April 21, 2014
YEA. Time to hit the road. We left Kent this morning at about 9 heading to Toppenish for three nights.We try to get out for a short trip every Spring just to make sure we know how to travel. Mostly though just because we can. I-90 is closed to two lanes so we decided to go over White Pass which we have never done before. It was a nice 220 mile drive of 5 hours with a couple delays for construction and personal stops. Quite a pretty trip but we decided we will go home over Snoqualmie. We are staying at Yakama Nation RV Park. It's a nice park with all the amenities and paved sites. When we arrived there were only about 6 other campers and we have a site that is away from all the others. It got up to about 70 degrees by 4 o'clock. Then clouds came in from the West and East and the rain started at about 7. I mean HARD rain like we haven't seen in Eastern WA. So it was go in for dinner and watch TV til bed time. It rained pretty much all night long.
April 22, 2014
It was very windy today but sunny. After breakfast we went to the Rattlesnake Hills wine area. We went to Bonair and Paridiso del Sol wineries. Both are very nice small wineries with good selections. At Paridiso del Sol Paul, the winemaker, has a theory that you should eat while tasting. He gave us 9 very small bites of things to taste with the 9 wines we sampled. What a great experience. He is very knowledgeable about his and other wines. He has a tree in front of the tasting room where a barn owl has laid 5 eggs. She sits on them for 40 to 45 days not leaving the nest until they hatch. The male owl brings food to her every night. Paul has a camera mounted in the nest so we could see her move the eggs around while caring for them. Very cool. Then back to the RV park for lunch. We took a walk around the park and to the Yakama Indian Cultural center. Then back to the trailer to sit outside in the wind. It was blowing 30-40 mph so I set up a little shelter using the truck, a moving blanket and propane bottles. Worked for a while but it was too cold in the wind. We cooked inside again. I haven't even gotten the barbecues or fireplace out this trip. We stayed in watching TV for the evening. It's supposed to be nicer tomorrow so we plan to explore Toppenish.
April 23, 2014
After breakfast we drove I into town to enjoy the mural tour. There are about 75 murals throughout Toppenish depicting the history of the community. We set out from the traveler's center before noon. It was threatening rain so we took umbrellas.Some of the murals go back to the 30's and others are from the past decade. After about an hour we had a few rain sprinkles, then the wind kicked up and rain got more consistent. I think we saw about 50 murals on our walk of about 2 miles. Back at the mural office they have pictures of all of the murals so we did get to see all of them. Only one victim. My umbrella got caught by the wind and was turned inside out becoming a rain catcher. Then we went to the Indian Casino to help them pay their light bill. We invested $40 and took out $15 so I guess that's a good day. We went to Dad's Drive In for lunch. It features handmade burger patties and Dad's Root Beer in a frosty mug. Pretty good stuff. Then back to the park. It was sunny but windy. I sat out for a while but it was not pleasant. Dinner inside again followed by TV and bed.
April 24, 2014
We decided to go home over Snoqualmie Pass even though with construction they say there could be up to 2 h our delays. We hit the road at 6:30 in hopes of beating the rush at the pass. We got home in 3 hours. No delays. Back on the road on May 13.
Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Toppenish
April 21, 2014
YEA. Time to hit the road. We left Kent this morning at about 9 heading to Toppenish for three nights.We try to get out for a short trip every Spring just to make sure we know how to travel. Mostly though just because we can. I-90 is closed to two lanes so we decided to go over White Pass which we have never done before. It was a nice 220 mile drive of 5 hours with a couple delays for construction and personal stops. Quite a pretty trip but we decided we will go home over Snoqualmie. We are staying at Yakama Nation RV Park. It's a nice park with all the amenities and paved sites. When we arrived there were only about 6 other campers and we have a site that is away from all the others. It got up to about 70 degrees by 4 o'clock. Then clouds came in from the West and East and the rain started at about 7. I mean HARD rain like we haven't seen in Eastern WA. So it was go in for dinner and watch TV til bed time. It rained pretty much all night long.
April 22, 2014
It was very windy today but sunny. After breakfast we went to the Rattlesnake Hills wine area. We went to Bonair and Paridiso del Sol wineries. Both are very nice small wineries with good selections. At Paridiso del Sol Paul, the winemaker, has a theory that you should eat while tasting. He gave us 9 very small bites of things to taste with the 9 wines we sampled. What a great experience. He is very knowledgeable about his and other wines. He has a tree in front of the tasting room where a barn owl has laid 5 eggs. She sits on them for 40 to 45 days not leaving the nest until they hatch. The male owl brings food to her every night. Paul has a camera mounted in the nest so we could see her move the eggs around while caring for them. Very cool. Then back to the RV park for lunch. We took a walk around the park and to the Yakama Indian Cultural center. Then back to the trailer to sit outside in the wind. It was blowing 30-40 mph so I set up a little shelter using the truck, a moving blanket and propane bottles. Worked for a while but it was too cold in the wind. We cooked inside again. I haven't even gotten the barbecues or fireplace out this trip. We stayed in watching TV for the evening. It's supposed to be nicer tomorrow so we plan to explore Toppenish.
