Kimminau Travels: Drive to Spokane and Grandparenting

Jon and I left Saturday afternoon, May 9th, to start driving to Spokane. The purpose of our trip is to watch the granddaughters while Rebekah and Anna travel to Las Vegas for a baby gear convention. Jon will drive home, probably heading back on Monday, May 18th. He hopes to do some fishing and check out some distilleries on the way. I will stay in Spokane until May 30th, when I will fly to Tucson with 5 year-old Rinleigh for our church's vacation Bible school (VBS) and "grandparent camp".

Saturday Jon and I drove five hours to Kingman, AZ. We stayed in a Baymont, which wasn't fancy, but was neat and clean. It was a motel (outside rooms). We had dinner at Rickety Cricket Brewery, where Jon enjoyed a flight of beer. This brewery was unique b/c they gave Jon a marker and had him write his beer order on the flight holder.

Jon got a chicken sandwich with a salad and I got a burger that came with a salad. We commented on how big the salads were for sides. Jon's sandwich was ok - he thought the chicken was a little dry. Mine burger was great - a Hawaiian burger with pineapple, ham, swiss cheese and, if I remember right, a peanut butter sauce. It sounded very different, and was delicious.

Sunday, Mother's Day, we drove 7 1/2 hours to Well's NV. It was a very relaxing day for me. I enjoy these long trips. I get to read, spend quiet time with God, nap, do my Duolingo, and relax. Somewhat like a mini-retreat for me. I did listen to our church's service. Never the same as being there, but better than not having anything. The only pictures I took along the way were of these circles in the landscape. I used Google search and it's what I suspected...ants make them. They were prevalent for a long stretch.

For lunch we stopped in Ely, NV. I found a Pizza Inn with a lunch buffet. Jon loves pizza buffets when he's driving. He can get a big salad and a couple pieces of pizza - a perfect driving meal. Pizza buffets are hard to find, now that Pizza Hut doesn't have them any more. So we always love when we find one.

In Wells, NV we stayed at a Super 8. Nothing else there in the Wyndham chain (we get lots of points with our Wyndham credit card, which is great for hotels). It was another motel, simple but clean. The weather was beautiful there when we arrived in the early afternoon, so I went for a walk. And took this picture of the mountains.

For dinner we went to a little Indian restaurant very near the hotel. Nothing fancy, but good food. Jon got something different (we can't remember the name, somewhat like chicken karahi). I got the chicken korma. I got medium and Jon got spicy. They were both spicier than usual. The naan was also fantastic.

Monday we drove 8 1/2 hours to Kennewick, WA. Beautiful scenery along the way. I took some pictures of the Wallowa mountains and the Snake River (I missed the opportunity to get a really good picture of a valley with the Snake river. When we are driving and see a picture, it's gone before I can pull out the phone).

Here's some pictures of the Grand Ronde River. This whole drive was very pretty. I love being back in the Northwest (I grew up in Pistol River OR, just north of the California border, on the coast).

We had lunch in Boise, ID. Jon found a distillery he wanted to try, Bardenay. It turned out to a distance from the freeway, so probably added half an hour to our trip. He ended up not trying any of their whiskey. It also turned out the distillery had three locations, and this one didn't sell bottles to go. But the food was good. Jon got their lunch special, soup and a half-sandwich. I got a delicious spinach salad with salmon.

Here are some pictures as we drove through the Pendleton valley after lunch.

In Kennewick we also stayed at a Super 8. Kennewick is part of the "Tricities", Kennewick, Richland and Pasco. It is a pretty populated area with lots of Wyndham hotels, but the fancier ones were all booked. This Super 8 was more upscale than any other place we stayed on the trip (inside rooms, for one thing). It compared to a typical LaQuinta (our favorite of the Wyndham properties). When we were checking into the hotel, I realized that I had a good BSF friend who lived nearby (Lisa Baldridge - she had been the STL [substitute teaching leader] at our Falls Church class in VA, where I attended for nine years). So I texted her about meeting us for dinner or a walk in the morning. We decided on a walk along the Columbia the next morning. I did get She suggested we try the Rattlesnake Mountain brewery, which Jon had already decided on (about a mile from our hotel). I went for a short walk before dinner (8 1/2 hours is a long time to sit).

Rattlesnake Mountain brewery had a sample of all of their beers (14) for $21. Jon couldn't resist that (and yes, I drove back to the hotel). He got their chicken parmesan, and I got a half taco salad. Then while he (tried) to finish the beers, I got their ice cream sandwich. I saved the top cookie, and had it with the granddaughters on Tuesday. Jon was absolutely stuffed, even eating only about half of his meal and not finishing the beers. I was full, but not stuffed.

Tuesday morning, Lisa picked me up at the hotel and drove me a few miles to a park by the Columbia river. We had a very nice visit and 3 1/2 mile walk.

Lisa and Trish

Some condos that Lisa loves along the river path

Geese with babies were very prevalent along the path. We had to dodge a lot of goose poop.

The American West river boat was parked at the dock.

I love the trees and flowers in this area!

I saw this snail and had to take a picture. Then realized that a lot of goose poop I had been avoiding, was actually snails. Lots of snails crossing the path all along the way.

Jon had planned the trip so we had only a couple hour drive Tuesday morning. Which was perfect for the walk with Lisa, and getting to Spokane by lunchtime. It was great to see everyone, of course. We had a relaxing afternoon with the girls. Jon took us to a new pizzeria for dinner. Then we went on Rebekah's typical 2 mile walk before bedtime. I took a couple of pictures of the foliage.

Now it's Wednesday. Rebekah and Anna left very early this morning. I took Rinleigh to school this morning (it's a Waldorf school. She's been attending for a couple years and loves it https://windsongschool.org/). The I took Beau (the dog) and Elodie on a walk and we pulled weeds in the yard. A friend dropped by, and here I am reading to Elodie and her friend.