Hello Everyone,
It’s been a busy week out here on the road in Central and Southern Washington. I’ve traveled down some beautiful roads this week, many following winding streams and rivers, and stopped in some really cool little towns. I’ve been listening to a great radio station out here playing real oldies – like oldies that were oldies when I was a kid. I haven’t heard a lot of those songs in decades and my toes have been tapping as I cruise down the road. This is apple country and it’s cool to pass through the apple orchards and see many with fruit still on the trees, while the leaves have turned bright orange with the season. Empty apple crates dot the landscape from earlier picking. There are plenty of grapes out here too as this is Washington’s wine country. The weather hasn’t been great, but it hasn’t been terrible and there have been some wild clouds in the sky overhead much of the week. The days are short, but I’ve been trying to make the most of the daylight I have as I wind up my time in Washington State.
When I left you last week, I was in the tiny town of Grand Coulee which grew up around the building of the United States’ biggest dam (and the 6th largest in the world). I had hoped to tour the dam, but it was, like most things in this part of the state, closed for the season. The night after I finished last week’s newsletter I was parked at an overlook of the dam enjoying my dinner when an officer from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (the USBR guards the dam) knocked on my window to tell me I couldn’t park there for the night. He was the cheeriest law officer I may have ever met in my life and told me where I could park overnight which was very kind of him. It turned out to be a nice, quiet park with a huge “No Overnight Parking” sign, but it was also a USBR area so I figured it would be strange of him to send me there unprompted if it wasn’t okay. It turned out it was just fine and I had a nice quiet night near the dam.
I made a short stop at the dam visitor center in the morning and it had a lot of great and interesting information to take in, but I had other plans so I was only there for a short time. I headed upriver along the Columbia to the little town of Nespelem on the Colville Indian Reservation. They were having a small powwow at the government center there and I thought how fortunate I was that it was going on the day I was in the area. The theme was Generation Rising and it turned out that it was for school children to gather, dance and share their culture. There are 12 confederated tribes on the 1.3 million acre Colville Reservation, but they have been living and working together (and intermarrying) for 130 years at this point and it was nice to see both tribal and shared culture at this event. The man who was leading the powwow did a fantastic job of keeping things moving, sharing stories and songs, and generally keeping the day light but inspiring. He spoke for a short time in his native language which was fascinating as it didn’t sound like anything I had heard before and had sounds not common to other languages, but obviously most of the program was in English. The students wore beautiful regalia and danced joyfully to the beat of the drums and the singing of the drum groups. The best part was that they seemed to really be enjoying themselves and wanted to be there (of course missing a day of school for it probably didn’t hurt). I’m also always a bit surprised (though I shouldn’t be at this point) at how patriotic these events usually are, with the tribal veterans leading the Grand Entry and Exit and the American flag prominently and proudly displayed. I appreciated that they look at the problems we are facing now through the lens of 10,000 years of history, not 300 years of history. It was also interesting to look around the building during breaks in the program and catch up on news that was important to the confederation like cuts to the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Indian Health Service. They were also rightly upset at attempts to cut out the Code Talkers and Ira Hayes (who helped raise the flag at Iwo Jima) from military history under the current administration. I had a delicious pork chop with wild rice and veggies from the cafeteria for lunch and really enjoyed the singing, storytelling and dancing. I had a great day and was just thrilled to be a part of it and be a quiet fly on the wall for the day.
After the powwow I spent a few minutes driving around Nespelem. I know it is the final resting place of the great Chief Joseph of the Wallowa Band of Nez Perce who was a fascinating historical figure and a great military leader. I wanted to find his grave and pay my respects, but the Nez Perce cemetery seemed a little too off the track and I didn’t want to intrude so I left it be. It was getting late in the day, so I headed back to Grand Coulee and then continued on to Chelan on the southern shore of the lake of the same name (the third deepest lake in the country). Chelan is a pleasant little town with a nice Main Street business district and beautiful scenery all around. It was Restaurant Week so several local eateries were serving up three course meals for $35 (a steal in Washington which is the most expensive state in the country to eat out in). I chose the Lakeside Tavern and was really glad I did. My meal started with a lovely beet salad, continued with a delicious homemade pasta dish with a lamb and beef ragout sauce, and ended with a delightful Basque cheesecake. The atmosphere was great and the service was excellent and I was really glad I decided to step out for dinner.