April 23, 2014
After breakfast we drove I into town to enjoy the mural tour. There are about 75 murals throughout Toppenish depicting the history of the community. We set out from the traveler's center before noon. It was threatening rain so we took umbrellas.Some of the murals go back to the 30's and others are from the past decade. After about an hour we had a few rain sprinkles, then the wind kicked up and rain got more consistent. I think we saw about 50 murals on our walk of about 2 miles. Back at the mural office they have pictures of all of the murals so we did get to see all of them. Only one victim. My umbrella got caught by the wind and was turned inside out becoming a rain catcher. Then we went to the Indian Casino to help them pay their light bill. We invested $40 and took out $15 so I guess that's a good day. We went to Dad's Drive In for lunch. It features handmade burger patties and Dad's Root Beer in a frosty mug. Pretty good stuff. Then back to the park. It was sunny but windy. I sat out for a while but it was not pleasant. Dinner inside again followed by TV and bed.
April 24, 2014
We decided to go home over Snoqualmie Pass even though with construction they say there could be up to 2 h our delays. We hit the road at 6:30 in hopes of beating the rush at the pass. We got home in 3 hours. No delays. Back on the road on May 13.
YEA. Time to hit the road. We left Kent this morning at about 9 heading to Toppenish for three nights.We try to get out for a short trip every Spring just to make sure we know how to travel. Mostly though just because we can. I-90 is closed to two lanes so we decided to go over White Pass which we have never done before. It was a nice 220 mile drive of 5 hours with a couple delays for construction and personal stops. Quite a pretty trip but we decided we will go home over Snoqualmie. We are staying at Yakama Nation RV Park. It's a nice park with all the amenities and paved sites. When we arrived there were only about 6 other campers and we have a site that is away from all the others. It got up to about 70 degrees by 4 o'clock. Then clouds came in from the West and East and the rain started at about 7. I mean HARD rain like we haven't seen in Eastern WA. So it was go in for dinner and watch TV til bed time. It rained pretty much all night long.
April 22, 2014
It was very windy today but sunny. After breakfast we went to the Rattlesnake Hills wine area. We went to Bonair and Paridiso del Sol wineries. Both are very nice small wineries with good selections. At Paridiso del Sol Paul, the winemaker, has a theory that you should eat while tasting. He gave us 9 very small bites of things to taste with the 9 wines we sampled. What a great experience. He is very knowledgeable about his and other wines. He has a tree in front of the tasting room where a barn owl has laid 5 eggs. She sits on them for 40 to 45 days not leaving the nest until they hatch. The male owl brings food to her every night. Paul has a camera mounted in the nest so we could see her move the eggs around while caring for them. Very cool. Then back to the RV park for lunch. We took a walk around the park and to the Yakama Indian Cultural center. Then back to the trailer to sit outside in the wind. It was blowing 30-40 mph so I set up a little shelter using the truck, a moving blanket and propane bottles. Worked for a while but it was too cold in the wind. We cooked inside again. I haven't even gotten the barbecues or fireplace out this trip. We stayed in watching TV for the evening. It's supposed to be nicer tomorrow so we plan to explore Toppenish.
April 23, 2014
After breakfast we drove I into town to enjoy the mural tour. There are about 75 murals throughout Toppenish depicting the history of the community. We set out from the traveler's center before noon. It was threatening rain so we took umbrellas.Some of the murals go back to the 30's and others are from the past decade. After about an hour we had a few rain sprinkles, then the wind kicked up and rain got more consistent. I think we saw about 50 murals on our walk of about 2 miles. Back at the mural office they have pictures of all of the murals so we did get to see all of them. Only one victim. My umbrella got caught by the wind and was turned inside out becoming a rain catcher. Then we went to the Indian Casino to help them pay their light bill. We invested $40 and took out $15 so I guess that's a good day. We went to Dad's Drive In for lunch. It features handmade burger patties and Dad's Root Beer in a frosty mug. Pretty good stuff. Then back to the park. It was sunny but windy. I sat out for a while but it was not pleasant. Dinner inside again followed by TV and bed.
April 24, 2014
We decided to go home over Snoqualmie Pass even though with construction they say there could be up to 2 h our delays. We hit the road at 6:30 in hopes of beating the rush at the pass. We got home in 3 hours. No delays. Back on the road on May 13.
Friday, January 24, 2014
Winter activities
Jan 23, 2014
We started to remodel our kitchen in October and it has gone on through today. I started with taking the kitchen cabinet doors and drawer fronts off. Then the sanding and staining began. First we couldn't decide on a color that didn't have an orange color to it. We ended up combining two colors, mission oak and pecan, to get the color. Then it is was 4-5 coats to get the dark rich tone we wanted. During this time we removed the recessed florescent tube lights and installed LED can lights. All went well except the sheet rock work and texturing on the ceiling isn't up to snuff. My contractor/friend, Randy, is going to make it right. Then it was the counter tops. We changed from a dated blue to a nice granite looking laminate with a bevel edge trim. Locally the trim was $90 per 10 ft piece. I found it on line for about $25 so ordered it. It came in and the pieces weren't the same width so we had to reorder one piece. After waiting ten days it was returned to the vendor by UPS because they broke it. So then it was another two weeks for it to arrive. While we were waiting we and Randy got the back splash and under counter lights done. The counters were finished last Sunday so now it's just touch ups of paint and stain. Here are some pics of our work.
