Prosser - drinking wine and smelling the roses

 

road, rail, river -  a western theme.....

We drove along the Columbia River for awhile before turning north, up and over the golden Horse Heaven Hills and down into the green Yakima Valley.

We stayed at Wine Country RV Park, a large and well kept park with decent space between sites and all the amenities one might expect.    The office hosted several wine tastings by local vineyards during our stay.    Their license required the drinking of wine be confined to the inside the office and that no alcohol be taken outside to the patio area.     Had we known that before we purchased our wine glass/tickets, we would have decided against it.       The wine tastings were very well attended, to say the least.   The office area was packed with happy people, drinking wine and eating platters of cheese and crackers left out on the bar for everyone to help themselves.      We were uncomfortable and left before finishing and didn't attend any of the others during our stay.

We were in Prosser to taste wine so we spent the next few days doing exactly that - and having a jolly good time doing it!     We tasted outside on lovely patios with expansive views of the valley, one patio under a whispering pine, next to the vines themselves.   We tasted wine with lunch, with cheese and crackers, with nothing but our own company, and in the company of a couple of very interesting "pourers".         One woman was the mother of the new owner of an previously established winery.    She watched his children, poured wine at their tasting room and chatted with guests while her husband worked in the vineyard.      Said son was busy working at his "real" job as a Nurse Practitioner.        We tasted wine in a dark, atmospheric tasting room in a strip mall.      We, (Dave) smelled roses wherever we went.

Bunnell - great wine great lunch!   Croque Madam and Pear/bacon flat bread

 

Daven Lore winery - a favorite

  

newly acquired Barrel Springs

baby grapes

listening intently

Andrea Nicole Cellars

did we buy?   Yes we did

oh Dave.....

OH DAVE!

Between tasting and sniffing we drove around the area and marveled at the acres and acres and acres of grapes, and apples and cherries, and peaches, and hops and blueberries right up to the edge of the yellow round hillsides.   

All under the shrouded but watchful eyes of Mt. Adams and Mt. Rainier.    

On our way to one winery (which we never actually found....) we took a long detour out into the golden hills looking for Gravity Hill.    There are many such "hills" in the world, ones that appear to be up but are really down...   Since this one was relatively on our way we (I) decided to find it and see if we would really roll uphill....

Someone had helpfully painted "start" on the road where one should put one's vehicle in neutral in order to roll UP towards the spooky old grain elevator.    Dave humored me and did as told and....we rolled all the way UPHILL  to the building!     

He couldn't leave well enough alone, however, and had to tell me, multiple times, why the Jeep did what it did.    I understood right away, but geez!   Just enjoy the moment!   Ah well, he's an engineer to the bone.

Through a mix up on the campground's part, our last day was Monday.    Tuesday morning we packed up and left our happy wine country blur and headed north to little Ephrata for a few day's stay.  

see us?

We're backed into a nice, full hook up, shady site at the city of Ephrata's Oasis RV and Golf "resort" and happy to be here.   It's very very hot and the shade these big willows provide is welcome.   The little pond behind us is home to birds and ducks and peepers (providing a sweet symphony all night long).

Our stop here is to rest and perhaps check out nearby Soap Lake and, of course, Banks Lake.   Plans are in flux as it seems Soap Lake is burning......

We're safe here and we'll be careful.     We'll take Lewis along with us whenever we leave Beluga, just in case.  Next stop - Spokane!