Howdy Shawn,

Hwy 20 between Burlington and Omak is:
a) Beautiful:  You won't want to drive this one straight through.  There are
a lot of things you need to stop and look at.  If you don't stop you'll
regret not stopping after you've passed them and end up either turning
around or perishing with regrets.  You own a VW so I doubt you're likely to
die with regrets.
b) Twisty:  It's not nearly as bad as most of the highways that cross the
Cascades further south in Oregon (tractor trailers make their way to the
east via this route), but there are places that require your tender, loving
attentions to detail.  Otherwise, if you're returning to a place you passed
by earlier you'll die with regrets.
c) Steep:  Again not as bad as many lower passes in Oregon, but there comes
a point when those angles only obtain diminished returns.  You'll be looking
across many glacier carved valleys and crawling up switchbacks.  Take your
time, enjoy the view, watch the edge of the road, and pay attention to your
engine temperature.  If the last gets high, stop and take care of viewing
the beauty.

It's worth your time,

MT
http://zenoswagen.wordpress.com/

-----Original Message-----
From: Vanagon Mailing List [mailto:vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com] On Behalf Of
Shawn Wright
Sent: Wednesday, July 21, 2010 8:06 AM
To: vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM
Subject: Info on Hwy 20 in Wa?

My new tire/wheel purchase will require a detour to Blaine, Wa while enroute
to Calgary, so we're thinking of taking Hwy 20 between Burlington and Omak,
Wa. I'm interested in reports on this road - I expect it will be a tough
climb, especially with my new larger 28" tires. The plan is to head north
from Omak via Osoyoos to see family in Enderby, but we could also continue
East toward Whitefish and then on to Calgary.

I'm interested in hearing about road conditions and sights on Hwy 20, and
also the area around Whitefish. We've visited the area between Spokane -
Sandpoint many times, but usually via Hwy 2 or I-90, and haven't been east
of Hope, ID before. Unfortunately, we'll only have a few days to spend
camping.

Also, if there's any listees near Blaine who would like some free stock
wheels with tires, let me know. If not, if someone could advise of a place
to dispose of them properly near Blaine, I'd appreciate it.

--
Shawn Wright
'88 Westy 1.6TD, soon to have new MSW 16" wheels & BFG AT 215/70R16 :-)