7/15 - Spokane to Yakima

Double-decker cats.

The 200-mile drive today went well.  First order of the day was that Goblin was out of sorts.  He was very vocal for a while but finally settled down once he got comfortable sitting on top of Gwen. It was quite strange that she didn't seem to mind.

Gwen was really being squished with 14-lb Goblin on top of her carrier.  Don't know why she put up with it, but she never said a thing.

Eastern Washington pothole pond.

One of the beautiful pothole ponds along I-90 west of Spokane. This section of Washington is quite flat with a lot of brown grass.  It looks very dry and is not attractive except for the occasional pond. These pothole ponds were caused by glaciers.

Wheaties.

Central Washington wheat fields. This is a very fertile area with many different types of crops visible from the highway.  We had Wheaties on one side and Corn Flakes on the other with alfalfa thrown in for good measure.

Wild Horse Wind Farm over Columbia River Gorge.

This wind farm is on the heights over the Columbia River Gorge. It's part of Puget Sound's Wild Horse Wind and Solar Facility.  There are 149 wind turbines and 2,723 solar panels which produce enough power for 70,000 homes. 

Columbia River Gorge looking south and I-90 bridge.

Another view of the Columbia River from the I-90 bridge.

Beautiful Washington farmland between Ellensburg and Yakima.

From a distance we thought some of this must be vineyards but it turned out to be apple trees and what we guessed were cherry trees because they were covered by netting.  It's strange to see all this green in the midst of the brown hills.

Yakima Valley with Mount Rainier in distance.

Mount Rainier is either 14,410 or 14,411 or 14,417 feet depending on the source. It's the highest mountain in Washington State and the fourth highest in the lower 48 states.  It is also considered one of the most dangerous active volcanoes in the world. Visible for over a hundred miles around, this view of it from Yakima is not seen as often as the view from Seattle.  

The reason we're in Yakima is family connected.  All four of my paternal great-grandparents and assorted extended family moved here from Red Lake Falls, Minnesota, starting around 1906.  They were following the lumber industry which was dying out in Minnesota at that time.  My grandparents didn't move with the rest of the family because Grandpa wasn't in the lumber business.  He and his bachelor brother owned a saloon which turned into bootlegging after Prohibition.  My grandparents finally moved here in 1946 after great-grandmother and Grandpa's bachelor brother and spinster sister died.

Gabe has joined us here.  The very kind manager of this nice little campground said she could stay in our space for nothing as long as she could get her little RV off the road which she did easily (it's smaller than our truck).  The three of us will hit the Yakima Valley Genealogical Society tomorrow as well as look around the old family neighborhood.