Three Week Road Trip - Sixth Leg - Richland, WA to Las Vegas, NV via Great Basin National Park and Lehman Caves, September 29, 2013

Iffy weather in Richland, and on our way to Walla Walla for a day of wine tasting with the Carpenters.  Walla Walla is a very cute town, lots of tasting rooms, restaurants and shops with cheese, chocolate, home dec - what could be better?  We stopped at a winery for a tasting; very reasonable prices here in comparison to the Napa/Sonoma area.  The wines were so-so, and we bought nothing.  We wandered into a couple of other tasting rooms, but nothing rang our bell, so we went to have lunch at...oops,  forgot to note the name of the place.  The food was OK, they had a beer that Scott likes on tap, so he was happy.  As it is fall, there were a couple of beers that were right in line for this time of year.  Stan and I shared a darker ale.  It was OK; he drank most of it.

Spinach salad, beef dip, reuben and potato skins for lunch.

We drove to a winery that was in an old schoolhouse; a label that Scott and Carolyn had served us for dinner the night before.  The schoolhouse was turned into a tasting room, and it was a very interesting place.  Stan and Scott stayed in the car; Carolyn and I did a quick peek inside and then left for one more tasting room.  The wines there were good; Carolyn bought a red and then we left to see the house that they had just put an offer in on...and was accepted. 

The house is in West Richland and is a great buy.  It needs work, but the backyard is perfect for Carolyn and her love of gardening.  The house has a large basement with a full bath, and I suggested turning that into their master retreat, as the master bedroom upstairs and adjoining bath is on the smaller side.  Also, I suggested that they take part of the laundry room to enlarge the kitchen.  I am a troublemaker!

Looking at the weather, we decided to turn around and head south.  Rain, rain everywhere, and no fun sightseeing or golfing in it.  The weather in Vegas seemed good, so we thought we'd take a quick inventory and play golf for the rest of the week.   Scott suggested that we stop by Twin Falls in Idaho, and we made a reservation to stay the night.  When we got to Twin Falls, only one, Shoshone, was running, and without much water.  These falls are huge when they are running, but the season was over, and, after escaping bees trying to get into our car, we decided to high tail it to Wells, NV and stay the night there. 

A woman at the falls scared me a bit when she said that the roads were desolate on the way to Wells, and that two women had been lost and found dead out there, but Stan wanted to push on, and I overcame my fear to drive until nightfall.  The roads were quiet, but we made it to the teeny stateline town of Wells.  There are a few hotels there (Super 8, never again), and a few restaurants and gas stations and that's it.  How folks survive there, I'll never know, but I was happy to get out.  One shining light (dimly shining, but shining, nonetheless) is Bella's Restaurant.  The staff there is eager to please, the food is plentiful (and they tell you that right up front, even suggesting that you split), and, for diner-type food, it is all right.  Stan's fried chicken was crunchy and juicy.  The potatoes were cold and the vegetables were soggy, but he didn't care as long as the chicken was good.  My cobb was serviceable.  The ranch dressing was good, and although the turkey was processed, it was tasty enough.  Again, neither one of us starved.  Bella's

Cobb Salad and Fried Chicken at Bella's for dinner.  Guess who ate what.

Yogurt and fruit and pancakes, eggs and bacon at Bella's for breakfast.

The curtains at Bella's are various types of aprons, very cute.  Since it seemed to be the only game in town, we ate there for breakfast as well.  Greek yogurt with strawberries and lots of fresh apples, melons, oranges and grapefruit (not all in season, but OK), accompanied the yogurt.  Stan asked for his pancakes well done.  They didn't get that right, but he loved his egg.  The bacon, as usual, was not up to his standards.

It was Monday, the day before the government shut-down, and, as we were passing by Great Basin National Park, we went on in to see it and the Lehman Caves.  Stan and I had picked up sandwiches at a local market and put them in the cooler, not knowing what the food situation would be at the park.  It turned out that we were alone in the picnic area, except for a bird and insect or two thousand, and we had a lovely time eating our sandwiches among the trees.

Lunch among the trees.

Chicken salad sandwich to share - yum!

Great Basin from the Visitor's Center parking lot.

