Saturday morning we left at 9:00am and headed East in our rented Toyota Prius. Before we left we had it up to 38 mpg. We stopped in Cle Elum for our fist fill up and lunch at Taco del Mar. More because we knew it was the easiest town to get on and off I-90 and had more options than other cities that were coming up. My Grandpa George and Grandma Max used to live in Cle Elum, and Grandma Max and Uncle Fred are buried, there, but it has grown and changed since I was little and would come to visit.
On the backside of Snoqualmie pass because we were coasting basically, the MPG got up to 54. Fabulous! After filling up on our Mondo Burritos we continued East. In George, WA we turned off I-90 and headed NE through Ephrata, Soap Lake, etc. It is a long drive, and I know what town is coming up by the shape of the grain elevator on the horizon. Every time I think I am going to stop and take a photo of an abandoned farm house that is in the middle of a wheat field and every time I get to the house I just can’t wait to get to Grandpa’s and out of the car I don’t feel like stopping. We also always think we will stop in Almira because they have a Historic Hotel that we think would be really interesting to check out, but it is the same thing, we just don’t want to stop by the time we get there, we know that after Almira it is just Wilbur and Creston and we are almost there.
We spent the afternoon and evening with Grandpa George and Grandma Betty at their house in Seven Bays. Grandpa isn’t in the greatest of health. He has a lot of fluid that collects and has congestive heart failure due in part to the fluid. They just came back from Yuma and he went almost straight into the hospital to get the fluid under control. While he was there his hip was injured and so he was moving around even less than before because sometimes his hip would just give out. But we have good conversation about Charlie and Jackson and our upcoming little girl, memories from when he and Max were expecting different kids, and growing up in Texas. He said the last time he went back to West Texas was after Grandma Max died, and he didn’t really think he would ever go back, but he said he has always wanted to take Grandma Betty there so she could see it because I am sure she has heard all the stories and it is great to visit a place that you have heard so much about.
I think Grandpa is frustrated because he doesn’t like to have to rely on other people for help (stubborn family trait I suppose) and he really can’t do anything at the moment. The air gap from the dishwasher was overflowing and he just looked at it and said, "I suppose it will just do what it wants to, there isn’t anything I can do about it." Nathan had a quick look at it, but I am pretty sure it will be Betty who fixes it. She really would like to sell the house and move them closer in to services, where they can get the help they need and Grandpa can get the care he needs to keep him out of a home. She really dreads the day that Grandpa will have to go into a care facility. She told us that she knows that the day will come, but she won’t be the one to tell him he needs to go, (because he doesn’t want to), and she doesn’t know what she will do without him because she knows she won’t be able to go with him. She said the past winter in Yuma was very rough because Grandpa is so frustrated that he can’t do much he doesn’t try to do anything. It is very sad.
I also think because he is so far away from any of his family that he gets frustrated that he has to rely on other people, (i.e., non-family). Betty was telling us that he has an electric chair coming so he can get around the house and property a bit easier, but they need the deck worked on and some ramps built, so she was going to have her brother Ves come up and do it (he lives down the hill on the river from them). Grandpa said, "I don’t need Ves to build me a ramp, my boys can come do it for me." I told him that if he could get the help he needs to move around better and it is just down the hill, as much as he doesn’t want to, he should probably take the help. Its a hard thing to ask for help, even when you know you need it. I also asked him if he liked his doctors, and he said they are ok, and I told him that a doctor is just like anyone else that provides a service, if you aren’t happy with the service, you have the right to go somewhere else because it is your health. He said that he does think that his doctor gives him good care he just doesn’t like all he has to say sometimes. Well isn’t that the truth of so many of us?
Because Grandpa had an MRI scheduled for Sunday and we knew they would be leaving early we decided to stay in Davenport. We stayed at the Morgan Street B&B and Cafe. Davenport is not a big town by any stretch of the imagination. We asked the innkeeper, Char what the population was and she said somewhere between 2,500 and 5,000 depending on what was going on in the fields. The B&B was really well appointed, the rooms nicely decorated, the only downside was that there is only one bathroom for the four guest rooms. But we were the only guests that night so it didn’t really matter. You could tell that they have put a lot of work into the old home, it is around the same age ours is. The breakfast in the morning was in the cafe downstairs and you order off of the menu, it was a country style breakfast for the country style inn in a country style town. Nothing wrong with that in the slightest. I tossed up between the sausage gravy over biscuits or the Pancake special with fresh strawberrys and whipped cream, but ended up with one of the combinations with sausage, bacon, egg and pancake, it was just enough food, and it was delicious. Nathan had the Cowboy scramble which was just about everything scrambled up with eggs and cheese melted over the top, and he said it was really good too. I could only imagine the mess that it makes in the kitchen though, we have our breakfasts down to minimize the dishes, pots and burners it requires, but when you are talking about a cafe with a menu there isn’t much you can do to avoid it. It was very popular too, there were probably about 10 tables and when we left they were nearly all full. Oh at this point we were getting 48MPG. The car handles very well, is comfortable, and it is interesting to watch the screen and see yourself generating energy and see the engine turn on and off as it needs to use the gas vs battery.
From Davenport we headed south on Hwy 28 through some very pretty farmland. The wheat is just now starting to grow so you would see this lush green covered hill in the distance and then when you got up to the hill you could see the pattern of the rows where the seed was planted like morse code. The amount of bird life too was amazing, I suppose they are eating all the seed, but there were just so many of them. We stopped in Ritzville for our 2nd fill up before exiting I-90 again to head south. We could have gone further and done a loop through the tri-cities, but we had seen them before and would drive through them on the way home so decided to take the scenic route.
