Because there's so much of my home state I've never seen. I've climbed pyramids in the Yucatan jungle and rounded up sheep in the Australian outback, but I've never been to Colfax. As Northwest Weekend editor, I send writers all over Washington while I sit anchored to my desk above Fairview Avenue.

I was born at Virginia Mason Hospital in Seattle. I've lived in this neck of the woods for most of my life. I'm going to be 50 in a few months and, of Washington's 39 counties, I've never set foot in Stevens, Pend Oreille, Whitman, Asotin, Garfield, Columbia or Walla Walla.

(I'm not sure about Franklin County — I've been to the Tri-Cities a few times, but can't remember if I crossed the bridge into Pasco. And while technically I've been in Ferry County, it was by only a few feet, when we landed a houseboat on the shore of Lake Roosevelt.)

So I've put nine counties on my "must-see" list — some 13,000 square miles of unexplored blacktop, unvisited roadside attractions, untasted drive-in food, unhiked trails, unsavored bakeries, unmet fellow Washingtonians. Towns like Republic, Kettle Falls, Usk and — yes — Eden.

As for Washingtonians, I might have to look a little harder in places like Ferry County, which has only 3.3 people per square mile (vs. King County, with 817 per square mile). But I look forward to meeting them. And I've got just 10 days to do it.

Along the way, I'll be on a quest for the best road food. I'll report back on the Onion Ring Odyssey (baseline for comparison: Zeke's drive-in near Gold Bar) and the Cinnamon Roll Roundup (baseline: my wife's). Waistline: Watch out.

A few ground rules: Avoid freeways. No chain motels. No chain restaurants.

What am I driving? A rented Toyota Prius hybrid, the quintessential Seattle automobile. A true blue car rolling through some red, red towns. With a nod toward Ma Bell's area codes that divide our state like Gregoire vs. Rossi, we're calling this "A 206er meets 509."

I'm going to really try not to get beat up.

— Brian J. Cantwell