CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN & MT. RAINIER

ONE CLEAR, SUNNY, DAY WE DROVE OVER TO CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN TO RIDE THE GONDOLA TO THE TOP SO WE COULD HAVE A GOOD VIEW OF MT. RAINIER. WE NEVER GOT TO SEE MT. RAINIER IN 2013 WHEN WE WORKED IN WESTPORT FOR THE SUMMER. WE TRIED, BUT EVERY CHANCE WE GOT IT WAS EITHER  FOGGED IN OR CLOUDS WERE COVERING IT.  I WAS DETERMINED TO SEE IT THIS TIME!
IT WAS OVER A TWO HOUR DRIVE, WE TOOK M AND  M WITH US, THEY ALLOW PETS TO RIDE TO THE TOP.
WE DROVE THROUGH YAKIMA, OUR FRIENDS,  PAM AND RON'S HOME FOR MANY YEARS.  FRUIT/VEGETABLE STAND ON EVERY CORNER!

PAM AND RON NEVER SAID THEY LIVED IN THE PALM SPRINGS OF WASHINGTON!

THIS WAS OUR FIRST LOOK AT MT. RAINIER....BEAUTIFUL BEYOND WORDS.

WE GOT TO CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN AND WALKED AROUND THE GROUNDS. CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN IS A SKI RESORT IN THE WINTER.

PRETTY IMPRESSIVE  SKI RUNS!

DARRELL TOOK ONE LOOK AT THE GONDOLAS AND DECIDED HE WOULD STAY DOWN WITH THE DOGS.

I RODE TO THE TOP WITH TWO YOUNG MEN WHO WORK AT CRYSTAL MOUNTAIN. THEY GAVE ME ALL THE "INSIDE INFORMATION".

AND ONE OF THEM WAS NICE ENOUGH TO TAKE MY PICTURE.

HE TOLD ME I WAS FOURTEEN MILES FROM MT. RAINIER, AS THE CROW FLIES. IT WAS A SPECTACULAR VIEW.

I WALKED AROUND THE TOP, WENT TO THE GIFT SHOP AND SAT DOWN IN ONE OF THESE CHAIRS FACING MT. RAINIER.

KIDS WERE FEEDING THE CHIPMUNKS RIGHT OUT OF THEIR HANDS.

I SAT THERE A LONG TIME JUST ENJOYING THE VIEW AND FOUND ALL KINDS OF FOLKS TO VISIT WITH. SITTING THERE YOU COULD SEE MT. ADAMS, MT. ST. HELEN'S AND MT. RAINIER.  I WALKED SOME MORE AND ANOTHER NICE MAN OFFERED TO TAKE MY PICTURE AND i TOOK HIS.

IT WAS TIME TO GO.....I HAD BEEN UP THERE FOR TWO HOURS! 

I WAS SO HAPPY I GOT TO SEE MT. RAINIER!! 

HERMISTON MELONS,

RIGHT AFTER WE ARRIVED HERE WE HEARD ABOUT THE  HERMISTON MELONS....SUPPOSED TO BE THE BEST!  COMING FROM SOUTH DAKOTA AND ENJOYING THE  FORESTBURG AND  WOONSOCKET MELONS, WE WERE ANXIOUS TO COMPARE.  RIGHT AFTER THE FOURTH OF JULY....THEY WERE READY!  WE DROVE OVER TO HERMISTON, WA., NOT TOO FAR FROM THE RV PARK.

WE WERE HEADED TO BELLINGER FARMS.

BEAUTIFUL MELONS!

AND LOTS OF THEM!

WE WENT A LITTLE CRAZY.......JUST LIKE THE CHERRIES!

EVEN FOUND YELLOW WATERMELON!!

WE GOT HOME AND CUT IT OPEN......IT WAS DELICIOUS!

THE MELONS WERE AS GOOD AS OR BETTER THAN THE SOUTH DAKOTA MELONS.

WE WILL ENJOY THESE THE REST OF THE TIME WE ARE HERE.

THE ONION FESTIVAL

WALLA WALLA WAS HAVING THEIR SWEET  ONION FESTIVAL.....WE WENT TO CHECK IT OUT!

WE  SAW ONIONS GROWING IN THE FIELDS ON THE WAY  OVER.

IT LOOKED LIKE MOST HAD BEEN HARVESTED.

THERE WERE FOOD DEMONSTRATIONS AND FOOD TASTINGS!

THEY MADE SWEET ONION ICE CREAM!

IT WAS VERY GOOD!

WE WERE DISAPPOINTED THERE WERE NO ONION RINGS AT ANY OF THE FOOD STANDS, SO WE BOUGHT A WALLA WALLA SWEET ONION AND CAME HOME AND MADE OUR OWN.

THEY WERE DELICIOUS!

THE PARK WAS DECKED OUT FOR THE FOURTH OF JULY...EVERY SITE HAD A FLAG......

THE PARK WAS FULL AGAIN!

THERE WAS A FIRE PRETTY CLOSE TO US CAUSED FROM FIREWORKS.

