Commercial Break
I spoke in my last post about working in eastern Washington last week. I only get over there once a year or so and, if I’m fortunate enough to be making the trip in daylight, I’m always fascinated by the terrain and the sere landscape. Some of you may be surprised to discover that much of Washington state east of the Cascade Mountains is sagebrush desert, dotted with irrigated oases of grain, fruit and (yay!) wine-grape production.
The client I visited has been growing grapes and producing wine for almost two decades, and last year opened a tasting facility and first-rate restaurant in Richland in the tri-cities. If you’re ever over visiting or doing the increasingly popular Washington wine tours, make a point of stopping there. I recommend the paella, accompanied by the Mourvedre, for dinner. Drop my name only if you’re fast enough to outrun the consequences:
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On the drive home, I stopped at several rest stops and viewpoints that I usually blaze on by:
It’s startling to see snow-covered Mount Rainier rising as if from the desert floor (plus, a little history/geography lesson):
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