"On the road again, paying sales tax, on the road again..." Yes, we are climbing back into our SUV and are ready to head out on the second leg of this scenic Avalara Sales Tax 'Trip' Tuesday mini-series, having spent time at Mount Rainier in last month’s feature. Our goal is to see the sights and experience the locations we visit and to calculate sales and related taxes during our trip, checking them against Avalara’s tax resources. And let me extend a special thank you to Avalara for sponsoring these monthly Sales Tax Trip Tuesday features.
As we depart from LOGE Alta Crystal, we will head down WA-410 toward Naches. Just northwest of there, we meet up with US-12. This part of Washington requires a lot of extra miles to traverse to get through the various mountain ranges. We’ve traveled only 86 miles, which took us nearly 3 hours.
Just south of Naches, we meet up with Interstate 82 and turn north to reach Interstate 90. At Ellensburg (WA), we decided to stop at, of all places, Wendy’s. A single cheeseburger with everything, a double cheeseburger with everything, one large fry, and two Cokes is $26.98. The sales tax is $2.32. According to Avalara, this represents 6.5% for Washington State sales tax and 2.1% for Ellensburg City sales tax. Kittitas County, where Ellensburg is located, has no sales tax. So we are paying 8.6% total sales tax.
Just across the intersection is a Circle K where we will get our gas today at $4.22 per gallon. By the time I fill up, my gasoline total is $135.04. We are paying $0.494 per gallon in Washington State fuel tax, and a Net Use (Sales) tax of $0.29 per gallon. Federal fuel tax of $0.184 per gallon and Coastal Protection Fund fee of $0.01 per gallon. That is a total of $0.978 per gallon. Overall, our taxes on 32 gallons were $31.296, meaning our fuel expense was $103.74.
We are ready to jump on Interstate 90 and head east to Spokane. The drive is smooth and takes about two and a half hours to arrive at Riverfront Park, the 1974 World’s Fair site. This part of the United States is beautiful, filled with mountains and forests, yet wide open spaces. It’s easy to see why ‘the world’ would like to get to know this place by hosting a fair and related events.
Riverfront Park has become an icon of the community. It offers a beautiful walk for everyone, including the family dog.
Source: Riverfront Park
It’s been a long time since I was a little boy, but I still remember seeing and riding one of these carousels.
Source: Riverfront Park
One of the best things about this park is that it is immaculately kept. Everything looks just like it was freshly painted, the pathways look like they were repaved yesterday, and not a bit of litter, it is clean… spotless. The second thing I liked was that it wasn’t jam-packed like a Disney theme park. There were plenty of people, but it was not crowded, no long lines, and those there were as friendly as possible.
If you have kids, this place is perfect, especially if they are young enough to really ‘see the magic’ in all there is to see and do. Older kids might find it boring, but the little kids we saw on the Carousel were tickled pink with its up-and-down, around-and-around, musical joy.
I’m still a ‘little kid at heart’ because I could play here (even on this trip of my imagination) all day, and I still want more. If you ever have, or do, visit here, that “little kid” will come out in you, too.
And being in a little kid mode, I wanted something I associate most with my childhood for dinner… “fried chicken, mashed potatoes and gravy, etc.” I had always heard that Ezell’s Famous Chicken was the place to go for great fried chicken, but when I asked about it, I was told that they closed as of May 1st, so I’ve gone to find a substitute for my childhood hunger.
Well, it isn’t exactly childhood hunger after all, I mean, why eat a hamburger when you can eat prime rib, or why eat a hot dog when you can eat a lobster roll? When it came down to it, a place called Clinkerdagger fit the call of the wild for dinner.
Source: Clinkerdagger
Even though there were only two of us, we started the evening with the ‘tasting trio’ consisting of oven-roasted crab dip, teriyaki tenderloin bits, and coconut shrimp.
Source: Clinkerdagger
My companion decided to have the grilled seafood trio for her entrée. It consisted of grilled scallops, seasoned salmon, and garlic shrimp, and was served with mashed Yukon gold potatoes, a vegetable medley, and beurre blanc sauce.