HOT.......THEN COLD

THE WEATHER WAS WARMING BY THE FIRST WEEK OF JUNE, WE WERE TO BE IN THE TRIPLE DIGITS! THE RETURNING WORKAMPERS WARNED "THE HEAT WAS ON!" WE WENT TO WORK AT OUR REGULAR TIME  AT 9:00. BY NOON IS WAS 103  DEGREES AND I GOT OVERHEATED!  THE NEXT DAY WE STARTED AT 7:30 AND WE WERE DONE BY 10:30 BEFORE IT GOT HOT.

I WAS WONDERING IF THIS IS THE WAY IT IS GOING TO BE ALL THE REST OF THE  SUMMER IF I WAS GOING TO BE ABLE TO WORK OUTSIDE. THANKFULLY, IT COOLED OFF!
 THE WIND BLOWS HERE ALMOST EVERY DAY AND WITH THE FIELD BEHIND US IN DIRT, IT IS IMPOSSIBLE TO KEEP ANYTHING  CLEAN. PAM AND RON WARNED US ABOUT THE WIND, THEY WERE RIGHT ON!!
SHERRY TEXTED SHE WANTED TO COME FOR ANOTHER VISIT, JUNE 15-18,  I WAS DELIGHTED! ...I TOLD HER TO BRING  A WINTER COAT!!  I ASKED HER  IF SHE COULD BRING ME SOME RAW OYSTERS FROM TACOMA, SHE SAID "SURE!". WE PLANNED TO EAT TOGETHER THE FIRST NIGHT SHE GETS HERE. SHE ARRIVED EARLY AFTERNOON. WE HAD STEAK, FRIED OYSTERS AND SCALLOPS, SALAD, BAKED POTATOES. WE ATE OUTSIDE AT THE PICNIC TABLE. IT WAS ALL DELICIOUS, SHERRY TRIED THE OYSTERS, DIDN'T CARE FOR THEM.
SHERRY AND I WENT TO SPUDNUTS THE NEXT MORNING FOR DONUTS. SHE HAD A SEATTLE MARINER DONUT.....

AFTERWARDS,  I WANTED TO SHOW SHERRY THIS LOVELY PARK WE FOUND ON THE COLUMBIA, AMON PARK.  I WAS SURPRISED TO SEE THESE SHIPS, I'VE NEVER SEEN THEM HERE BEFORE......WE HAD TO GO CHECK IT OUT!

WE JUST SAT BY THE RIVER AND WATCHED THE PEOPLE, FOUND SOME INFORMATION ON THESE SHIPS. SHERRY THOUGHT SHE MIGHT LIKE TO BOOK A CRUISE.
OUR NEXT STOP WAS TAGARIS WINERY, ONE OF THE  WORKAMPER GALS TOLD US THIS WAS HER FAVORITE WINERY.

WE DID THE WINE TASTING FIRST AND WE BOTH FOUND A WHITE WE LOVED! WE  WERE PLEASED TO FIND OUT IT WAS HAPPY HOUR AND  APPETIZERS WERE HALF PRICE. WE ORDERED A FLATBREAD AND ARTICHOKES TO SHARE.

SHERRY BOUGHT TWO BOTTLES, I BOUGHT ONE.

THE NEXT DAY WE WERE HEADED TO PROSSER, SHERRY HAD FOUND SOME REVIEWS IN A TRAVEL MAGAZINE AND WE WANTED TO CHECK THEM OUT.. BUT  FIRST  A QUICK STOP BY  CHUNK-AR CHERRIES.

 DARRELL AND I STOPPED BY HERE EARLIER IN THE YEAR. THEY SELL DRIED FRUIT, NUTS AND CHOCOLATES.....AND THEY HAVE TASTINGS!

 THEN IT WAS ON TO  AIRFIELD ESTATES WINERY, A FRIEND OF SHERRY'S TOLD HER ABOUT THIS ONE.

WE DID THE WINE TASTING HERE AND DIDN'T LIKE ANY OF THE WINES, IN FACT THEY LEFT  SUCH AN AFTERTASTE IN OUR MOUTHS! SHERRY BOUGHT A FEW GIFT ITEMS.
THE NEXT STOP WAS THE  BUNNELL  FAMILY CELLARS. WE "DID" THE WINE TASTING AT A LITTLE TABLE OUTSIDE AND THEN ORDERED LUNCH..  WE DIDN'T CARE FOR ANY OF THE WINE, WE STILL HAD THAT BAD TASTE IN OUR MOUTHS. LUNCH WAS DELICIOUS, AN ANTIPASTO PLATTER.

WE TOLD OUR SERVER, AS NICELY AS WE COULD, WE DIDN'T CARE FOR ANY OF THE WINES. SHE RECOMMENDED A NEW WINERY, WIT CELLARS,  WHICH WAS ON OUR WAY HOME. SHE JUST HAPPENED TO BE ONE OF THE OWNERS.
WE STOPPED TO CHECK IT OUT.

BY NOW, SHERRY AND I WERE SHARING THE WINE TASTINGS. WE DIDN'T CARE FOR ANY OF THESE EITHER. OH, WELL........WE WILL  JUST HAVE TO  KEEP TRYING. SHERRY WILL COME THROUGH KENNEWICK IN AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER, SO WE STILL HAVE TIME TO FIND HER A RED!