JET BOAT/BUS TOUR

We saw in the local paper the Reach Museum  offers trips around the area. We booked a trip for Saturday, September 10. My friend Beth, one of the Workampers here,  offered to potty Maggie and Marlee for us since it was an all day trip. The trip would take us up the Snake River through the locks of Ice Harbor Dam  and the Lower Monumental Dam.   Bruce Bjormstad, a geologist-author would be on board and lunch  would be provided.  When we reached Lyons Ferry State Park we would be transported to Palouse Falls by bus.
Before boarding the jet boat, Bruce showed us on a map our route and sites we would see along  the way.

The jet boat held twenty people, we got a great seat right in front. We would be on the Columbia River for a  short while before reaching the Snake River.

I got a good shot of the two bridges and the Railroad Bridge.

There were lots of fishermen on the river, the Salmon are just starting to come up river.

We passed an orchard and the Captain explained these were blueberries growing under these covers. Washington state, at least this part,  is getting away from apple growing and have become one of the larger growing blueberry states.

After reaching the Snake we started to see barges.

It wasn't long and we reached our first lock,  Ice Harbor Dam.

We had a little bit of a wait before entering this lock. We would be entering where this boat is.

We would be raised up with water to reach the level of the river. Water rushed in  from underneath us, slow at first and then faster to  raise us up.

We were almost to the top.

And here we are all raised up so we can continue our journey.

Bruce explained we would start to see more evidence of how the land was carved out by the Ice Age Floods.

Around lunch tine we reached our second lock, Lower Monumental Dam.

While we were being raised up, we enjoyed a wonderful box lunch from Fat Olive. It was delicious.
Bruce explained that not only was this land formed from Ice Age Flooding, it was also formed from Lava flows.

Giant ripples and basalt cliffs.

I was glad we had taken this trip, I wouldn't have known what this landscape represented.
It wasn't long and we were at Lyon's Ferry.

We thanked our Captain for getting us here safely and boarded a bus to Palouse Falls.

Most of the Workampers had already visited Palouse Falls and had described it as a waterfall in the middle of a desert.

We thought that was a pretty accurate description.

It was time to get back on the bus.

We arrived back a little earlier than planned. We were glad we got the opportunity to take this  trip, it was very enjoyable.

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.