The four and a half hour drive was uneventful. Usually I'm driving, which means sorta keeping my eyes on the road and generally avoiding trouble. Today I was in the front passenger seat. Released of all driver responsibilities I was free to enjoy Highway 97 as never before. Not to say there is a lot to enjoy, but what there was I soaked up.
We followed 97 North as far as the Columbia river. Along the way towns ranged in size from small to small and included the near ghost town of Shaniko as well as Kent, Grass Valley and Moro. We attempted coffee in Grass Valley, but all three cafes were closed. Linda's at the Grand Central Travel Center in Biggs, Oregon was open and provided a rest as well coffee and breakfast.
At Biggs we turned East and followed Interstate 84 as far as Hermiston, Oregon. With a population of 16,745, Hermiston is the largest city in Eastern Oregon. When thinking of Hermiston my mind always turns to watermelloms, for which the area is famous.
From Hermiston it was North on Interstate 82 to Umatilla, Oregon and then East on the Lewis and Clark Trail Highway to Walla Walla. Along 82 we could see the hundreds of underground bunkers of the Umatilla Chemical Depot, where 7,434,000 pounds of GB and VX nerve agents, as well as HD blister agent were once stored.
Arriving at our hotel to early to check in we met Al and Ann (the third members of our Wine Team) at a nearby pizza for a little lunch and adult beverage.
Checking in shortly after 3:00 we hung out in our rooms until meeting downstairs about 5:00. Rather than head out for dinner we decided to stick with the bar for drinks and finger food. Martinis, beer, red wine, white wine all passed through our table, along with a similar variety of hors d'oeuvres.
Before heading off to bed we set up an 8:00 shuttle to a nearby breakfast place. So, that's all for today.
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