The park itself is immense, and the caves were quite spectacular and small enough to cover in a one-hour tour.  We noticed a couple wearing New Zealand t-shirts and it turned out that they had been in San Francisco during America's Cup, when the American team turned around an 8-1 deficit to win the cup!  The tour guide was a kooky young lady named Carolyn, but she was informative (almost too much), and got the whole group involved in one way or another.

The Lehman Caves.

We dragged ourselves on a long ride to Vegas.  I don't believe I've ever driven 50 miles without seeing another car, but it happened today.  Vast open space, a two-lane highway, and nothing for miles and miles.  I was afraid to ask if we had cell service.  

We made it to Vegas, where we had a nice dinner outside at PF Chang's...ahh warmth...and settled in for a three night stay in lovely, sunny Las Vegas where many golf courses awaited us.  

The next day, we made a 2 pm tee time at Wildhorse Golf Club.  The greens fees were reasonable, and we wanted to make a less expensive course our first one.  Well, it was hot.  And I mean hot!  In the 90s, and we were so tired, heat exhausted and shaky, that we quit on the 7th hole.  Stan almost passed out twice.  Not good.  We felt it was the universe telling us that this trip was not a good idea and that we should go home.  Which we did; 1-1/2 weeks early.  

Now that we're home, we're glad we did this road trip.  It was great fun, even though it didn't turn out exactly the way we'd hoped.  But we're better equipped to do it the next time.  I'll pack differently, and try to stay in a place for more than one night, but overall, the trip was a great time.  And I got to travel with my best friend, travel buddy and love of my life, Stan.

Three Week Road Trip - Fifth Leg at Richland, WA, September 27, 2013

This will be a shorty, for a couple of reasons.  The drive was basically a repeat of the Columbia River Gorge and a fairly boring ride into Washington State, where, once we crossed the state line, it promptly proceeded to rain.  Golf was definitely a question mark.  And I'm tired.

We got to Carolyn and Scott in time for lunch.  We ate at Shari's, a chain of Denny's-type coffee shops.  Shari's  True to form, I forgot to take pictures.  I had quiche with salad, Stan had a burger (new?).  Carolyn had a cuban sandwich and Scott a reuben.  It was fine food.  It would keep us from starving.

We were already dressed for golf.  Carolyn would ride with me as her arm wasn't ready due to a break she suffered last summer.  The weather was very cloudy and windy, and we hoped that it would hold.  

We went to Columbia Point Golf Club in Richland, WA.  Columbia Point Golf Club  What beautiful and deep green fairways, which were wide with few trees and some water.  I'm certainly no expert, but it seemed like a hybrid of a traditional and links course.  A fair amount of elevation and "moguls," as Stan calls them made the course challenging, but it wasn't that difficult to play...until the rain hit.

Brothers-in-law on the tee at #1

I have never used my golf umbrella to play golf, until today.  I was doing fairly well on the front nine, and the rain was falling.  Harder and harder, until, after shooting a 52 on the front nine and finishing the 10th hole, I called it quits.  I was cold, wet and couldn't imagine going on.  I was not having fun.  I took the cart to the clubhouse where Carolyn was already waiting (she was smart and left after the 9th hole), and settled down to chat with her with a hot tea.  I was so much happier.  

Sisters waiting in the warm clubhouse.

The boys actually played the entire 18 holes.  It never stopped raining, and they never stopped playing.  Stan shot a 52 on the front and a 54 on the back for a 106.  Scott shot a 61 on the front and a 50 on the back for a 111.  They came back soaking wet.  All of our clubs are still drying out.  

Carolyn made a very good dinner, Caesar salad and ravioli stuffed with cheese and red peppers and topped with pesto.  Great red wine (Syrah) from the Walla Walla area (we're going there tomorrow!), and she let me do a load of laundry!  Thanks Carolyn!

Oh, and rain, rain...please go away!  It looks like the three week road trip will be abbreviated due to the weather.  Coeur d'Alene is already cancelled.  We'll see what we decide tomorrow.

Three Week Road Trip - Fourth Leg at Columbia River Gorge/Mt. Hood, OR, September 26, 2013

What a dam good trip!  No, it was not misspelled.  We have visited two dams this week!  I hadn't been to a dam in 20 years, and now I've been to two within 72 hours!

