What was I saying yesterday about late starts? The motel (to remain unnamed) was at the very best a 1 out of 5 and only reached that level by having a locking door. Neither of us could sleep past 4:30 in a bed that wasn’t much better than the floor.
Ok, enough of that. So at 6:25 we were off to the local Starbucks for a Vanilla Latte and Mocha and then headed generally South on Highway 95 for about 45 miles to Coeur D’Alene, Idaho. Why Coeur D’Alene? Did I mention the motel was the first on this trip not to have a continental breakfast and Coeur D’Alene had an IHOP.
Ok, enough of that. Now we are off to Walla Walla, Washington and the wineries. First we headed East on Interstate 90 to Spokane, Washington then South on Highways 195, 127 and 12. All these roads took us through the Palouse, which is an agriculture region in Washington and Idaho. Basically what you see there is wheat. A lot of wheat. Rolling hills that seem to go on forever and all are covered with wheat. If you like the color tan, you will love the Palouse in July. It helps a little to think of it as “Amber Waves of Grain”.
There were a number of small towns along the way and besides the usual small town café and gas station each had the required grain elevator. Later we crossed the Snake River near Central Ferry State Park, where barges on each side of the river were being loaded with wheat from large elevators. I’m guessing these will go to Portland via the Snake and Columbia Rivers.
The wheat continued up to the outskirts of Walla Walla and seemed to only grudgingly give ground to the vineyards. There are over 80 wineries in the Walla Walla area and with only an afternoon we had to limit our visits to just a few. We started at our favorite L’Ecole No. 41 and then visited Woodward Canyon, Reininger and Tamarack. Tasting involves two things. First drinking several glasses of wine one sip at a time and second listening to the winery employee explain in detail everything they think you should know about the wine. Only thing we want to know is do we like it. Anyway, by the time you taste six or so wines at each winery it’s time to take a break. After picking up a few bottles at each winery (all red) we were ready for a light lunch of soup and anything but wine.
Checking into the Best Western we found a 5 out 5, which is pretty much the usual with this chain. Later, instead of driving anymore, we walked across the parking lot to Jacobi’s Café and shared calamari, salad and ravioli. All in all a good day. Tomorrow we head home to Redmond. 244 miles today.
Wheat
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