Mini-trip Up the Valley

Another day-only road trip. A new pal along this time. Becky--with the cool shades, posing with She Who Drives, Carla, of course.


Destination: none in particular. Just a direction: "up the valley," as in the Yakima Valley, north of the Tri-Cities. With sundry stops along the way in mind.


First stop: Prosser, WA to visit what I always term a "shoppe." A place to delight the feminine in a woman. Filled with fragrance, gentle colors, and definitely frivolous.






















Other Prosser stops: *Hopfengarden Home* which your blogger here would call an eclectic shoppe, whose items had a bit of an East Indian edge to them, ranging from cotton table cloths to wind chimes to beads. Get an image?

*Starbucks* for a cooling drink and, of course, their ever-handy restrooms.


On to Sunnyside for lunch! www.snipesmountain.com

Lunch stop: Snipes.

Not the actual mountain, but a really great Pub & Brewery.
Becky was our Sacajawea in finding this place. Thanks, Becky!
Wow. What a place! Log structure, tasty food, and cooling microbrew. (I learned that IPA means India Pale Ale, BTW. ) Good thing we ate "in" this trip because it was a really really really hot day.

On to Yakima where beckoned a scrapbooking store (for Carla and Judith--no surprise, eh?) and a Border's Books (for Becky). Oh, and a Stone Cold Creamery ice cream store! Oh, joy. Oh, rapture.

Last stop was yet one more Shoppe. *Melange* I know, folks, those familiar with the small farm towns up the Valley still find it a stretch to envision wee, upscale frou frou stores at the edges of hop fields. However, the Yakima Valley is becoming a wine region, we must remember! Carla bought some clever office supplies. Judith bought some red kitchen cloths (aka: dish rags). Becky bought a dish towel--not just your mother's old type towel, either. [wink]


However, at this point, the afternoon was on the wane, and we headed for the barn, happy with our souvenirs, happy with our food and beverages, and definitely happy with the glow of time spent in the company of women friends. Wish you all could have joined us.

mini-trip to Depoe Bay OREGON

Tuesday, July 7: drove down the Washington side of the Columbia River. First stop: Maryhill Winery where I had never been before. Wow, what a spread! Obviously, I felt as if someone should be at the entrance, greeting visitors with open arms.





As is my longtime tradition, I bought another apron. Couldn't resist, "I often cook with wine. Occasionally, I use it in the recipe."









I now have aprons from Buenas Aires Argentina and Zijantaneo Mexico to Winnemuca NV and Washtucna WA. And I wear them to cook in. How DO you other women cook without wearing aprons, I wonder.
Destination: WorldMark resort at Depoe Bay, Oregon. The best thing about this resort? Every unit faces water, ocean or cove. Gorgeous views. Probably our most favorite of the resorts so far.

We had a 3rd-floor unit, complete as always with lovely and ample accommodations. King bed in master suite, accessed through double doors and with" window in the interior wall" to allow view of ocean through the living room.

Up in Lincoln City, friends from Portland were staying in their motorhome. We "toured" their home, had brunch down at our place, and dined in Newport at Gary's and my FAVE place, http://www.localocean.net/ The Most delish pan-fried oysters and slaw with fennel.

Unlike our usual trips to the coast, we didn't buy any fresh seafood for back in our resort unit--not with the price of crab at $9.99/lb. and a pint of oysters at $14. NO WAY.

Barb Bonnema Brown, friend from 1973 (!) shown here, welcoming us into what she and Bob fondly call "The Beast."


Gary and I drove home on the third/next day, purposefully taking a different highway so as to avoid the ABsolute traffice jam through what used to be a little burg when we lived down there in the 80's! Can you say "grid lock traffic lights"? Ah, Portland and your suburbs, how you have grown! ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~another good little road trip accomplished. we decided. Thanks for traveling a la Dame Judith :)

Road trip June 09 to Heppner OR

Destination: Heppner, OR, county seat of Morrow County

(photo: the county courthouse, of course)

Companion: Carla McLane, Planning Director of Morrow County

Reason for going: so that I could do some research on an ancestor who lived (and died there in 1897). Note: didn't find much, other than newspaper mention of how the coroner's inquest determined that he had died intoxicated as witnesses testified. Apparently after a binge on New Year's Eve., one can only surmise as "his body was found" the next morning.

Route: along Willow Creek, where the Oregon Trail crossed and pioneers settled little towns such as Ione, Cecil, and Heppner--established eventually as the county seat.

Having Carla along was fabulous; she knows every turn in the road and the everything you'd ever want to know about the area, past and present.