A partly sunny day in Troutdale!  Imagine that!  In the car after breakfast and on the road (again) to the Columbia River Gorge.  How nice that Troutdale is at the mouth of the Columbia River Gorge so we didn't have long to drive.  Our first view...breathtaking!

The magnificent Columbia River Gorge.

View after view, waterfall after waterfall, this Scenic Drive is without a doubt one of the highlights of my traveling life.  Considering that the roads and bridges were originally built over 100 years ago makes it that much more incredible, and an incredible story as well.  A few of the waterfalls we encountered on our drive today.

Horsetail Falls

Multnomah Falls

We had originally planned to drive through the Gorge and then go around the backside of Mt Hood and have lunch at a lodge over there.  But by the time we arrived at Multnomah Falls, it was already after noon, what with all the stops and gawking at beautiful waterfalls and lush, thick moss-laden trees, ferns and other foliage.  Luckily, there was a lodge right there, and we climbed up the stairs for lunch.  Multnomah Falls Lodge

The Lodge at Multnomah Falls.

 

 

Northwest Smoked Salmon appetizer

French Onion Soup

Moroccan Stew with Lamb Sausage

We had a delicious starter of smoked salmon with apple-huckleberry compote, tropical fruits, whipped cream cheese, cheddar and swiss.  Not terribly fancy, but pretty good.  Stan loved his french onion soup, and we shared and both very much enjoyed the Moroccan stew which was loaded with couscous, tasty vegetables, raisins and a yummy lamb sausage.  After lunch, I had to stroll through the gift shop.  If there's a gift shop around, I must see what's there.  I don't buy much, but every once in a while, I see something that may help me remember the trip.

The Bonneville Dam was our next stop, a fascinating project, started during the Great Depression to create jobs in the Pacific Northwest which was hit particularly hard by the Depression.  At that time, Oregon was sparsely populated, and the project was not particularly popular amongst all the populace, but Roosevelt pushed it ahead and proved to be very beneficial during WWII, when they needed the electricity to product the aluminum and other products needed for the war.  Also incredibly interesting is the fact that there is an underwater viewing station of the fish ladder which salmon and other species of fish use to go upstream to spawn.  

Around a very big bend in the road sits huge, towering, magnificent Mt Hood, shrouded in snow and, usually, clouds.  No clouds today, lucky for us.  Traveling along the "Fruit Loop" where you can buy apples and pears, now in season (yes, we did, and the Concord Pear I ate was super good).  I saw pears and apples I had never heard of before, including the one I devoured in the car.

Mt Hood

The drive back to Troutdale was longer than we had anticipated, but it was very pretty.  So many, many trees - Oregon truly is a green state.  Instead of going straight to the hotel, we decided to go to dinner since it was already after 6 pm when we got back.  Stan had read about a place called McMenamin's Edgefield that had two par-3 golf courses, several restaurants and bars.  We decided to check it out.  McMenamin's  McMenamin's is the most whimsical, amazing place I've ever seen.  It is a 74 acre parcel that used to house the poor back at the turn of the 20th century.  There is art everywhere, not just framed, but painted murals on every wall.  They brew their own beer, have their own winery, glass blowing studio, pottery studio, herb and vegetable garden (all organic), hotel, spa, etc etc.  There are rumors that the hotel is haunted.  We ate at the Black Rabbit restaurant, which was the more upscale venue there.  Stan was entranced by the look of the Caesar salad, so that was all it took.  Brent, our server, was absolutely terrific, and made our experience so much better.  After I ordered the wine sampler (for lack of a better word - OK, I'm super tired and can't think straight) and Stan got a Moscow Mule (called a New Zealand Mule there), I ordered the Pacific Northwest Salmon over warm cucumber, creme fraiche and salmon roe.  Just delicious!  Stan ordered the Caesar, of course, and a salmon tartar over a bed of avocado.  He was a very happy man.

Directional signs at Edgefield.

The Wine Sampler - Most pretty good.  Some just OK.

The ever-present Caesar

Salmon with horseradish crust, warm cucumbers and salmon roe.

Salmon tartar with an endive salad and house made chips.

Tomorrow we visit Carolyn and Scott.  Golf at 1:44!  Finally, a different kind of driving!!