We also discovered that we have a water leak when it rains with wind from the South. Quite a few years ago we expanded the deck size and flashing was not installed so the rain would go inside the wall and the downstairs bathroom would get wet. After tearing some of the deck up we found there is siding that needs to be replaced. I'll get that done this weekend and finish with some paint.
How did I ever find time to work for a living?
We have reservations for most of our Summer travels but more plans to make. So far our first scheduled trip is in May but if we get a few nice days in a row in March or April we are on the road.
We started to remodel our kitchen in October and it has gone on through today. I started with taking the kitchen cabinet doors and drawer fronts off. Then the sanding and staining began. First we couldn't decide on a color that didn't have an orange color to it. We ended up combining two colors, mission oak and pecan, to get the color. Then it is was 4-5 coats to get the dark rich tone we wanted. During this time we removed the recessed florescent tube lights and installed LED can lights. All went well except the sheet rock work and texturing on the ceiling isn't up to snuff. My contractor/friend, Randy, is going to make it right. Then it was the counter tops. We changed from a dated blue to a nice granite looking laminate with a bevel edge trim. Locally the trim was $90 per 10 ft piece. I found it on line for about $25 so ordered it. It came in and the pieces weren't the same width so we had to reorder one piece. After waiting ten days it was returned to the vendor by UPS because they broke it. So then it was another two weeks for it to arrive. While we were waiting we and Randy got the back splash and under counter lights done. The counters were finished last Sunday so now it's just touch ups of paint and stain. Here are some pics of our work.
We also discovered that we have a water leak when it rains with wind from the South. Quite a few years ago we expanded the deck size and flashing was not installed so the rain would go inside the wall and the downstairs bathroom would get wet. After tearing some of the deck up we found there is siding that needs to be replaced. I'll get that done this weekend and finish with some paint.
How did I ever find time to work for a living?
We have reservations for most of our Summer travels but more plans to make. So far our first scheduled trip is in May but if we get a few nice days in a row in March or April we are on the road.
Winter activities
Jan 23, 2014
We started to remodel our kitchen in October and it has gone on through today. I started with taking the kitchen cabinet doors and drawer fronts off. Then the sanding and staining began. First we couldn't decide on a color that didn't have an orange color to it. We ended up combining two colors, mission oak and pecan, to get the color. Then it is was 4-5 coats to get the dark rich tone we wanted. During this time we removed the recessed florescent tube lights and installed LED can lights. All went well except the sheet rock work and texturing on the ceiling isn't up to snuff. My contractor/friend, Randy, is going to make it right. Then it was the counter tops. We changed from a dated blue to a nice granite looking laminate with a bevel edge trim. Locally the trim was $90 per 10 ft piece. I found it on line for about $25 so ordered it. It came in and the pieces weren't the same width so we had to reorder one piece. After waiting ten days it was returned to the vendor by UPS because they broke it. So then it was another two weeks for it to arrive. While we were waiting we and Randy got the back splash and under counter lights done. The counters were finished last Sunday so now it's just touch ups of paint and stain. Here are some pics of our work.
We also discovered that we have a water leak when it rains with wind from the South. Quite a few years ago we expanded the deck size and flashing was not installed so the rain would go inside the wall and the downstairs bathroom would get wet. After tearing some of the deck up we found there is siding that needs to be replaced. I'll get that done this weekend and finish with some paint.
How did I ever find time to work for a living?
We have reservations for most of our Summer travels but more plans to make. So far our first scheduled trip is in May but if we get a few nice days in a row in March or April we are on the road.
We started to remodel our kitchen in October and it has gone on through today. I started with taking the kitchen cabinet doors and drawer fronts off. Then the sanding and staining began. First we couldn't decide on a color that didn't have an orange color to it. We ended up combining two colors, mission oak and pecan, to get the color. Then it is was 4-5 coats to get the dark rich tone we wanted. During this time we removed the recessed florescent tube lights and installed LED can lights. All went well except the sheet rock work and texturing on the ceiling isn't up to snuff. My contractor/friend, Randy, is going to make it right. Then it was the counter tops. We changed from a dated blue to a nice granite looking laminate with a bevel edge trim. Locally the trim was $90 per 10 ft piece. I found it on line for about $25 so ordered it. It came in and the pieces weren't the same width so we had to reorder one piece. After waiting ten days it was returned to the vendor by UPS because they broke it. So then it was another two weeks for it to arrive. While we were waiting we and Randy got the back splash and under counter lights done. The counters were finished last Sunday so now it's just touch ups of paint and stain. Here are some pics of our work.
We also discovered that we have a water leak when it rains with wind from the South. Quite a few years ago we expanded the deck size and flashing was not installed so the rain would go inside the wall and the downstairs bathroom would get wet. After tearing some of the deck up we found there is siding that needs to be replaced. I'll get that done this weekend and finish with some paint.
How did I ever find time to work for a living?
We have reservations for most of our Summer travels but more plans to make. So far our first scheduled trip is in May but if we get a few nice days in a row in March or April we are on the road.
