Okay, I'll admit that I am not a huge fan of all the planning, stress, time off, cost and logistical challenges of a traditional, week-long family vacation. But all of this considered, we had a great time! It has been a number of years since we have visited MY roots in Washington, so we finally planned it and did it!
The first day the plan was to drive to Boise and stay in a hotel in Caldwell, a little past halfway.
The drive went well, with only one stop at a rest area by LaGrande. Then with no warning, somewhere in the middle of nowhere between Mountain Home and Boise the van decided to quit! So, there we were, on the freeway shoulder, at 5 pm on a Saturday, in 100 degree heat, with a van load of family! Quite a quandry for our first day of vacation. So I didn't panic, popped the hood and checked everything I could, and said a lot of silent prayers. Fifteen minutes later it started right up, took us to our hotel, and the next day all the way to Washington without missing a beat. Go figure?! Apparently it was God's will for us to have our vacation as planned!
The first half of the week we stayed with my parents in historic Dayton, WA, where they are enjoying semi-retirement. We also spent time with Amy & Mindy!
With a Population of 2,400, Dayton is located in southeastern Washington, surrounded by thousands of acres of beautiful rolling wheat fields. http://www.daytonwa.com/index.html
We went swimming at the city pool to cool down.
The high dive was great fun!
So was the low dive!
We stayed in a beautifully restored two story home, probably built nearly a century ago.
The boys went through culture shock as we explored historic Dayton, like taking a stroll back in time. http://www.historicdayton.com/ Their favorite place was Dingle's variety - sort of a very small town Wal-Mart?!
The oldest building of its kind still in use today, the county courthouse was built in 1887, 15 years after the town was founded in 1872!
We took a drive in the country to get an up close look at the huge wind turbines.
The scale of these towers, reaching hundreds of feet above the ground into the faster moving air, is incredible.
There are over 200 towers on different sites throughout Columbia County, harnessing the wind energy.
We stopped to view a site where the Lewis and Clark expedition camped on May 2nd, 1806 their journey westward. Near the confluence of the Touchet River and Patit Creek, this part of Washington is rich in early American history.
One evening we went to a local hummingbird farm.
There we were able to view hundreds of the speedy little birds close up!
The next day I decided to take a long bike ride up the Touchet River North Fork to the Bluewood Ski Area.
Dayton is considered Washington's gateway to the beautiful Blue Mountains.
The second half of the week we spent with Paul, Denise & their family in the Tri-Cities.
With daytime highs approaching 100, we spent plenty of time swimming and playing in the refreshing waters of the Columbia River.
I was also treated to a ride on Paul's newly restored Yamaha XVS650ATR! I followed him as he rode his XT350 on a great ride through town and out in the country. VaaRooomba!!
On Friday, we watched some of the unlimited hydroplanes warming up on the river in preparation for the competition on Saturday and Sunday. These prop-driven "boats" spend most of their time above the water's surface, and reach speeds over 200 mph!
We also got to watch an airshow over the river, complete with high speed fighter jets,
...and lower speed prop-planes!
After a great week of sightseeing, playing, and just spending good time with family, it was time to head home. The van decided to quit one time for the return trip, "fortunately" just before a rest area at Bliss, ID! So we took a 45 minute break, after which it started right up and took us the rest of the way home without a hiccup. Apparently it was God's will that we make it back to "real life" in Utah.
Thanks everyone for the great vacation!
The drive went well, with only one stop at a rest area by LaGrande. Then with no warning, somewhere in the middle of nowhere between Mountain Home and Boise the van decided to quit! So, there we were, on the freeway shoulder, at 5 pm on a Saturday, in 100 degree heat, with a van load of family! Quite a quandry for our first day of vacation. So I didn't panic, popped the hood and checked everything I could, and said a lot of silent prayers. Fifteen minutes later it started right up, took us to our hotel, and the next day all the way to Washington without missing a beat. Go figure?! Apparently it was God's will for us to have our vacation as planned!
The first half of the week we stayed with my parents in historic Dayton, WA, where they are enjoying semi-retirement. We also spent time with Amy & Mindy!
With a Population of 2,400, Dayton is located in southeastern Washington, surrounded by thousands of acres of beautiful rolling wheat fields. http://www.daytonwa.com/index.html
We went swimming at the city pool to cool down.
The high dive was great fun!
So was the low dive!
We stayed in a beautifully restored two story home, probably built nearly a century ago.
The boys went through culture shock as we explored historic Dayton, like taking a stroll back in time. http://www.historicdayton.com/ Their favorite place was Dingle's variety - sort of a very small town Wal-Mart?!
The oldest building of its kind still in use today, the county courthouse was built in 1887, 15 years after the town was founded in 1872!
We took a drive in the country to get an up close look at the huge wind turbines.
The scale of these towers, reaching hundreds of feet above the ground into the faster moving air, is incredible.
There are over 200 towers on different sites throughout Columbia County, harnessing the wind energy.
We stopped to view a site where the Lewis and Clark expedition camped on May 2nd, 1806 their journey westward. Near the confluence of the Touchet River and Patit Creek, this part of Washington is rich in early American history.
One evening we went to a local hummingbird farm.
There we were able to view hundreds of the speedy little birds close up!
The next day I decided to take a long bike ride up the Touchet River North Fork to the Bluewood Ski Area.
Dayton is considered Washington's gateway to the beautiful Blue Mountains.
The second half of the week we spent with Paul, Denise & their family in the Tri-Cities.
With daytime highs approaching 100, we spent plenty of time swimming and playing in the refreshing waters of the Columbia River.
I was also treated to a ride on Paul's newly restored Yamaha XVS650ATR! I followed him as he rode his XT350 on a great ride through town and out in the country. VaaRooomba!!
On Friday, we watched some of the unlimited hydroplanes warming up on the river in preparation for the competition on Saturday and Sunday. These prop-driven "boats" spend most of their time above the water's surface, and reach speeds over 200 mph!
We also got to watch an airshow over the river, complete with high speed fighter jets,
...and lower speed prop-planes!
After a great week of sightseeing, playing, and just spending good time with family, it was time to head home. The van decided to quit one time for the return trip, "fortunately" just before a rest area at Bliss, ID! So we took a 45 minute break, after which it started right up and took us the rest of the way home without a hiccup. Apparently it was God's will that we make it back to "real life" in Utah.
Thanks everyone for the great vacation!
3 comments:
What beautiful memories - thanks for making the effort to get here.
we love ya!
Glad that you went. More glad that you came back.
Love the Big picture of the wind towers - very nice! mom
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