Sovna NaikDay:1
Well, the trip we planned was followed by the Memorial Day weekend it was a Friday evening we started from Downtown Seattle all packed up with lots of packaged food for munching and a pack of water bottles of course from Costco! We took the I90 toward Spokane and had planned to stay the night in Yakima, WA. Never had we ever thought how rush will the traffic be on the interstate highway! It really did take us a long time to actually reach Yakima in the late evening around 8 pm. Meanwhile, we took breaks in between once we were out of the i90 the scenic drive started which is by the Yakima river along the mountains. The scenery is breathtaking. How can I forget about our very own Mount Rainier which is on a clear day visible by the highways and normal ways clear and distinct because obviously in the Yakima valley there are kind of fewer trees on the mountains and more of barren mountains and there is this Mount Rainier protruding out of the valley all covered with snow! We finally checked in to the Airbnb we had booked for the night and that was it for that day. Our main goal was to reach Yakima, WA on Friday so that from the next day i.e on Saturday onwards we start exploring the places.
Day:2
The next day we started early had our breakfast in a grab-and-go place near to our Airbnb where we stayed and later we headed to Zillah, WA where we watched a historic landmark which was a gas station in the shape of a kettle. It is so amazing to think off about the piece of architecture which was once upon a time in working condition and people actually used the service there. Later, we made our way to Bill’s Berry Farm where we were supposed to go for berry picking but because it was the weekend and it got over really fast hence we could not go for berry picking( we were asked by the people on the farm to come early for berry picking). It’s a nice place to hang out with family and friends, the farm is surrounded by large acres of vineyards and other fruit plantations, it’s definitely an amazing place for kids because there are a lot of activities for little kids on the farm. We had one of the best ice creams we ever had it was strawberry cheesecake flavor, I can still remember how delicious the ice cream was! Now, we made our way on I82 to Kennewick, WA which is one of the places where the Columbia River and Snake River meet. It was a pretty big and nice place towards the southeast of Washington.
After we had our lunch in an Indian Restaurant we went to Sacajawea Historical State Park where we spent some time looking at both the rivers and soaking in some sunshine. Later, we started our move to the next place which was the star of the show Palouse Falls State Park in Washington. We took a countryside road to get in the vibe of the endless-looking farmland for the vistas and between taking a few pauses and stops to see the farm land’s silhouette against the light blue clear sky. Finally, there was a diversion that needed to be taken to enter the park which was gravel road(easily drivable on a FWD vehicle). It was too much rush that day we kind of had to wait for almost an hour to enter the parking lot cause there were not many spaces for the number of vehicles had come that day but there were people who gave really great instructions to contain everyone gradually. We really appreciate their efforts.
Anyways, the moment we pulled out of the car I could get a glimpse of the beautiful Palouse falls, and trust me it was so magnificent and beautiful, I can not pen down how beautiful and giant it looked. We just rushed to the spot which is really safe for all but there are places around to go on top and can actually see the whole canyon with the falls. But you need to be very careful and take caution. From the top it looked so magical with the sound of the falls, it just felt complete. There were people hiking but not sure where it starts it looked a bit tricky though. But, from the safe spot itself, we enjoyed the whole view of the canyon. We did not feel like leaving the place so kept staring at the falls. After a while, we started our move to Pullman, WA where we had our booking in a hotel for the night.
The drive was so breathtaking with the scenery totally different from what we see on the western side of Washington. Rolling mountains were covered with vegetation especially winter wheat, some rolling hills were getting ready for tilling.
The mountains looked like they were wrapped in a velvet green cover with no trees. Doesn’t it look like a gigantic golf course? If it’s a thing though! Our eyes literally could not contain the aw awakening breathtaking views of the countryside and finally, there we were in Pullman, house to the Washington State University almost a border city to Idaho. That was it for the day.
Day 3
The moment we woke up, we had a not so lazy yet a bit crazy thought of going to Moscow, Idaho for breakfast which was just 8 miles away from the hotel. Boom we were in Idaho our 7th state in the United States, grabbed our breakfast from the nearest Starbucks and went on exploring the area a bit, and finally made our way back to Washington and headed towards Steptoe Butte State Park. The scenery is again epic with greens and golden farmlands. You need to drive up the Butte in order to view the rolling hills, windmills, birds chirruping, and cool wind yet on a sunny day. Steptoe Butte is an amazing place for photography. Finally made our way to the Potholes State Park where we saw many different migrated birds in the Reserve, but we did not spend much time in the park.
While making our way to the final destination of the day, we made some Random stops at #thatnwbus(just for 2 minutes). Next was Drumheller Channels National Natural Landmark and finally to Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park where we saw some petrified woods. The location is amazing to spend some time with family. It’s on a cliff with the Columbia River by the side, views from the parks are breathtaking. Finally, we reached Ellensburg, WA. We enjoyed our way back with greenery all around with beautiful photographic barns. After we checked into our hotel and the moment I open the window shades, I saw the cascade mountains and felt “okay our trip is coming to an end and we will be home soon!”
Day:4
It was the next day and we had booked a horse riding activity through Airbnb experience. We reached the farm where we were supposed to report. It was the first time we both were riding hence, I was a bit skeptical about whether to be in the arena and have some time learning and having a good time with the horses Ely and Sister(were their names), or go outside of the arena and ride horses by water body and trace some birds on the trees. Since we were newbies we decided to stay back and experience more in the arena itself. It was fun though!
After the activity we headed back to Seattle, we took I90 it was a bit rush that day but again we expected some traffic. That was it, we had an amazing time in eastern Washington. It has lots to offer. It’s a little less explored hopefully with time things change.