Sunday, September 29, 2013
Lake Chelan
Sept 23, 2013
When we hit the road at about 9:30 for Chelan the clouds were pretty thick so we looked forward to the end of our journey in the sun country. It sprinkled on us during the drive but we had some sunshine too. When we pulled into Chelan it was cloudy and drizzling a bit. We had lunch and went to check in and set up at Lakeshore RV Park, one of our favorite places. After getting set up we went to Lake Chelan Winery to pick up some wine waiting for us from the Fall release. When we left we drove around looking for another winery we heard about and explore the area. Then back to the park for dinner. It got pretty cold and quite windy so after dinner we stayed in for the evening. The weather is supposed to get better through the week.
Sept 24, 2013
Up this morning to a bright sunny sky but only 47 degrees. It is Fall after all. After breakfast we walked to the office to make reservations to return in May then into town to pick up a couple things we like to get when we are here. Then back to the park for lunch. A walk of about 2 miles works up an appetite. The weather forecast was for mostly clouds but it turned out to be a real nice day. We sat out and read and walked around the park for the afternoon. After dinner we sat around the fire until after 10. A great day in Eastern Washington.
Sept 25, 2013
We woke to a beautiful sunny day. After breakfast we took a drive to explore Manson and the area. We walked to a farmer's market which was pretty low key and strolled the main street. We stopped in at the Lake Chelan Brewery for a taste of their craft beers. Next time we are in town we plan to go there for lunch. Then we drove along a ridge above the lake and our RV park on the way back to the park. There are some pretty nice views from up there. As we were having lunch my sister Terry arrived in her motor home. She is staying for two days. We went to a few wineries for some tasting. One was Benson Winery. It's up on a hill overlooking the lake and vineyards. Here are a couple of pics of the view.
When we got back we sat out in the sun until sundown and went to our site for dinner. After dinner Terry and our camping neighbors joined us at our site for the remainder of the evening. The wind was blowing pretty hard so we had to put up barriers to be comfortable.
Sept 26, 2013
It was a bit cloudy in the AM but looked to be a pretty nice day. At about noon we headed out to visit a Chelan Ridge and Rio Vista Wineries. Chelan Ridge is a very nice place where the wine maker is the host for wine tasting. This was a very informative visit. Rio Vista is a family owned winery right on the Columbia River. During the summer they have more visitors arriving on the river than from the road above the winery. Then it was back to the park for a late lunch and to enjoy the sun at Terry's lakeside site. When the sun went down it was dinner and another nice evening by the fire. More beautiful sunsets from Chelan.
Sept 27, 2013
Time to go home and the day was supposed to be wet and cold so we were up early to hit the road by 9 AM. The drive home was wet but without any serious issues. This was our last trip for the summer but we have already begun making plans for 2014.
When we hit the road at about 9:30 for Chelan the clouds were pretty thick so we looked forward to the end of our journey in the sun country. It sprinkled on us during the drive but we had some sunshine too. When we pulled into Chelan it was cloudy and drizzling a bit. We had lunch and went to check in and set up at Lakeshore RV Park, one of our favorite places. After getting set up we went to Lake Chelan Winery to pick up some wine waiting for us from the Fall release. When we left we drove around looking for another winery we heard about and explore the area. Then back to the park for dinner. It got pretty cold and quite windy so after dinner we stayed in for the evening. The weather is supposed to get better through the week.
Sept 24, 2013
Up this morning to a bright sunny sky but only 47 degrees. It is Fall after all. After breakfast we walked to the office to make reservations to return in May then into town to pick up a couple things we like to get when we are here. Then back to the park for lunch. A walk of about 2 miles works up an appetite. The weather forecast was for mostly clouds but it turned out to be a real nice day. We sat out and read and walked around the park for the afternoon. After dinner we sat around the fire until after 10. A great day in Eastern Washington.
Sept 25, 2013
We woke to a beautiful sunny day. After breakfast we took a drive to explore Manson and the area. We walked to a farmer's market which was pretty low key and strolled the main street. We stopped in at the Lake Chelan Brewery for a taste of their craft beers. Next time we are in town we plan to go there for lunch. Then we drove along a ridge above the lake and our RV park on the way back to the park. There are some pretty nice views from up there. As we were having lunch my sister Terry arrived in her motor home. She is staying for two days. We went to a few wineries for some tasting. One was Benson Winery. It's up on a hill overlooking the lake and vineyards. Here are a couple of pics of the view.
When we got back we sat out in the sun until sundown and went to our site for dinner. After dinner Terry and our camping neighbors joined us at our site for the remainder of the evening. The wind was blowing pretty hard so we had to put up barriers to be comfortable.
Sept 26, 2013
It was a bit cloudy in the AM but looked to be a pretty nice day. At about noon we headed out to visit a Chelan Ridge and Rio Vista Wineries. Chelan Ridge is a very nice place where the wine maker is the host for wine tasting. This was a very informative visit. Rio Vista is a family owned winery right on the Columbia River. During the summer they have more visitors arriving on the river than from the road above the winery. Then it was back to the park for a late lunch and to enjoy the sun at Terry's lakeside site. When the sun went down it was dinner and another nice evening by the fire. More beautiful sunsets from Chelan.
Sept 27, 2013
Time to go home and the day was supposed to be wet and cold so we were up early to hit the road by 9 AM. The drive home was wet but without any serious issues. This was our last trip for the summer but we have already begun making plans for 2014.
