tjaden

from that book i mentioned a bit earlier...

Rte. 281 - Cle Elum to Wenatchee

0.0 Cle Elum, 1st St. & Penn. Ave., bank on left. Go east on 1st. Cross RR.
1.0 Right-hand diagonal road, tanks on right; bear right.
1.7 Fork; keep left with poles.
3.9 End of road; turn right with poles and travel.
4.2 Left-hand road, wooden school on left; turn left with poles.
5.3 3-corners, at sign; bear left. Cross wooden bridge and RR.
8.7 End of road; turn right with poles and travel.
12.3 Left-hand road, Brookside Farm over to right, large sign on left; turn left with poles.
15.9 Fork, refreshment stand on left; bear left with poles and travel. Curve left at Mountain Home Dairy Farm.
23.3 Fork; bear left up winding grade. Reach summit of Blewett Pass. (Tourist register at small log cabin on right.) Keep ahead down steep grade.
41.0 Blewett, P.O. on left. Straight thru.
44.7 Right-hand road, church on right; turn right with poles.
45.5 3-corners, signs on left; bear right with poles.
45.9 Left-hand road; turn left with poles and travel. Cross long iron bridge over Wenatchee river.
47.2 Right-hand road, just before RR; turn right.
47.8 Dryden, right-hand diagonal road, P.O. on right. Bear right.
48.1 End of road; bear left.
51.6 End of road, sign on right; bear left with poles.
52.2 3-corners, RR on left; bear right. Cros RR.
53.1 Cashmere, irregular 4-corners, banks on right. Jog right and immediately left, keeping straight ahead.
55.5 Right-hand road; turn right with travel. Cross RR.
57.6 End of road; sheds on left; bear left across RR at Monitor Sta.
57.8 End of road, just beyond long wooden bridge; turn right.
60.1 Fork; keep right with poles.
62.6 4-corners; turn right across long iron bridge over Wenatchee river. Same thorogare becomes Wenatchee Ave.
65.4 Wenatchee, banks on right.


now, a look at what mapquest has to say about that route:

1: Start out going South on N PENNSYLVANIA AVE toward 1ST ST E/ WA-903. 0.05 miles
2: Turn RIGHT onto 1ST ST W/ WA-903. 0.09 miles
3: Turn LEFT onto OAKES AVE. 0.12 miles
4: OAKES AVE becomes W RUSS RD. 0.28 miles
5: W RUSS RD becomes S CLE ELUM RD. 0.12 miles
6: Merge onto I-90 E via the ramp- on the left. 1.46 miles
7: Take the WA-970 N exit- exit number 85- toward WA-903 N/ WENATCHEE. 0.21 miles
8: Turn LEFT onto WA-970 E. 10.32 miles
9: WA-970 E becomes US-97. 35.31 miles
10: Turn RIGHT onto US-2 E/ US-97 N. 14.15 miles
11: US-2 E/ US-97 N becomes WENATCHEE AVE. 1.98 miles
12: Turn SLIGHT RIGHT onto N MILLER ST/ WA-285. Continue to follow WA-285 S. 1.42 miles
13: Turn LEFT onto ORONDO AVE. 0.17 miles
14: Turn RIGHT onto S COLUMBIA ST. 0.01 miles

the 2003 way is 65.7 miles, whereas the 1921 way is 65.4.

so, progress over 82 years has gained us... .3 miles of travel distance.