ You might consider picking a place with camping cabins or Yurts (there is a filter for that.) And you will probably want to bring your kindling with you as the campground stores may not be open this time of year.

And we feed even more when the pass closes - as they stop traffic in Ellensburg. We are not quite the geographic center of the state (that is closer to Wenatchee), but we are definitely in the transportation center.

Kittitas County, right on the other side of Snoqualmie Pass, gets 105"/year at the wettest spot and about 7"/year at the driest. It is about 85 miles from one side of the county (Snoqualmie Pass) to the other (Vantage on the Columbia River.) I'm in GIS (mapping) and am always amazed at how many people (even in mapping conferences) think that the state is all wet like Seattle, when most of the state is arid.

Drive the scenic pacific coast highway, Skykomish Lake, Capital State Forest, and of course the Pacific Coast. You can search by name for those places, or find other opportunities here: https://maps.northwestportal.com/outdoors/#8.33/47.205544/-123.273906

There is no foolproof way since weather can always change, but check the forecast to see what is up. Also you CANNOT use regular chains on an AWD. 99% of the time chains are required, AWD are exempted (so you don't need chains). Very rarely, chains are required on AWD - but in that case A - you need chains on all 4 tires (regular cars only chain 2) and B - I would NEVER EVER drive the pass if conditions were so bad chains are required on AWD. As for the current conditions, bare and wet is absolutely no problem. Traction tires recommended is still not an issue, but is getting a little tricker (so only a problem if you really don't like bad weather). Chains required means conditions are getting pretty slick. And be prepared for pass closures - which can be very frequent in the winter. Today you should have absolutely no problem - just be prepared for fog as you come down the mountain (it is pretty bad in Ellensburg right now.)

Be flexible and check the WSDOT page. Most of the time, the road is in great shape and you should have absolutely no trouble. My suggestion is don't go if chains are required (even though you don't need chains for your AWD) - because that means conditions will be worse and other drivers will be having problems.

I really like the Billy Frank wildlife refuge near Olympia - it has an amazing boardwalk you can take out over the tidal flats. https://maps.northwestportal.com/outdoors/#11.88/47.072930/-122.713852?search=true&f=namelc&q=billy%20frank That map has over 18,000 recreation opportunities throughout the state - you can filter by activity (hiking) or pass required to find something near you.

I would start at Ocean Shores - and take US 101 up North (make sure to stop off at Lake Quinault). The beaches above Ocean Shores are amazing as are the ones in the National Park. Continue with the loop and enjoy the Strait of San Juan De Fuca. If you like beaches, make sure to walk out on the Dugeness Spit, and then come back along the Hood Canal. https://maps.northwestportal.com/outdoors/#7.09/47.248664/-123.716852 has all the recreation - if you want some good food tourism stops (wine, beer, cider, etc, you can find those at https://maps.northwestportal.com/taste/#7.09/47.326304/-123.714610 And if you are going to use the maps to navigate, make sure to download the free apps as there are a lot of dead zones on the coast.

Go to the coast - your 2 year old will love running and playing in the sand (it can be cool, but it is also very uncrowded.) You can easily do day trips into Olympic National Park and enjoy the rain forest. If you are on a tight-ish budget, see if you can get one of the camping cabins at the state parks on the coast, if your budget is higher - I love to stay at the Seabrook resort. There are lots of great things to do in the mountains - but I found beaches were easier when my kids were little. My personal favorite stretch is from Ocean shores to Pacific Beach - as it gives easy access to the park: https://mapswa.com/discoverwa/#9.58/47.252422/-124.013591

You can have snow - but as you head east you get a lot less. By February, snow is unlikely to be a problem and you have a reasonable chance of being snow free (although this has been a pretty snowy year in Eastern WA). One of the best places to view the channeling is Dry Falls State Park/Visitor Center https://maps.northwestportal.com/outdoors/#12.52/47.605094/-119.395425?search=true&f=namelc&q=dry%20falls%20visitor I also really enjoy Frenchman Coulee - where you can walk along the cliffs carved out above the Columbia River https://maps.northwestportal.com/outdoors/#13.45/47.020855/-119.977526

Head East. Kittitas County is much less expensive than King County. It is 2 hours to downtown Seattle from Ellensburg, less than that from Cle Elum or Easton. But you do have to contend with the pass, which can be a problem in the winter if you absolutely have to get over.

You do have to write your license plate on it - but you can put two license plates on (so it won't cover all three, but you can pick the two you use the most) Also, if you want to find places that require a specific pass (such as Discover) or don't take a pass at all, I do recreation maps that have all the recreation with information on the pass required. https://www.northwestportal.com/adventure-portal

Beautiful!!!

You will need chains if going over the pass in winter. You also need to be flexible - if the pass is closed it is closed, and you just have to wait. Generally the drive isn't too bad if it is open. There are a lot of great places to snowshoe including the Crystal Springs Sno-Park, Suncadia, and trails above Cle Elum.