Lake Chelan
Sept 23, 2013
When we hit the road at about 9:30 for Chelan the clouds were pretty thick so we looked forward to the end of our journey in the sun country. It sprinkled on us during the drive but we had some sunshine too. When we pulled into Chelan it was cloudy and drizzling a bit. We had lunch and went to check in and set up at Lakeshore RV Park, one of our favorite places. After getting set up we went to Lake Chelan Winery to pick up some wine waiting for us from the Fall release. When we left we drove around looking for another winery we heard about and explore the area. Then back to the park for dinner. It got pretty cold and quite windy so after dinner we stayed in for the evening. The weather is supposed to get better through the week.
Sept 24, 2013
Up this morning to a bright sunny sky but only 47 degrees. It is Fall after all. After breakfast we walked to the office to make reservations to return in May then into town to pick up a couple things we like to get when we are here. Then back to the park for lunch. A walk of about 2 miles works up an appetite. The weather forecast was for mostly clouds but it turned out to be a real nice day. We sat out and read and walked around the park for the afternoon. After dinner we sat around the fire until after 10. A great day in Eastern Washington.
Sept 25, 2013
We woke to a beautiful sunny day. After breakfast we took a drive to explore Manson and the area. We walked to a farmer's market which was pretty low key and strolled the main street. We stopped in at the Lake Chelan Brewery for a taste of their craft beers. Next time we are in town we plan to go there for lunch. Then we drove along a ridge above the lake and our RV park on the way back to the park. There are some pretty nice views from up there. As we were having lunch my sister Terry arrived in her motor home. She is staying for two days. We went to a few wineries for some tasting. One was Benson Winery. It's up on a hill overlooking the lake and vineyards. Here are a couple of pics of the view.
When we got back we sat out in the sun until sundown and went to our site for dinner. After dinner Terry and our camping neighbors joined us at our site for the remainder of the evening. The wind was blowing pretty hard so we had to put up barriers to be comfortable.
Sept 26, 2013
It was a bit cloudy in the AM but looked to be a pretty nice day. At about noon we headed out to visit a Chelan Ridge and Rio Vista Wineries. Chelan Ridge is a very nice place where the wine maker is the host for wine tasting. This was a very informative visit. Rio Vista is a family owned winery right on the Columbia River. During the summer they have more visitors arriving on the river than from the road above the winery. Then it was back to the park for a late lunch and to enjoy the sun at Terry's lakeside site. When the sun went down it was dinner and another nice evening by the fire. More beautiful sunsets from Chelan.
Sept 27, 2013
Time to go home and the day was supposed to be wet and cold so we were up early to hit the road by 9 AM. The drive home was wet but without any serious issues. This was our last trip for the summer but we have already begun making plans for 2014.
When we hit the road at about 9:30 for Chelan the clouds were pretty thick so we looked forward to the end of our journey in the sun country. It sprinkled on us during the drive but we had some sunshine too. When we pulled into Chelan it was cloudy and drizzling a bit. We had lunch and went to check in and set up at Lakeshore RV Park, one of our favorite places. After getting set up we went to Lake Chelan Winery to pick up some wine waiting for us from the Fall release. When we left we drove around looking for another winery we heard about and explore the area. Then back to the park for dinner. It got pretty cold and quite windy so after dinner we stayed in for the evening. The weather is supposed to get better through the week.
Sept 24, 2013
Up this morning to a bright sunny sky but only 47 degrees. It is Fall after all. After breakfast we walked to the office to make reservations to return in May then into town to pick up a couple things we like to get when we are here. Then back to the park for lunch. A walk of about 2 miles works up an appetite. The weather forecast was for mostly clouds but it turned out to be a real nice day. We sat out and read and walked around the park for the afternoon. After dinner we sat around the fire until after 10. A great day in Eastern Washington.
Sept 25, 2013
We woke to a beautiful sunny day. After breakfast we took a drive to explore Manson and the area. We walked to a farmer's market which was pretty low key and strolled the main street. We stopped in at the Lake Chelan Brewery for a taste of their craft beers. Next time we are in town we plan to go there for lunch. Then we drove along a ridge above the lake and our RV park on the way back to the park. There are some pretty nice views from up there. As we were having lunch my sister Terry arrived in her motor home. She is staying for two days. We went to a few wineries for some tasting. One was Benson Winery. It's up on a hill overlooking the lake and vineyards. Here are a couple of pics of the view.
When we got back we sat out in the sun until sundown and went to our site for dinner. After dinner Terry and our camping neighbors joined us at our site for the remainder of the evening. The wind was blowing pretty hard so we had to put up barriers to be comfortable.
Sept 26, 2013
It was a bit cloudy in the AM but looked to be a pretty nice day. At about noon we headed out to visit a Chelan Ridge and Rio Vista Wineries. Chelan Ridge is a very nice place where the wine maker is the host for wine tasting. This was a very informative visit. Rio Vista is a family owned winery right on the Columbia River. During the summer they have more visitors arriving on the river than from the road above the winery. Then it was back to the park for a late lunch and to enjoy the sun at Terry's lakeside site. When the sun went down it was dinner and another nice evening by the fire. More beautiful sunsets from Chelan.