I spent a little more time in Chelan on Friday morning, and then enjoyed a pleasant drive down the length of Lake Entiat on my way to Wenatchee. Wenatchee was a sprawled out town with a nice little downtown core, but I really just drove through and kept going. I continued up Route 97 to the little town of Cashmere where I pulled into the Liberty Orchards factory, the home of Washington’s beloved treat Aplets and Cotlets. Aplets and Cotlets is definitely an old-school kind of candy made of fruits and nuts and I enjoyed some free samples in the store and took some for the road. From there I headed up the road to Leavenworth, a one-time railroad and logging town now transformed into a tourist-centered faux Bavarian village. The transformation began in the 1960s and has really changed the fortunes of the town which now attracts over 2 million visitors a year. They are just now getting their Christmas lights up which makes it even better. It’s silly and very touristy but also incredibly photogenic and a whole lot of fun. I loved seeing people light up when they walked into the heart of the village and line up for bratwurst and beer. Although it was a rainy afternoon when I arrived I tried to get some photos in before it got too dark. I enjoyed a beer or two and was thrilled to see someone playing an alphorn in the street. Unfortunately the town doesn’t allow overnight parking at all during the winter months, so I had to cruise back down to Peshastin for the night. I stopped for a beer at The Old Mill and found a nice quiet place to park nearby.
When I woke up early on Saturday I could see the sunshine through my window. With no sun in the forecast, I jumped out of bed, got dressed as quickly as I could, and headed back up the mountain to get some photos while it lasted. Of course when I arrived, Leavenworth was fogged in so I tucked in for a coffee and waited for the fog to lift. When it did I was thrilled to get some photos with sunshine and blue sky. It was crowded on Saturday, but the town seemed to manage it well and again, everyone seemed to be having fun. I spent some time in the local history museum which did a great job of telling the story of the local Indians, the town that grew up there and then the transformation into the tourist town of today. The lady working there was really informative and I enjoyed talking with her very much. Since it was so sunny and pleasant I decided to sit down and enjoy one quick beer in the beer garden before heading down the mountain.
From Leavenworth, I wound south along Route 97 following several pretty creeks up and over Blewett Pass and then northwest into the mountains to the tiny town of Roslyn. Roslyn is another old mining town, but one that was very familiar to me as it was the filming location of the great old TV show Northern Exposure. It really is a tiny town and looks a lot like small-town Alaska in many ways so I could see why it was chosen. I had fun poking around town for a bit and then stopped into Marko’s pub for a beer after it got dark. The cook came out and told me he made some barbecue beef and potato salad as a special and told me that I really should order some. Normally I don’t eat barbecue OR potato salad west of the Mississippi River or north of the Mason Dixon Line, but I gave it a shot and it was actually really good. Afterwards I stopped into a strange little speakeasy bar under a book store for a cocktail, and then headed just up the road to The Brick. The Brick is the oldest continuously operating bar in the state, having opened in 1889, so of course I had to give it a go. The old wooden bar was great and there was live music which was even better. I ended up staying until closing time which is not common for me these days, but it was a fun night and the music was too good to walk out on.
Roslyn was really quiet on Sunday morning which was a good thing. I wandered around a bit and took some photos but was really interested in spending some time in their cemeteries. Just outside of town, there is a fascinating stretch of graves divided into 26 distinct sections, each originally bought and maintained by the town’s different ethnic or civic organizations. There is a Moose Cemetery, one for the Elks’ Club and the Odd Fellows. There are also plots for Lithuanians, African Americans and Croatians and a reasonably sized military cemetery as well. It’s really quite an interesting place to wander around and quite unique as well. After I finished with the cemeteries, I headed just down the road to the small and strangely named town of Cle Elum (“swift water” in the Kittitas Indian language). Cle Elum is a neat little town right on the railroad and I was shocked to find an amazing fish market on the main street. Normally I avoid fresh fish that far inland, but these guys seemed to have their act together and I’m sure glad I stopped. I had a delightful cup of lobster bisque and some ahi tuna salad that was to die for. Next door was Mike’s Tavern which of course I had to stop in for a beer. From Cle Elum I followed the Yakima River down to the little college town of Ellensburg, home of Central Washington University. There was very little happening in Ellensburg on a rainy Sunday evening, but I was happy to wander around the quiet downtown for a while and then call it an early night.
