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