On the Road 2007, Toppenish, WA. and Yakima Valley

Our stay in Toppenish is about over, this is our return trip here which has been wonderfully educational. Toppenish is where "the west still lives" and will celebrate its centennial birthday this year. Our host for our stay is the Yakama Nations RV Park on Indian lands. The park has a one-mile walking track, which we have been on most everyday for at least 4 to 6 miles.


The drive up Interstate-82 through the Yakima Valley is one giant fruit basket. Orchards and orchards of every variety of apple, peaches, apricots, and cherries. In addition, a great deal of the land is being devoted to grape vineyards. More than 98% of the premium grapes in Washington are grown here. The sunny slopes of the Yakima Valley foothills provide the perfect growing conditions for producing Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, and Syrah. It reminds me of the Gold Coast vineyards of Santa Maria, San Luis Obispo, and Atascadero in California.

I read an earlier freeze damaged some of the cherry crop, however the surviving growers will be compensated with larger fruit thus may see higher prices. The pickers are paid 20 cents per pound and if they can keep the pace, they should average $12.00 per hour. I paid $4.98 for my last five (5) pound bag of large, sweet bing cherries at a roadside fruit stand. The lady told me the cherries were from her surrounding orchard and were especially large and sweet. They are so good...I limit myself to 50 cherries a day and have not had any digestive or other issues... I hate being on "the alert", I am on vacation.

An amazing sight is the hop (Humulus Lupulus) vines growing as tall as telephone poles. Hops have been grown in the western United States since the middle 1800's, and in the Yakima Valley since 1868. A large percentage of the world and U.S. supply of hops for the flavoring of beers is grown in the Yakima Valley which ranks second in the world in growing area.



Other than the delicious fruits and vegetables, Toppenish is known as the city of murals attracting visitors world wide. Each of the 70 current murals show the history and cultural diversity of the area with an emphasis of Native American traditions and offer a glimpse into the past of this thriving western pioneer town. A full online mural tour is available at http://www.goyakimavalley.com/. On the home page, click on "tours" at the top of the page, on the next page scroll down and click on Mural tours online.

Next stop is Fidago Bay Resort at Anacortes, WA and the San Juan Islands for a bowl of clam chowder at the Downrigger Restaurant on Friday Harbor.

Allen & Donna

On the Road 2007; Oregon, Idaho

Our Satellite is up and running, we're online 24-7. From Salt Lake City we are heading west on I-84 through Idaho and Oregon.


We are sitting smack in the middle of the Umatilla Indian Reservation, Pendleton, Oregon, thank goodness for a treaty 150 years ago between the Umatilla, Cayuse and Walla Walla tribes, we feel safe…

Hundreds of years ago, this tribe’s subsistence came from fishing the Columbia River, hunting elk, deer, and gathering plant foods, however, in the 21st century, their main subsistence is gathering the coins from the slot machines of their casinos…



We are on our morning walk around the Umatilla Indian Reservation, this is a neat place with a golf course and walking trails and breathtaking scenery as far as the eye can see. Flash back several hundred years ago and imagine what pristine beauty this land must have been. Also, imagine you are riding your horse and as you come over the next ridge and look down into the valley, you see thousands of Tatankas (bison-Lakoda language) grazing...WOW!



This was our first stop in Idaho next to the famous Snake River. We will follow the Snake to the point where it dumps into the Columbia River and turn northwest to Washington and the cherry orchards. Yummy.



This is a picture of the Boise Courthouse in Idaho City, which is still operating. Idaho City was once an 1860’s famous mining camp, it had a population of six thousand and was being considered as the territorial capital. Never mind the power lines, those came much later...




This is a picture of us at beautiful Stanley Lake, Idaho at a elevation of 6537 feet. Isn't this a drop-dead gorgeous view of the north face of the Sawtooth Mountains? While there,we met Denny and Marlene Erlandson, who are the camp hosts, we had a great visit and he said the lake was famous for rainbow and lake trout fishing. Shucks, there I was without my fishing pole and my dress-up shirt on!



The Sawtooth Mountains and the Wilderness Areas (217,088 acres) cannot be seen when you are driving west on I-84, you must turn north through Hailey and Ketchum on I-75, it has long been recognized for their exceptional beauty and wild qualities. The Sawtooth Mountains are comprised of hundreds of jagged peaks, 42 over 10,000 feet in height, with hundreds of high alpine lakes and tranquil basins. Within this dazzling landscape lie the headwaters of three major rivers, South Fork of the Payette, North, and Middle Fork of the Boise, and Salmon River. All brimming with fish waiting to elude the fly fishing angler.

That was our day trip, we drove from the other side of the Sawtooth Mountains to the farthest point (right) of the picture and up through the entire valley,Ketchum, Hailey and back to Caldwell on I-84. Donna did all of the driving and I took at least three naps...

Next stop is the Yakama Indian Nation RV Park in Toppenish, WA.

Allen ....Congratulations

First, congratulations to Allen for a fine season in the classroom and the ball field. He had an experience in sports that many of us have not and that is competing for a championship in a title game. Sports is about being on top of the heap one day and at the bottom the next, the lesson is the ability to handle the emotions of winning and losing…in the end, it is only a game, no more, no less.

Life has the same ups and downs and it is good for the young kids to experience both.

It has been a memorable year for Allen and he will have treasured memories long after the scorecards are withered and thrown away…

Love,
Grandpa

On the Road 2007, first stop Las Vegas

On May 28, we left Ventura, CA for Las Vegas, NV where we will have our DataStorm antenna repaired. For you folks that do not know what the DataStorm does, it allows us via satellite to be on-line with our two computers 24-7.

The picture of New York, New York Hotel/Casino looks very cool and inviting, do not be fooled, it was very hot and stifling with over 100 degree weather. We covered our windows with aluminum foil to keep the sun and heat out, thereby creating a cave-like existence. Not much of a vacation atmosphere and you thought we were by the pool sippin' mai tai's.

Carol Jue invited us to breakfast at the Main Street Hotel/Casino, we always enjoy our time with her as most of her time is devoted to family and coaching her Chapman University women's basketball team. The Panthers posted a 23-6 record this year with a 17 game winning streak which was broken at the NCAA Div. III championship tournament in Brownwood, TX. Congratulations to Carol on a successful season and wait until next year...

We enjoyed seeing "Stomp" at the Planet Hollywood (formerly Aladdin Hotel), they are a group of young performers that pounds on anything that makes noise and music comes out, real neat and you won't need earplugs.

We hit a few buffets at Sam's Town but was selective on our food choices, you know how it is, easy to put it on, hard to get off. Donna was busy adhering to her diet and working out at the 24 Hour Fitness. It is still our job to eat right, exercise and not to inhale too much second-hand smoke in the casinos...

We were not successful in finding someone in Las Vegas to repair our satellite antenna, we called the factory for an appointment, therefore our next stop will be Salt Lake City and MotoSat (maker of antenna).

Allen & Donna