Sept 27, 2013
Time to go home and the day was supposed to be wet and cold so we were up early to hit the road by 9 AM. The drive home was wet but without any serious issues. This was our last trip for the summer but we have already begun making plans for 2014.
Thursday, September 19, 2013
Maryhill State Park
Sept 5, 2013
There was a terrible storm brewing for the Pacific Northwest off the coast that promised wind, thunder storms and a lot of rain. I saw on line that between 8 and 9 this morning there is a break in the rain. The thunder storm started just after midnight and at about 5:45 AM I heard and saw the storm. When I got up at about 7:30 I hustled and got the final things ready to put in the trailer for our trip to the Columbia Gorge. It was raining pretty hard so I went to the store for a couple last minute things. I got home at about 8:15 and the rain had stopped. We got everything in the trailer, pulled it out in front of the house and hit the road at 9AM just as the rain began. We drove through Olympia in mixed rain and bright hazy skies. We arrived at Maryhill State Park on the Washington side of the Columbia south of The Dalles, OR. It was warm, high 70’s, so after we got set up we went to the Maryhill Winery. What a nice venue this is. We were there two years ago and liked a port wine they have. After a tasting we purchased a new choice and their latest port release. Then it was back to the park to enjoy the afternoon and evening. That’s when the fore mentioned storm caught up with us. We had all the rain, thunder and lightning and wind forecasted. First in the late afternoon, then again after dinner. The forecast is for warmer and dryer the next few days. No worries, we are here for the Hood River Fruit Loop tour. This is a celebration of the farmers and their crops so we have 30 plus places to visit and enjoy the harvest.
Sept 6, 2013
It rained through the night but by 10 AM it stopped, hopefully for the duration of our trip. We drove to Hood River to begin the Fruit Loop tour. Our first stop was Pearl’s Place. This is a small building with quite a selection of fruit. We bought a couple of items. With all of the stands on the tour we have limit our purchases so we don’t end up with more items than we can, or should, eat. Then it was on to The Gorge White House. This is a very nice stand with a small restaurant and a beautiful home that is on the National Registry of Historic Places. There is quite a display of memorabilia in the house and the adjoining fruit stand.
Next we went to The Fruit Company which is a commercial packing facility with a self-tour showing the history of farming in the Gorge area. Manual and mechanized planting, picking and processing are displayed. It was quite interesting. Then we visited Smiley’s Red Barn, Rasmussen Farms and Apple Valley Country Store and Bakery. It was almost 2 PM so we went to lunch at Spooky’s Pizza. We discovered this place two years ago and they have very good pizza. We shared a sandwich and a pitcher of beer and went back to the RV park. The weather was nice throughout the day and evening. We went inside at about 11.
Sept 7, 2013
After breakfast we drove to Hood River to complete our tour of the Fruit Loop. We visited 5 more fruit stands/ bakeries on our trip today. We got back to the park at about 3 and had a light lunch. It was a beautiful day on the river with virtually no wind and the temp near 80. We took a walk around the park checking out the clientele. There is a good mix of families and retirees. We have a new cook stove for cooking outside instead of using our range in the trailer. It’s a two burner propane unit that really puts out a lot of heat. We cooked up a couple of steaks for dinner and ate outside.
Sept 8, 2013
After breakfast we took a drive on the old Columbia River highway. It starts along the Columbia and climbs to the Rowena Crest viewpoint about 400 feet above the river. This area was formed 12,000 – 15,000 years ago by the melting of an Ice Age.
This is a photo of the original road we took to get here which was built in the 1920’s.
Here is a view of the mighty Columbia from Rowena Crest.
There is a 3 mile round trip trail at the crest that takes you to a viewpoint 1000 feet above where we were. We did not climb this. Several reasons, it was hot, it was a mountain climb which we avoid when we can, and there is a danger of poison ivy and rattlesnakes. We stopped at River Tap Pub for lunch and watch the last of the Seahawks game. Then it was back to the park to enjoy the beautiful day.
Sept 9, 2013
Another beautiful morning on the Gorge. It is supposed to be 90 this afternoon. We had some things to do in town so after breakfast we went into The Dalles for gas, propane and some groceries. Later in the day we went to The Maryhill Museum. This area was settled by Sam Hill who prior to settling here had a mansion in Seattle. He also was responsible for the construction of the Peace Arch on the Canadian border. This is a fantastic place full of collections showing the history of the Maryhill area, the friendship of Sam Hill and Princess Maria of Romania, the artist Rodin, and the native Americans from around the US. Originally the museum was the palatial home of Sam Hill. It was built in the early 1900’s, had 7 bedrooms each with their own bathroom suites and many rooms for entertaining. In one of the exhibits showing Sam Hill’s accomplishments as a road builder there was a shovel that as used in a project near the Siskiyou area in 1913. It was marked with the names of people involved in the project, one of which was W. C. Leever, county commissioner. I have some genealogy work to do to see if he is related to me. If you are ever in the area go visit the museum. It is wonderful.
