Stuck with solid? If so, which is the least bad?

This deck is in Lincoln, Nebraska, gets full sun and lots of rain and snow as well. I have no idea how old it is-- we moved in last year. It looks like there was a solid or semi-solid stain or paint put on there at some point.

We don't have the time or money right now to pay someone else to sand this all down, so I need to figure out the best bad option.

Can I get away with power washing, cleaning, and then using a semi-solid with a similar color to the original (to get out of the solid-stain cycle)?
Or am I stuck re-applying a solid, since I can't do it "right" this time around?

I have some Olympic Maximum Solid Stain on order from HD, but could cancel it and get another product if there's something less crappy you would recommend. I saw Defy recommended but can't find the Solid locally or online.

Or if there's another option you can suggest, I'd be grateful!