Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley
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There are lots of things to do on the Washington and Oregon Coasts. My favorite activities are biking, crabbing, searching the beach for treasures, flying kites, and building sandcastles. Recently, I had the opportunity to try crabbing for the first time. Walking the swells during low tide while trying not to fill your boots with water is not an easy task; hip waders would have been a smart idea. Netting crab on the Washington coast can be hit or miss. One weekend, you can net your limit in thir...
We spent the Fourth of July week with family and friends in Idaho at Winchester Lake State Park. We all enjoyed activities, including a community parade, fishing, kayaking, bike riding, bird watching, and fireworks. At our campsite, four baby robins in a nest were constantly being fed by their mom. We were able to see them fledge before we left. A ground squirrel visited often to the delight of grandson Elijah. The City of Winchester's annual Winchester Days celebration is the first weekend in...
PRESCOTT - Thirty-seven miles from Waitsburg is the hidden gem of Fishhook Park. After turning off Hwy 124 W to Fishhook Park Road, you travel through the First Fruits Farms to reach the camping or day-use area. Fishhook Park has 53 campsites and a fairly large day-use area. You can fish, boat, swim, kayak, bird watch, play on the beach, or stroll through the park. There is a play structure for kids, restrooms with showers, and you can read a little history about Lewis & Clark when they were in...
In March, my sisters and I took a basket weaving class at The Refinery in Walla Walla. At that time, I saw people using the pottery wheel, and in my Around the Valley article about our basket-weaving class, I said, "I can see the clay flying as I speak." On Saturday, October 28, we decided to give the pottery wheel a spin. Our instructor, Jess, met the sisters in the studio for a two-hour session. We signed up in September to reserve our spots, as only six pottery wheels exist. We took seats by...
WALLA WALLA - The Kirkman House on North Colville Street in Walla Walla was built between 1879 and 1889. William and Isabelle Kirkman moved into the house with their four surviving children, William Henry, Fanny Ann, Myrtle Belle, and Leslie Gilmore. Around 1919, Mrs. Kirkman gave the house to Whitman College, and the college used the house as a dormitory. The college sold the house in the 1920s, and owners turned it into an apartment building. In the 1970s, The Historic Architectural Developmen...
WAITSBURG - Twenty-one "speeders," also known as motor cars, traveled through Waitsburg by rail on Thursday, September 14. The group was on a "Wine to Rivers" excursion hosted by the Pacific Railcar Operators (PRO). The owner/operators are club members and came from as far away as New Mexico. There were operators from Oregon, Idaho, and the Bay Area in California. I ran into Russell Homan from Grants Pass, Oregon, on Waitsburg's Main Street and asked him about the colorful train cars on the trac...
LEWISTON, IDAHO-During Labor Day weekend, the roar of jet boats screaming down the Snake River at Hells Gate State Park sounded like low-flying airliners over your head. The Thunder on the Snake Jet River Marathon had four classifications of jet boats competing for awards. The turbine class boats have 1500-plus horsepower jet engines with speeds between 145 and 160 miles per hour. The A class have powerful 800-900 HP motors, the CX races 525 HP boats, and the entry-level FX class boats are fast...
Leavenworth Adventure Park Leavenworth is famous for its Bavarian-style village. Strolling along Front Street, with its restaurants and shops, is a day well spent for visitors; we have been there several times. A new attraction, the Leavenworth Adventure Park, opened on June 1, 2023. Park developers Dave Moffett and John Sutherland chose Leavenworth as the site for Washington State's first alpine coaster. Alpine or mountain coasters are found in mountainous areas and at ski resorts. No motors...
Captain Jim Koch has been navigating the ripples and rapids on the snake river through Hells Canyon on his jet boat for the last 30 years. His wife Jill accompanies him as he takes passengers on an interesting, history-filled full-day tour that starts and ends in Clarkston, Washington. On its website, Beamers Hells Canyon Tours says passengers will discover numerous geological Hells Canyon facts and view diverse and abundant wildlife and plant life. All from the safety and comfort of a U.S....
Allen and I and my sister and brother-in-law, Joanie and Scott, spent an enjoyable afternoon at the Airfield Estates Winery. Memorial weekend was our first venture to the Wine Country RV Park in Prosser, Washington. The RV Park on Wine Country Road is known for offering wine tasting and being within walking distance of numerous other wineries. There are 125 RV spaces at the park which makes for a good morning walk throughout the park. On one side of us were cows in the field. Luckily, we were up...
The road trip to see the Utah National Parks was planned to arrive in Moab, Utah, on Saturday afternoon. A SERVICE BRAKE SYSTEM light beeped on the Tahoe on the way to Moab. The speedometer was not accurate, and the cruise control would not work. We continue to drive using GPS to gauge our speed. When we arrived in Moab, we soon discovered that it was the weekend of the Moab car show. So, we dragged the gut with the other "old" cars and waved from my 20-year-old Tahoe. We spent Saturday...
I recently went on a road trip with three of my sisters. The plan was to see the five National Parks in Utah. Our trip was well organized on a google spreadsheet. The spreadsheet listed everything from when we left, the landmarks we would see, the trails we would walk, and the hotels where we would spend the night. The one thing we did not consider was the space needed to load all our "necessary" stuff. We planned to take my sister's car but we could see that was not going to work. So, we...