Sept 10, 2013
We got up and packed to drive to Prosser, about 85 miles north to visit Washington wine country
Maryhill State Park
Sept 5, 2013
There was a terrible storm brewing for the Pacific Northwest
off the coast that promised wind, thunder storms and a lot of rain. I saw on
line that between 8 and 9 this morning there is a break in the rain. The
thunder storm started just after midnight and at about 5:45 AM I heard and saw
the storm. When I got up at about 7:30 I hustled and got the final things ready
to put in the trailer for our trip to the Columbia Gorge. It was raining pretty
hard so I went to the store for a couple last minute things. I got home at
about 8:15 and the rain had stopped. We got everything in the trailer, pulled
it out in front of the house and hit the road at 9AM just as the rain began. We
drove through Olympia in mixed rain and bright hazy skies. We arrived at
Maryhill State Park on the Washington side of the Columbia south of The Dalles,
OR. It was warm, high 70’s, so after we got set up we went to the Maryhill
Winery. What a nice venue this is. We were there two years ago and liked a port
wine they have. After a tasting we purchased a new choice and their latest port
release. Then it was back to the park to enjoy the afternoon and evening.
That’s when the fore mentioned storm caught up with us. We had all the rain,
thunder and lightning and wind forecasted. First in the late afternoon, then
again after dinner. The forecast is for warmer and dryer the next few days. No
worries, we are here for the Hood River Fruit Loop tour. This is a celebration
of the farmers and their crops so we have 30 plus places to visit and enjoy the
harvest.
Sept 6, 2013
It rained through the night but by 10 AM it stopped, hopefully
for the duration of our trip. We drove to Hood River to begin the Fruit Loop
tour. Our first stop was Pearl’s Place. This is a small building with quite a
selection of fruit. We bought a couple of items. With all of the stands on
the tour we have limit our purchases so we don’t end up with more items than we
can, or should, eat. Then it was on to The Gorge White House. This is a very
nice stand with a small restaurant and a beautiful home that is on the National
Registry of Historic Places. There is quite a display of memorabilia in the
house and the adjoining fruit stand.
Next we went to The Fruit Company which is
a commercial packing facility with a self-tour showing the history of farming
in the Gorge area. Manual and mechanized planting, picking and processing are
displayed. It was quite interesting. Then we visited Smiley’s Red Barn,
Rasmussen Farms and Apple Valley Country Store and Bakery. It was almost 2 PM
so we went to lunch at Spooky’s Pizza. We discovered this place two years ago
and they have very good pizza. We shared a sandwich and a pitcher of beer and
went back to the RV park. The weather was nice throughout the day and evening. We
went inside at about 11.
Sept 7, 2013
After breakfast we drove to Hood River to complete our tour
of the Fruit Loop. We visited 5 more fruit stands/ bakeries on our trip today. We got back
to the park at about 3 and had a light lunch. It was a beautiful day on the
river with virtually no wind and the temp near 80. We took a walk around the
park checking out the clientele. There is a good mix of families and retirees. We
have a new cook stove for cooking outside instead of using our range in the
trailer. It’s a two burner propane unit that really puts out a lot of heat. We
cooked up a couple of steaks for dinner and ate outside.
Sept 8, 2013
After breakfast we took a drive on the old Columbia River highway. It
starts along the Columbia and climbs to the Rowena Crest viewpoint about 400
feet above the river. This area was formed 12,000 – 15,000 years ago by the
melting of an Ice Age.
Here is a view of the mighty Columbia from Rowena Crest.
There is a 3 mile round trip trail at the crest that takes
you to a viewpoint 1000 feet above where we were. We did not climb this.
Several reasons, it was hot, it was a mountain climb which we avoid when we
can, and there is a danger of poison ivy and rattlesnakes. We stopped at River
Tap Pub for lunch and watch the last of the Seahawks game. Then it was back to
the park to enjoy the beautiful day.
Sept 9, 2013
Another beautiful morning on the Gorge. It is supposed to be
90 this afternoon. We had some things to do in town so after breakfast we went
into The Dalles for gas, propane and some groceries. Later in the day we went
to The Maryhill Museum. This area was settled by Sam Hill who prior to settling here had a mansion in Seattle. He also was responsible for the construction of the Peace Arch on the Canadian border. This is a fantastic place full of collections showing
the history of the Maryhill area, the friendship of Sam Hill and Princess Maria
of Romania, the artist Rodin, and the native Americans from around the US.
Originally the museum was the palatial home of Sam Hill. It was built in the
early 1900’s, had 7 bedrooms each with their own bathroom suites and many rooms for
entertaining. In one of the exhibits showing Sam Hill’s accomplishments as a
road builder there was a shovel that as used in a project near the Siskiyou
area in 1913. It was marked with the names of people involved in the project,
one of which was W. C. Leever, county commissioner. I have some genealogy work
to do to see if he is related to me. If you are ever in the area go visit the
museum. It is wonderful.
Sept 10, 2013
We got up and packed to drive to Prosser, about 85
miles north to visit Washington wine country
Prosser, WA
Sept 10, 2013
We arrived at Wine Country RV Park in Prosser just after noon. We had lunch and sat out in the sun until my sister Terry arrived at about 3. We helped her get her RV set up. Then we made our plans for the next couple of days. After dinner the three of us sat out enjoying the warm evening.
Sept 11, 2013
After breakfast we drove around to several wineries and a distillery for some tasting. We had a great time tasting and checking out the gift shops at the tasting rooms. Of course we found some things in the shops that we didn't know we couldn't live without. Then it was back to the park for lunch and sitting around in the heat. In the evening our friend Greg Wozny came by to have dinner with us. Afterwards we all sat around the fireplace. Greg left at about 10 and we stayed out until about 1 AM. We are wild and crazy campers.
