Moving south into Utah

 First things first....as I sat here starting to write the blog, this is what I looked up and saw......

oh Dave.....

He always has to be the center of attention......

We enjoyed our few days stopover at Country Corners RV.    We relaxed one day and then did a bit of exploring the next.    There wasn't anythng I particularly wanted to see, but water is always a draw for us so we set off toward Cascade and/or McCall,  Idaho.    We knew we'd enjoy the journey because the roads I picked hugged the Palouse River.

We did have one unusual, and first for us, water encounter.   I recommend it, if the situation ever presents itself to you......

The farm fields in this part of Idaho are all irrigated by huge, rolling watering thingys.   You've all seen them.     As we approached one we noticed that it was poorly adjusted and a very strong stream of water was missing the field and raining down on the road ahead.    Should we?   The Jeep was pretty dusty and dirty.....should we?

Yes, we should!    Dave slowed down and stopped under the powerful spray.    As it slowly moved, we slowly moved to stay under the shower - back and forth, back and forth.       We wonder what someone would have thought if they had seen us.    I don't think anyone did, but......      Rocky emerged and drove away clean as a whistle with a smile on his face.      Fun!

Around lunch time we stopped at  Wild Rose Park, at the bottom of the Black Canyon Diversion Dam. for a quick bite and a little leg stretch.      The river was racing by below us so we didn't let Lewis have a swim there, we knew we'd find a better spot ahead.

We did.    A few miles away we found a wide, calm spot with a level entry so we all waded in.  You know how hot it was.   

We had fun for about a half hour, throwing and retrieving, throwing and retrieving, until a flotilla of women on SUPs appoached.   They were clearly heading for our spot to beach themselves,   so.....Time to go for us.

It was becoming smokey and the road was becoming narrow, curvy and the beginning of Labor Day weekend busy so we decided to go only as far as Banks...

.

A branch of the Payette River turned off of the main road right there,  so we decided to follow it a few miles before turning around and heading home.

We'd gone only a few miles when we saw something large and red in the middle of some pretty serious rapids.

There were a few people in a pull off and they were looking at the red thing also.     It turned out to be a large raft upturned and stuck fast on a rock.     No one seemed to be in a panic, so we assumed that whoever was "driving" it had gotten to shore safely and how to get the raft back was being "discussed" in a lively manner.

We decided to stay and see how it would go.     After several different strategies were employed to no avail,  a what looked like a pontoon/ kayak with three people aboard put in and made a run at it.   Two jumped off as they approached, one landing on the raft, the other on the nearby rock.    The retrieval was underway!

Long story short, the two of them managed to get a rope around the stuck raft and a group of bystanders walked upstream hauling on the other end of the rope til the raft pulled free.       I know, we're easily amused.     

Friday morning we left Caldwell and moved along to our next one night stopover at the Heyburn Riverside RV park.     Another of our favorite little parks.    It's small and green and spacious and friendly and.....it sits beside the Snake River!    We even were able to sit outside for happy hour, the grass was cool and our big tree gave us nice shade.

yes, we see you Lew......

 

  Saturday morning we continued south to our next stop, Salt Lake City, Utah.   The scenery along the interstate was fairly boring but the trip was uneventful and we arrived in time for dinner with our old friends, Jack and Marilyn.      

reminders of fire along the way

It was good to see them,  we have one more planned dinner before we leave SLC on Monday morning.   Next stop will be new to us and we're really looking forward to it!

As I publish today's blog, I can see that it must be meal time for "someone", who is resting comfortably across from me, all the while giving the the "eye".....

Walla Walla

 We rested the first day in Walla Walla, drove into the Palouse to explore the next, and used the rest of our time tasting wine.  Can you believe it?

Palouse Falls has been on my radar since we started visiting the Spokane area, but it was always just a little too far to drive for one reason or another.     From Walla Walla it was just half the distance so we couldn't not go.       Walla Walla is a very green little town incorporated in 1862.     Many of it's buildings have been restored and rehabilitated and now house good restaurants, winery tasting rooms and shops.  The downtown areas streets are tree lined and well cared for.  

Just a minute or two outside of town to the north, however, the views change, the trees end and the rolling, wheat covered hills of the Palouse seem to be never ending.     Fascinating to us, but never ending.

As we approached Lyons Ferry State Park (about 50 miles from Walla Walla), at the confluence of the Snake and the Palouse Rivers, the topopgraphy transitioned from agriculture to wild sunflower covered hillsides and rocky outcroppings.       

  

 

  

We stopped at the small State Park to have lunch and stretch our legs.    A very short stretch, however, because the temps. were hovering around 100 degrees and sweet Lewis becomes a cement block at the end of his leash when he doesn't want to continue being outside.   

After lunch we continued on our way to the Falls.  We arrived to find that we were the only people there.  The view across the canyon was spectacular...it's creation interesting and different from most waterfalls.

    

In the 1940's my dear aunt Erna, my mother's sister, took the train from Buffalo to Walla Walla to work for the Corps of Engineers on their dam and flood mitigation project.    As a young woman how brave she must have been to leave her two sisters, her only family, and travel that far on her own.    I wish I had talked more with her about this adventure.  One afternoon Dave and I set out to find that dam and perhaps feel just a tiny bit closer to her.  

Mill Creek flood mitigation

 

Mill Creek Dam

Wineries......So many wineries, so little time.     Walla Walla has emerged as one of the finest wine regions in the country.    The area boasts 120 wineries with 30 downtown tasting rooms.     We prefer to go to the wineries themselves rather than the urban tasting rooms so we made valient effort to do so.

driving through the vines

Pepper Bridge Winery

The Walls

Sariah Winery

Example of the stony, volcanic soil in the Rocks District

Restaurants.....We only tried a couple.   After tasting wines and munching on charcruterie and cheese boards almost every day, we didn't have room for any more food.      One day we stopped at the Maple Counter Cafe for brunch before a winery.   

Dutch Baby and Eggs Benedict at Maple Counter Cafe (no, I did not eat it all....)

  Another day it was only 85 degrees so we took the opportunity to stroll around  Main Street and stop for an outdoor lunch at Brasserie Four.    (We had dinner there earlier in the week and vowed to return   because there were so many things on the menu that we lusted for!).   

and....pickled walla walla onions!

 

salad course

Lunch was Croque Madame and Croque Monsieur with Pomme Frites and.....a glass of Rose.   Dinner had been Dave's all time favorite - Bouillabaisse - and I had Beef Bourguignon.     No pictures of that, however, we tore into it like little piggies and it was gone before I thought of a photo!

The sidewalks weren't too busy on such a nice day, but the tasting rooms were all filled.   Glad we decided to drive out of town to do our tastings.

Fancy wine tasting tour anyone?

As you can see, we had a wondereful time in Walla Walla, and will most certainly make a return visit.

I'm writing this from Caldwell, Idaho at the Country Corner's RV Park.    This is a lovely, friendly, quiet, green and flower filled campground with gravel sites and good services.    Lewis loves it here.    He likes to walk on the soft green grass and sniff each tree thoroughly.      We're here until tomorrow when we'll move toward Salt Lake City and a quick visit with old friends. 

gratuitous wavy ear picture