And it was really pretty. The river is so wide and the forested hillsides were beautiful. No wonder Washington is the Evergreen State.
We were aiming to stay for a few days near Maryhill, but the campground was full. Seems that something was running at the small streams coming into the Columbia River so all the campgrounds were full of fishermen. So we looked at the map and decided to go north from the river toward Prosser and the Tri City area.
What a surprise! As soon as we turned away from the river the whole landscape changed. If we didn't know where we were, we would have guessed that it was the mid-western high desert! It was really, really hot. The temperature was over 100 degrees for the next few days. If it wasn't near the Yakima River, or irrigated, it was dry sage grass or dirt and dust. And you could really tell where they were using irrigation. There were vineyards, and orchards, and fields of onions, and some viney things that we think were hops.
Lots and lots of vineyards!
And apples, peaches, pears and plums. The visitor's center supplied us with a map and list of produce stands and we had a good time shopping for peppers, onions, tomatoes and peaches.
But it was a bit tricky out manuvering the residents of the nursing home that arrived with their walkers at the first stand. Seems that they aren't too wild about the food they are given, so their bus takes them shopping weekly!
We once again found it necessary to sample the local wines. We drove out to one winery and had a very pleasant time tasting wine with the owner's son. We had a few more stops on our list and headed down the highway.
And that is when we had the flat tire. Fortunately it was daylight and we had no trouble controlling the car. Jim was able to get off on the shoulder of the highway to see what had happened. Unfortunately it was about 103 degrees, the back of the Jeep was loaded with stuff, and it was a very busy highway! We were able to get the spare tire out, get the Jeep jacked up and the tire changed. We have a whole new empathy for people changing tires on the side of the road!
We carefully drove down to the first exit with services and found Frank's Tire Factory. Even though it was around 4:00 in the afternoon, they were able to take us. We waited in the air conditioned showroom while they repaired the tire which had picked up a nail and checked another tire that had a slow leak. It had a staple in it. They repaired both tires and put the spare back in place. When we were done we were ready to pay the bill and they told us there was no charge but to remember them when we needed new tires! Wow! So, if you are ever in the west, and you need some service on tires, look around for a Tire Factory, and tell them we sent you!
We went from Yakima to Prosser, Washington. We stayed in Wine Country RV park on Merlot Ave. Are we noticing a theme? It was a very nice town, and might be an area that is a retirement sort of place.
It seemed to have a very active community and had a Farmer's Market on Saturday morning.
One of the wineries that we really wanted to visit was Columbia Crest. It was really nice. It was up on the bluff over the Columbia River with a Tuscany air to it and very nice grounds. Pond and picnic tables and stuff.
One of the interesting things about this area is that there are many wineries that locate their tasting rooms in clusters. The buildings are very new and surround small parking areas. So, you could park and walk from one tasting room to the next. We know that you are going to find this hard to believe, but we didn't do that. The storage place under the bench is getting very full, and we need to go through Canadian customs again.
We are continuing heading east and plan on stopping once or twice in Montana before we get to Yellowstone National Park.
Sue and Jim
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