2019 Fall Western Trip: Walla Walla, Washington

Sunday 9/29:  297 miles and parked at Blue Valley RV Park, Walla Walla.

Site 27

We left Mountain Home about 9:30.  It was Interstate driving most of the way today, but traffic was light and the roads were in good condition.  We pulled in to Blue Valley Campground about 3:00.  This is another very nice and immaculate park.  There is lots of room to walk the dogs in a nearby  field.  We got fancy and cooked pan seared tuna for dinner, then watched 60 minutes.

Monday 9/30:

Chilly this morning at 38 degrees.  After breakfast we went grocery shopping, and then went searching for the famous Walla Walla Sweets onions.  We ended up at a produce farm a few miles out of town and met with the owners.  The Sweets onion season ended about a month ago.  The best times are June and July.  They offered to ship them next year.  We also picked up a few other items, including the best tasting tomatoes we have had all this year.

Later we went to the Crossbuck Brewery for lunch.  I had onion soup made with Walla Walla Sweets and it was delicious.  We also tried out a couple IPA's and ended up buying a couple of crowlers.  When visiting brew pubs, we always try to sit at the bar.  That way you get to meet and talk to other people. Well, in this case, we got to chatting with a man seated next to us.  He has traveled a lot and we learned that he is a classical violinist.  Later Judy found his resume on the internet.  Tim Christie turned out to be a really really interesting guy.

Back at the camper, it was naps and reading.  For dinner we made a couple of amazing tomato sandwiches using the fresh tomatoes we bought at the produce farm this morning.

Tomorrow's plan is wine tasting.

Tuesday 10/1:

We discovered a Hobby Lobby in Walla Walla, so we had to check that out.  Judy needed more yard for her blankets knitting projects.  Then we went to GRAZE for lunch.  The place was full with a combination of locals and tourists.  We split a hot pastrami sandwich and it was excellent.

Stock photo I found online

There are 25 wine tasting rooms in downtown Walla Walla!!  Two or three will be our limit.  Turned out that we spent so much time at the first one that we limited our stops to two.  We'll have to come back to Walla Walla again someday.  The first stop was Gard Vintners.  We were the first customers of the day and the tasting manager was very knowledgable and chatty.  We learned so much.  We ended up buying 4 bottles and joining their wine club.  Club membership allows us to select 2 cases of wine a year with free shipping to New York.  As we were finishing up, a couple from Arizona sat down next to us.  They were real chatty and come to find out, they are on a 6 weeks road trip.  This stop was a real treat.

Cynthia, the tasting room manager

Our second stop was Seven Hills Winery.  While the hostess knew her wines, the tasting selections were quite few.  We did buy a bottle of excellent Cabernet Sauvignon for $50.  Ouch!!

Back at the camper  we took naps and read.  Judy cooked shrimp scampi served over spaghetti squash.  Walla Walla has so much to offer, especially with all the wineries.  I would like to come back someday to explore more.

Tomorrow we relocate to Boardman, Oregon for one night and from there, on to Sisters and Eugene  for some extended stays.