Source: Clinkerdagger
I’m going to stretch my stomach with the bone-in herb-crusted prime rib. It comes with those same mashed Yukon gold potatoes, horseradish sauce, and au jus. I decided to eat roasted mushrooms as well.
Source: Clinkerdagger
Regarding dessert, my companion is having the Chocolate Molten cake with raspberry coulis, berries, pistachios, and whipped cream. I am having Clinkerdagger’s Strawberry Champagne Cake featuring pink peppercorn lemon curds, strawberries, and whipped cream.
Source: Clinkerdagger
I’m telling you, this place is no McD’s, which is clear enough when the ticket arrives. According to Avalara, I should pay 6.5% State sales tax and 2.6% Spokane City sales tax, for a combined 9.1%. Sure enough, the sales tax was $15.29 added to our $168.00 meal.
After dinner, we head over to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, less than an hour away. We have chosen to stay at One Lakeside, a comfortably modern lakeside retreat. If you don’t think this is a place to relax for a day, look at these lake views from the rooftop hot tub and dining area.
Source: One Lakeside
We are only staying tonight and tomorrow night, and this place is so popular that we could only get a partial lake view room, but any lake view is better than no lake view. We’ve added a few perks for our stay, including the ‘rooftop experience’.
Our two nights with the "rooftop experience" cost $921.00 plus tax of $73.68 for a total of $994.67. That’s a tax rate of only 8.0%, which, according to Avalara, comprises 6.0% Idaho State sales tax and a travel and convention tax of 2.0%.
One of the best experiences during this short stay, besides the simple relaxation of walks on the lake beach, enjoying the hot tub with newly made friends, and just taking it easy, is our early dinner the second night at The Cedars Floating Restaurant.
Source: Cedars Floating Restaurant
Everyone our age flocks to this for the early fixed price menu that includes clam chowder and salad bar; look at those luscious salad fixings.
Source: Cedars Floating Restaurant
After the soup and salad, you can choose a limited number of entrées. My (imaginary) companion chose the Chicken Alfredo, and I selected the Jamaican Jerk Prawns. Let me say that the ‘sweet Thai chili sauce’ is the bomb.
Source: Cedars Floating Restaurant
The food was delicious, but it’s dining on a floating dock with the waves, breeze, and lake smells combined with the kitchen smells that make this place so special, even at 4:30 in the afternoon.
Of course, you can’t beat that price, just $24.95 per person. Couple that with the low State Sales tax of 6% and no additional sales taxes for food and beverages. So, the two of us walked away, enamored with the food, atmosphere, and good times for only $52.89, not including tip.
Next up: Flathead Lake and Glacier National Park in Montana. And yes, I’ll finally tell my "bear story."
Till next month, safe travels, and keep paying that sales tax!
Sources and credits (including applicable URL links)
LOGE Alta Crystal, 68317 WA-410, Enumclaw, WA 98022
Wendy’s, 1510 S. Canyon Road, Ellensburg, WA.
Circle K, 1600 Canyon Road, Ellensburg, WA 98926.
Riverfront Park, 507 North Howard Street, Spokane, WA 99201
Clinkerdagger, 621 West Mallon Avenue, Spokane, WA 99201.
One Lakeside, 201 N. First Street, Coeur d'Alene, Idaho 83814.
Cedars Floating Restaurant, 1514 S. Marina Drive, Coeur d'Alene, ID 83814.
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Content created or otherwise adapted by Insightful Accountant from source content(s) specified below is furnished for educational purposes only.
All 'Sales and related taxes' discussed herein were provided from Avalara sources and were current when the story was composed. Tax rates and amounts may vary in some cases during different (seasonal) periods of the year and by location, and may have changed after publication.
Do not rely on 'any' amounts (for goods, products, services, or taxes) specified here when planning travel.
Content is a fictionalized account of persons, places, and activities used only for informational, educational, and entertainment purposes. Any similarity to actual persons is purely coincidental.
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