On Monday morning I headed out of town and followed the Yakima River through the Yakima Valley to the old town site of Yakima. When the railroad came through the area, Yakima was considered too marshy to hold the tracks, so the whole town was moved about three miles north to a site called North Yakima. At some point the post office told them it was all too confusing so North Yakima became Yakima and the old town site became Union Gap and Union Gap was where I headed first. There’s a little hole-in-the-wall place there called Los Hernandez which won a James Beard Award for their tamales and they were definitely worth the detour. The weather was still gloomy and the museums were closed on a Monday so I decided to catch an afternoon movie. Lost and Found in Cleveland was a pleasant little film to watch although not a particularly good one and I had the theater all to myself for the noon showing. From there I popped down to the library to catch up on some work and then had dinner at an old drive-thru called The Lariat. This tiny little local sandwich shop opened in 1962 and was definitely worth a shot and I enjoyed my beef sandwich and onion rings. Next I cruised back downtown to catch a show at the historic Capitol Theater. I can’t imagine what Yakima must have been like in the first decade of the 20th century to have built such a grand theater, but it must have been quite different than it is today. The theater did fall into disrepair by the 1950s and in the midst of a remodeling, burned to its shell in 1975. Thankfully someone had had it listed on the National Register of Historic Places so it qualified for federal funds to rebuild. They did a magnificent job and I was happy that there was something going on that night so I could see the inside of the place. The performance was the classic Christmas ballet The Nutcracker, performed in Yakima for one night only by Talmi Entertainment which is a touring company from Ukraine. The show was wonderful and I really enjoyed kicking off the Christmas season there.
On Tuesday morning I hit the gym and then went straight to the Yakima Valley Museum. This was a wonderful museum with a lot of excellent displays and artifacts. Just inside the main entrance is a wagon with a mannequin of Teddy Roosevelt in it, dedicated to the 45 minutes the president once spent in Yakima. The museum then took a deep look at local apple production, including the bees which are needed to pollinate the apple trees and the historic box labels from local orchards. On the same agricultural level they took a brief look at hops as 75% of America’s hops come from the Yakima Valley. The museum recreated in exact detail the Washington D.C. office of Yakima local legend William O. Douglas who served on the Supreme Court from 1939-1975, the longest run in U.S. history. There was a great display of souvenirs from around the world collected by a local newspaper editor during his travels. I also loved their historic wagon collection, neon sign garden, Indian artifacts and great temporary displays on Washington mountaineering and the Quinceanera, the coming-of-age parties of Latina girls. Before I left I had to ask the lady working there about the slogan calling Yakima “The Palm Springs of Washington”. She told me that a local man had commissioned a sign to that effect and put it up near the highway on private property (I had seen it on the drive in). She told me it was generally considered tongue in cheek and good fun and her story may have been my favorite part of the museum. I had spent the better part of the day there and I wanted to get down the road so I headed southeast to Toppenish for the night. Toppenish is known for its downtown murals depicting old west scenes and I enjoyed a short walk around the main square and a magnificent sunset, the first one I’ve seen in many days. Because of the agricultural nature of the region, there is a huge Latino population around so I got some tasty tacos for dinner and then spent the night at the nearby casino.
This morning I headed straight for the Yakama Nation Cultural Center just up the road from the casino. This was another great museum and one that was spacious and easy to navigate. It began with the Yakama’s creation story and of the giant beings that roamed the world before they arrived (“mosquitos as big as bears” – I think I’d pass). It looked at their connection to salmon as a staple food and historic fishing at Celilo Falls before the dam at The Dalles destroyed the waterfalls and the salmon run. The Treaty of 1855 was on full display, and they were quick to point out that their treaty predated the State of Washington. There was an important look at the underreported epidemic of missing Indigenous women and girls across the country and I really respected their statement “we’re going missing, but you haven’t noticed because you didn’t see us in the first place”. There was also a look at tribal religious beliefs (many Yakama are devout Christians), a display on Yakama military veterans and beautiful photos from Edward Curtis, The Shadow Catcher himself (after whom my van is named). I also really liked their explanation of tule reeds (also called hardstem bulrush) which they use in all of their houses and tipis. The tule mats they use are lightweight, easy to make and therefor replace, and most importantly when they are wet they expand and block out the wind and water but when they are dry they shrink down and let a breeze pass through while providing shade and keeping things cool. There was a lot of beauty and wisdom conveyed in this museum and I really enjoyed my time there.
Afterwards, I headed back downtown in Toppenish to take a few more photos and then headed down the highway. I had to make a stop in the little town of Granger which is filled with dinosaur statues from a bygone era of Americana and tourism. And then I headed on to Sunnyside to the library here to finish up this post at the local library. When I’m done here I hope to stop at a local winery for a tasting and then head on to the Tri-Cities to check out the last segment of the Manhattan Project National Historic Site at Hanford.
This next week will be my last week in Washington for the time being. From the Tri-Cities I hope to get some photos out at Palouse Falls and stop through Walla Walla on my way out of the state. From there I will head back to Oregon and hope to see some of the Wallowa Valley, Hells Canyon and to learn more about the Oregon Trail. I’ve looked at some of those areas but I’m not sure how they will play out when I actually head that direction, so you’ll have to check back next week and see where I end up. Washington State has been an amazing journey but it’s about time for me to be moving on. Have a great week out there, wherever you are, and thank you, as always, for reading.
-Mike