We exited I-90 at Lind and headed south on Hwy 21 towards Kahlotus. From there we looked at the map and the southern route was a black line road (aka non-highway) over the Lower Monument Dam through Clyde and then into Walla Walla, with not a whole lot for a really long time. For about 25 miles we drove through just about abandoned farming towns without seeing another car or person, except when we came to the intersection of Hwy 26 there were cars there, but we continued south. We made it to Kahlotus and I commented on how all these old towns had such interesting architecture, interesting "downtowns" that didn’t exist any more, crooked farm houses, service stations, and different types of architecture making you wonder what the town must have been. Nathan asked why no one lived there anymore, and I replied that it was because it was too far from I-90 and the major thoroughfares to get goods to market. There were fields, but it didn’t seem there were many crops being grown.
As we approached the turn off for the dam, there is a sign "Lower Monument Dam closed to through traffic". We saw this type of sign several times, and since we would have had to go about another 15 miles just to make sure, we decided a detour was our best bet. It must be a part of Homeland Security, but if terrorist could find this dam they really have a lot of time on their hands. We backtracked for a a few miles and headed up towards Washtucna, then turned down Hwy 261. Of course we drove past it at first to find another detour as that one said "Little Goose Dam closed to through traffic" but then after looking more closely at the map we weren’t going over that dam.
At this point it was getting close to lunch time and from looking at the map we would be passing through Starbuck and from the type and size of the dot it looked to be about the same size as Ritzville so we decided we would stop there for a bite to eat. The country was beautiful, we had entered the Palouse area and the hills were amazing. Neither of us had ever seen them before, but it was like those hills that I drew as a child, big hill in the back and then two little humps in front of that, then three hills, all the way to the foreground. All bright green with wheat. We stopped at Lyons Ferry Park for a potty break and to look at the scenery, before crossing the Snake River.
We rolled into Starbuck. And continued to roll, there wasn’t much there, not nearly as much as Ritzville, so they may be close in population, but it didn’t seem like the revenue was there in the slightest. So we continued on through the hills and fields through Dayton, and Waitsburg and into Walla Walla. Since we were early for check in we decided to go downtown and see what was going on. We were just in time for the farmer’s market where we bought two sopes for lunch and creamed honey for Nathan’s morning toast. The sopes were delicious, so flavorful, and a great value.
After walking around downtown we called our host Penny at The Maxwell House to see if what time check in was, and since she had afternoon errands she suggested checking in early and picking up keys, as the room wasn’t ready, but then we could go back out and she could spend time with her visitors and not have to worry about us. We picked up the keys and she suggested a walk to a nearby park where there was a series of ponds and an aviary.
It was so warm, about 73 degrees, the trees were all in bloom, there were still tulips and daffodils out, birds singing away, squirrels scurrying every which way, it was a really lovely day. After walking around the park we decided to do the historic home tour. Walla Walla is full of so many old and historic homes, it is absolutely amazing how many have been restored or are in the process of being restored. You can tell that the neighborhoods are improving, people are showing their care for the homes and the area. Spring is mild, but summer and winter I could probably do with out. Too hot and too cold.
After our walks to returned to the inn and had a rest and showers before dinner. We decided to walk into town to a cafe Penny suggested. It was a beautiful night so why not. It was Luscious by Nature. A beautiful meal. I had seafood stuffed pasta shells, rice pilaf, and a yummy berry pie for desert.
The next morning presented wonderlly baked eggs with ham, gooey cheese, a side of bacon and lots of fresh fruit. Just what we needed to start the day before our meeting. After the meeting we went on a Winery tour to Zerba winery and Three Rivers Winery. Both stunning, the wines smelled interesting, but I couldn’t tell you what they tasted like. After the tour we went out to dinner at Backstage Bistro. I had the grilled salmon, fresh asparagus, and garlic mashed potatoes. Perfection, the salmon was fresh and flavorful, the potatoes silky smooth, and the asparagus still crisp. To top off the evening a warm brownie with vanilla ice cream, and strawberry sauce. I couldn’t have asked for anything more.
After the meeting the next day we headed home, through the Tri-Cities, and stopped at Prosser, still in the heart of wine country. There is a B&B there that was interested in membership to the guild, so we stopped to talk to the innkeeper. The property has an indoor pool, exercise room, pool table, tennis courts, cottage, and river views. I don’t think there will be a problem passing our inspection at all. And to top it off the kitchen was huge and we were all envious.
We left and headed home again, with a last stop in Ellensburg for gas, and a burger in Cle Elem and we finally arrived home around 10pm. We drove over 900 miles, the car performed flawlessly, and we averaged 46 mpg. The car was comfortable, is actually fairly roomy inside, we took a lot more stuff with us and it all fit in the hatchback trunk, except the projection screen for the meeting but since it has a split fold rear seat we just folded down one seat so it could stick through. The backseat area is good, Nathan can sit back there comfortably. It has three seatbelts back there, but I really don’t see three adults or a car seat and two adults being comfortable back there. Supposedly the Mazda 3 has more rear seat room, but comparing the car side by side a few times while driving, the Mazda doesn’t look any wider or bigger, so I am not sure. For a a great commuter car with fantastic gas mileage, I think it was a great idea to rent the Prius to try it out, it saved our cars the 900 miles and we probably saved what we paid to rent the car in gas money. I felt so sorry for our other innkeepers who came drove over in thier SUVs, it must have cost a fortune.
It was overall a good trip but we are still trying to recover from all that driving! See the map below to have a look at our route. Backroads are fun, as long as you don’t have anywhere to be at any specific time. My only regret was not stopping more and exploring, in Walla Walla there was a brochure and apparently we drove past a large waterfall, that looked beautiful, but we didn’t want to drive the 10 miles off the highway to see it because we didn’t know what it was really. Oh well, perhaps we will drive through there again one day.
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