Walla2

The road home from Idaho took us through Walla Walla and, of course, we stopped to taste some wine. Walla Walla has certainly changed since the last time we were there. There are numerous upscale restaurants, lively entertainment, great local art, and many winery tasting rooms on and around Main Street. The town is looking more like a mini Napa than ever before. We also happened on a huge antique car show with more than 400 cars on display. Our favorite, a 1930s Model T Ford with the original exterior paint, motor, and interior upholstery, complete with window shade that belonged to the owner's grandmother, Mabel. Even the license plate is the original but he has never been stopped or given a ticket for the (really) dated 1930s plates. He drives the car to work every day and intends to pass the car on to his own son (who is a toddler right now). (FYI - he did put new tires on the car.)

Among the highlights was a side trip to Milton-Freewater (OR) to the Blue Mountain Cider Co. to purchase some wonderful hard cider. There, we were tipped off to a fantastic chocolate boutique down the road after we tasted a Petits Noir chocolate truffle with Blue Mountain cherry-flavored hard cider. At Petits Noirs, www.petitsnoirs.com, we were greeted by a little nymph is a blur of pink and a heart-melting smile who beat us to the front door. She happened to be the proprietor's young daughter. The gracious couple are recent transplants from New York City who made a life change two years ago when they opened their boutique in this Walla Walla area community. She was in advertising and gave that up to apprentice to a NYC chocolatier, he is a artisan bread maker. We tasted some of the best chocolates ever. They specialize in matching their chocolates to specific Walla Walla brand varietals. She even gave us an extensive chart with chocolate/wine combinations. The chart needs to be updated each year to accommodate changes in taste profiles from vintage to vintage. (Boutique colors - turquoise and Chinese red -- see gift boxes this page)

Some additional photos from this beautiful area include Long Shadows newly built winery, photos from the farms between Walla Walla and Milton-Freewater, and an old
hops drying barn. We didn't capture pictures from our Bocce Ball game, but suffice it to say, I (Denise) beat Tom. Yeah!

Last of the Summer Vacation -- Idaho

You'll have to read this from the bottom up to view the comments with the corresponding photos. I've numbered them from 1-9 to make it easier.






(9) At the end of the second day on the Snake and our sixth day rafting down rivers, we arrived at our destination, deflated the raft, loaded the car and trailer and headed back to Deary to the welcoming home of river rafting company owners Gail and Lonnie Hutson. We washed clothes and ourselves and the next day headed to Walla Walla (or as Wallinians call it, Walla2). On our way we stopped at the picturesque Kendrick, a really small town down the hill from Deary.




(8) On the fifth day the Salmon empties into the Snake River with its wide vistas and occasional tour boat.





(7) Each part of the river was unique, with some part wide and sweeping and others close canyons. The Blue Canyon was close and the rock shiny and rounded. Kelly told us that it is one of the deepest canyons and the visible rock some of the oldest (billions).




(6) First thing on our agenda each day was to locate the head, otherwise known as the "unit" in river guiding speak. Locating a private place with a fantastic view of the river was an easily achieved mission. Here, overlooking the river. Tom heading to another head high, and I mean high, above the river on a barely negotiable sandy path. Our sleeping bag sits against the rock face on that same high ledge. That night we had the most incredible view of the stars and a few bats flying overhead.





(5) For additional entertainment, Kelly brought an inflatable kayak which allowed exploration up and down stream that otherwise would have been impossible in the raft. Every night we had a drift wood fire. Pretty perfect.





(4) On day two, we stopped the boat to hike up to ancient pictographs.





(3) The remarkable thing about the Salmon River is its beautiful white sand beaches; perfect for camping. Every day we drifted down the river and navigated rapids (Kelly at the helm, of course) and each night we pulled up to another perfect, pristine beach to camp. The first and second nights we slept in our tent, but the next two nights we slept in our sleeping bag in the open. We swam in the cool, clear water (a refreshing 68-degrees) and did some exploring. Each morning, noon, and evening Kelly made the most spectacular meals. We ate very well thanks to her.





(2) Near Deary (ID)on the road from Lewiston, we captured this beautiful scene of Palouse wheat fields.



(1) We headed in our tricked-out truck to meet Kelly in Idaho for our river-raft trip down the Salmon River. The road to Deary, ID is dry, very dry. Unfortunately, I did something to our camera because almost all of the photos from our trip have a strange purple hue. In any case, here we stopped to see Palouse Falls (WA).