We'd take the lesser road traveled just to drive through, say a town populated by only 300 folks. We'd stop to check out a historical sign. Loved the one that gave the words of the "Homesteader's song:"

I'll sing of its praises, I'll tell of its fame, while starving to death, on my government claim.

Carla had packed us a yummy picnic lunch of bagels & cream cheese, sliced turkey, assorted cheeses, and.............(drum roll) decadent cream puffs. We ate under old shade trees by a creek in the city park before going into the historical museum on the property. The weather was warm but not too hot, unlike our home cities were that day.

view from above Heppner, up by the cemetary and the dam, which now protects the valley town from flash floods.

Returned by a different road, gazing in awe at the land that goes on and on forever.....without "civilization" even today.

May09 to Coeur d'Alene, Idaho

Road trip for G& J, up to Lake Coeur d'Alene to stay in WorldMark timeshare, the penthouse. Top. three windows plus two small to right.

Companions: granddaughter Jessie (8), her BGF Katie (8), and Mandy, Jessie's cousin from Idaho who is babysitting her all summer.

I call this picture "3 girls-to-go" in the pickup backseat.

The resort was out on the lake, a good half-hour from the town of Coeur d'Alene. Weather when we got there was grey and chilly, but the penthouse thrilled us all--especially the girls who thought it all rawther gorgeous.

Three bedrooms, each with its own TV. Two baths (adults had a bathroom "suite"), fully equipped laundry room, not just "closet appliances," huge kitchen with breakfast bar, full dining room level a step up from the living room, which had a lake-view balcony. Master suite had lovely little chaise (actually a chair plus ottoman) where I could sit and view the lake. First time for us resort members to be able to rent a penthouse unit. Gary reminded me, "Don't get used to it. " [wink]

The next day, Gary took the girls to Silverwood Theme Park where they had a blast! He gave each girl $20 to spend however they liked, reminding them there would be no additional monies, "So don't even ask." They didn't and they played games and won stuffed animal prizes and bought jewelry and cotton candy.....well, you get the picture. Me? Grandma? Oh, I don't do carnival rides and such, so I stayed at resort and read and read read--to my heart's content.

On the return trip, they did stop at the grocery store, so we had much more to eat that night and the next morning for breakfast before getting back into the pickup and heading back home.

Oh, the lake? Couldn't see all that much of it for other buildings along the shore in front of ours. Oh, well. Still.....a penthouse experience. Who cares?

Photos from Ranch trip--first attempt to post

Destination: Farmington, WA --




cemetary in distance up on hill


















View "down" from Steptoe Butte

May 09 Road trip to the Family Wheat Ranch

With my gal pal Lenora as sidekick. Here she is....carefully picking her way down from the tippy top of Steptoe Butte, where she was taking pictures. One of our sightseeing stops along the way.

Purpose: to take photos out at the pioneer cemetary in Farmington, WA where pioneer James Logan, my great-great-grandfather is buried, along with his wife and two daughters. He homesteaded in 1875, bringing his family up from the Willamette Valley where they had come by wagon train. The 720-acre "ranch" (as the family refers to it) grows wheat, lentils, and barley, and is still in the family.

Our little road trip led us up from Kennewick, north towards Spokane, east from Connell and through Washtucna where *I* bought a jeans-made apron to add to my collection and for my use!

Although the postmistress in the one-room post office of Farmington didn't know exactly how to get to the cemetary outside of town, luckily she pointed out the mayor who was just entering *her* office up the street in the building that housed the postage-stamp library. Not only did Mayor Laura give good directions to the cemetary, she also directed my attention to three D-ring-stuffed binders of family history data and photos collected by a local lady. WAY too much to look through on a one-day road trip. I'll definitely have to go back on *the* day the library is open.

Absolutely gorgeous day and perfect for wandering through the cemetary. After doing so, we hopped back into my little yellow "bumble bee" car and toodled down the road, west, into Tekoa where I had heard a new little eatery had opened. Indeed it had, and was it yummy. A real "find." http://www.artisancafe.com/ Delish homemade bread especially.

Time, next, for the other stop on our itinerary: Steptoe Butte. For the view of the Palouse! I had forgotten how high up it is to the top--especially when it came time to drive back down. Round and round with no guard rail. Lenora talked me down, literally. "Put the car in the lowest gear, don't ride the brake, and we'll just go back down slowly." Obviously, we made it. :)

Home by supper time. Not too hot of a day, not too cold. Perfect. Great companion. Good trip. Photos....will be posted somewhere; I'll let you know where!