WALLA WALLA-The Refinery in Walla Walla offers numerous classes for the general public and memberships to access studio tools and equipment. Class options range from working with clay, wall sculptures, macrame, block printmaking to basket weaving. With the studio's growing success, there is a waiting list to become a member. The Refinery is a community pottery and art studio that provides diverse art experiences and nurtures artists at all skill levels, as stated on their website. The Refinery...
I have been to the Walla Walla Pottery Studio several times with my sisters to paint items such as a spoon holder, a butter dish, and holiday plates. Learning different techniques has been fun, and painting is relaxing. At the studio, you pick the pottery, you paint it, they fire it, and you pick it up. This time, the studio has relocated to the Walla Walla Senior Center – Center at the Park, at 720 Sprague in Walla Walla. I decided to support Helpline with its annual fundraiser, SoupPort, by p...
KENNEWICK-Clover Island in Kennewick is known for more than its restaurants and marina. The 16-acre island owned by the Port of Kennewick includes a quarter-mile walking path to enjoy river views, artwork, and wildlife. One of the first things you encounter is the 28-foot-tall gateway arch which spans the road connecting Clover Island with the mainland of Kennewick. Next is a 62-foot-high functioning lighthouse; the tower houses a white beacon that flashes every four seconds. We visited Clover...
WALLA WALLA-Pioneer Park in Walla Walla is a place to spend an enjoyable afternoon no matter the season. One of my favorite places in the park is the aviary, where there are various birds, ducks, peacocks, and geese. I once saw a tortoise walking in the avian enclosure. In the springtime, you see numerous babies on land and in the water. Next to the aviary is a walking path around the pond and benches to relax while watching the ducks. A towering fountain gives ambiance to the area. There are...
WALLA WALLA-Murder at the Kirkman House is an evening of mystery, based on the board game Clue. It is a seasonal event played after dark, where participants search the museum rooms for clues using lantern light to lead the way. Beware; some people walking around the house might jump out and scare you. This is a fun family activity for a group of five to eight. After arriving at the Kirkman House, we had a few moments to tour the rooms to gather information before my sisters, and I met at the...
It was a cold and windy November afternoon when we joined my sister and brother-in-law for a birthday ride up Eckler mountain. In the past, we have ridden our ATV quads for a friend's birthday ride, and for Joanie's birthday, we took the trip in our side-by-side ATV. These birthday rides always seem to be during the winter. Even though we have had plenty of rain lately, there still was some dust flying on the gravel road. We passed farm machinery in the fields and windmills spinning on our way...
PENDLETON-The Tamastslikt Cultural Institute, located on the Umatilla Indian Reservation, is near the Wildhorse Resort. It is dedicated to the culture of the Cayuse, Umatilla, and Walla Walla tribes, who have called the region home for 16,000 years. The 45,000-square-foot tribally owned museum opened in 1998. Tamastslkt means turn, translate, or interpret in Wallulapam, and the Institute is described as a storyline museum. You will experience the past, present, and future of the tribes. The...
WALLA WALLA-The first fort was established in 1856 and was home to dragoon, infantry, artillery, and cavalry units until 1910. The museum occupies 15 acres and opened in 1968. The entrance building opened in 2010. Upon arrival at the entrance building, we stopped at the General Store to purchase our tickets and proceeded on a self-guided tour of the hall and its three galleries. The hall has bronzes by Walla Walla native David Manual, a historic stagecoach, and other exhibits. In the three...
Despite the heavy rain Friday night, we enjoyed a nice weekend at Boardman RV Park and Marina in Boardman, Oregon. Saturday was cloudy with just a little rain late afternoon, but at least we did not wake up to 3-inches of snow as hunters did on Eckler Mountain. Sunday was a gorgeous, sunny day, the day we had to head back home. On Friday afternoon, we toured the Sage Center Museum, a short distance from the campground. Boardman has a lot of industries, and the Sage Center Museum and visitor...
Three of my sisters and I recently traveled to Goldendale, near the Columbia Gorge, to learn about the sun and solar system, see the Stonehenge Memorial and walk the grounds at the Maryhill Museum of Art. The observatory is located atop a 2,100-ft hill at Goldendale Observatory State Park. Admission is free, but a Washington State Parks Discovery Pass is required to park on-site. They are available for purchase at the facility for $10 for a day pass and $30 for an annual pass. The afternoon...
Taking a cemetery tour might not be on everyone's bucket list, yet it is a place with tons of historical information. Joanna Lanning led about 50 people on a tour of the Mountain View Cemetery in Walla Walla on a beautiful fall day, and the crowd heard stories from Lanning and other volunteers. Walking the grounds with Lanning, we learned that the cemetery is the resting place for over 40,000 beloved souls, including around 3,000 veterans. There were originally four separate cemeteries, and in...
The fall season is a great time to take a day trip to ride the Eagle Cap Excursion Train. The train leaves Elgin, Oregon, and travels along the Grande Ronde and Wallowa Rivers on a section of the historic Joseph Branch rail line. I have taken the train twice; both were "train robbery" adventures. The first time the robbers took our jewels and the last time they took our money. The event is kid friendly, and the fake jewels and money are provided. You're riding along enjoying the scenery when...
Hells Gate State Park, located in Lewiston, Idaho, was once the site of a Nez Perce village. Today, one can enjoy an abundance of activities. Located along the Snake River, park visitors appreciate the outdoors as they enjoy swimming at the long stretch of day-use beach, boating, fishing, and kayaking. Another adventure is stopping at the marina to schedule a day trip up Hells Canyon on a jet boat. Out of the water, you can play disc golf, take a walk, or ride your bicycle on the trails around...