Sept 12, 2013
More of the same for wine country. The three of us went for more wine tasting on another hot 90 + degree day in Prosser. Then a visit to Chuckar Cherries for some samples and purchase a couple sauces and a stop at a very cute gifty shop. After getting lunch at Sub Way we went to camp for the remainder of the day. I went for a swim and lounged around the pool to cool off later in the afternoon. We had a light dinner and sat around the fire with Terry until about 10 and went to bed to rest up for our trip home in the morning. It was still 75 degrees at 10:30 at night.
Sept 13, 2013
We were up and the rode home at about 9. We went to an orchard in Yakima to pick up some apples for saucing. It was a nice drive but got cloudy when we reached Enumclaw. Welcome back to Western Washington.
We arrived at Wine Country RV Park in Prosser just after noon. We had lunch and sat out in the sun until my sister Terry arrived at about 3. We helped her get her RV set up. Then we made our plans for the next couple of days. After dinner the three of us sat out enjoying the warm evening.
Sept 11, 2013
After breakfast we drove around to several wineries and a distillery for some tasting. We had a great time tasting and checking out the gift shops at the tasting rooms. Of course we found some things in the shops that we didn't know we couldn't live without. Then it was back to the park for lunch and sitting around in the heat. In the evening our friend Greg Wozny came by to have dinner with us. Afterwards we all sat around the fireplace. Greg left at about 10 and we stayed out until about 1 AM. We are wild and crazy campers.
Sept 12, 2013
More of the same for wine country. The three of us went for more wine tasting on another hot 90 + degree day in Prosser. Then a visit to Chuckar Cherries for some samples and purchase a couple sauces and a stop at a very cute gifty shop. After getting lunch at Sub Way we went to camp for the remainder of the day. I went for a swim and lounged around the pool to cool off later in the afternoon. We had a light dinner and sat around the fire with Terry until about 10 and went to bed to rest up for our trip home in the morning. It was still 75 degrees at 10:30 at night.
Sept 13, 2013
We were up and the rode home at about 9. We went to an orchard in Yakima to pick up some apples for saucing. It was a nice drive but got cloudy when we reached Enumclaw. Welcome back to Western Washington.
Prosser, WA
Sept 10, 2013
We arrived at Wine Country RV Park in Prosser just after noon. We had lunch and sat out in the sun until my sister Terry arrived at about 3. We helped her get her RV set up. Then we made our plans for the next couple of days. After dinner the three of us sat out enjoying the warm evening.
Sept 11, 2013
After breakfast we drove around to several wineries and a distillery for some tasting. We had a great time tasting and checking out the gift shops at the tasting rooms. Of course we found some things in the shops that we didn't know we couldn't live without. Then it was back to the park for lunch and sitting around in the heat. In the evening our friend Greg Wozny came by to have dinner with us. Afterwards we all sat around the fireplace. Greg left at about 10 and we stayed out until about 1 AM. We are wild and crazy campers.
Sept 12, 2013
More of the same for wine country. The three of us went for more wine tasting on another hot 90 + degree day in Prosser. Then a visit to Chuckar Cherries for some samples and purchase a couple sauces and a stop at a very cute gifty shop. After getting lunch at Sub Way we went to camp for the remainder of the day. I went for a swim and lounged around the pool to cool off later in the afternoon. We had a light dinner and sat around the fire with Terry until about 10 and went to bed to rest up for our trip home in the morning. It was still 75 degrees at 10:30 at night.
Sept 13, 2013
We were up and the rode home at about 9. We went to an orchard in Yakima to pick up some apples for saucing. It was a nice drive but got cloudy when we reached Enumclaw. Welcome back to Western Washington.
We arrived at Wine Country RV Park in Prosser just after noon. We had lunch and sat out in the sun until my sister Terry arrived at about 3. We helped her get her RV set up. Then we made our plans for the next couple of days. After dinner the three of us sat out enjoying the warm evening.
Sept 11, 2013
After breakfast we drove around to several wineries and a distillery for some tasting. We had a great time tasting and checking out the gift shops at the tasting rooms. Of course we found some things in the shops that we didn't know we couldn't live without. Then it was back to the park for lunch and sitting around in the heat. In the evening our friend Greg Wozny came by to have dinner with us. Afterwards we all sat around the fireplace. Greg left at about 10 and we stayed out until about 1 AM. We are wild and crazy campers.
Sept 12, 2013
More of the same for wine country. The three of us went for more wine tasting on another hot 90 + degree day in Prosser. Then a visit to Chuckar Cherries for some samples and purchase a couple sauces and a stop at a very cute gifty shop. After getting lunch at Sub Way we went to camp for the remainder of the day. I went for a swim and lounged around the pool to cool off later in the afternoon. We had a light dinner and sat around the fire with Terry until about 10 and went to bed to rest up for our trip home in the morning. It was still 75 degrees at 10:30 at night.
Sept 13, 2013
We were up and the rode home at about 9. We went to an orchard in Yakima to pick up some apples for saucing. It was a nice drive but got cloudy when we reached Enumclaw. Welcome back to Western Washington.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)