Cave B

Mike & Bum came up and we spent a most pleasant couple of days soaking up North Central Washington.

Spent the nite at Cave B, at the gorge. (This is the view from our room.) After dinner we lay on our backs for 45 minutes and wondered at the stars.

The next day we drove up the river road, the palisades and Rock Island, Cashmere ("I love apricots!"), Leavenworth (Icicle Brewing Co), Blewett Pass and back home.

Gorgeous weather and great company.

Moses Lake Farmers Market

You think this produce is fresh?

Connolly Park

This gem of a park is half a mile from Cayuse. It used to belong to the Air Force. The locals still call it "Airmens Beach." When the city acquired it, the feds made them agree they would maintain it nicely by spending a certain amount of money every year. So while other parks are wilting in the budget crisis, Moses Lake continues to pour money into improving Connolly Park.

The most recent improvments: New wading beaches, a nice new entry drive, and hydroseeding the hillside. Lush.

For All You Bicyclists Out There

Trails Planning Team helps develop bike and foot paths around the Moses Lake area. Check out the article here

90 New Water Permits Issued in Grant County

This is a big deal. Ecology has issued almost no new permits in the past decade, and all of a sudden they've issued NINETY new ones in Grant County to goose the local economy.

"Vineyards, dairies, food processing plants, data centers, housing developments, golf courses, resorts and a Grant County PUD fish hatchery are among the groups that applied for the water."

"The nearby cities of Quincy, Ephrata, Moses Lake and Warden are expected to see more businesses," said Dan Partridge, a DOE water resources program communications manager.

"A DOE economic analysis shows the new permits could add $23 million to agricultural development value and $60 million to commercial development value." - Columbia Basin Herald.

Read full story »

Sandhill Crane Festival

...at Columbia National Wildlife Refuge.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008902431_sandcraneslines.html

An Early Spring at Cayuse

Another sparkling day up on the plateau. The guy at the lumber store said he wished it wouldn't get any warmer. It's only the middle of March.

Valentines Day Wine Tasting

...at Moses Lake's own Dry Falls Cellars.

Love blooms anew amidst the barrels...

SkyWest to Resume Daily Moses Lake-Seattle Flights

http://www.columbiabasinherald.com/articles/2009/02/05/editorials/doc498b3d3822b41414994700.txt

Winter Wine Tasting

The tasting room at Moses Lake's own Dry Falls Cellars http://www.dryfallscellars.com/ was open and busy this weekend. April & I stopped in for a taste and some conversation. Took home an ’07 Snake River Valley Syrah, an ’07 Cinsault and an ’05 Reserve Tempranillo.

Ancient Lakes Area Wine Tour

The next weekend April & I do a tour of wineries in the area. We are a couple of weeks late in the season, and our tour takes us to only three stops: Saint Laurent at Malaga up near Wenatchee ( http://www.saintlaurent.net/ ), the venerable White Heron Cellars ( http://www.whiteheronwine.com/ ) overlooking Crescent Bar in Trinidad (exotic names, Malaga and Trinidad), and back to Dry Falls Cellars in Moses (http://www.dryfallscellars.com/) where we spend a pleasant hour with our feet up, sipping wine and visiting with the winery family. The next morning we head south to Othello and then work west along the Frenchman Hills. We come across a couple of vineyards amid the orchards and fields. We note the row spacing and trellis design. It looks like a handful of farmers and orchardists have just kind of decided to plant some grapes on a likely-looking piece of their land, figuring they would learn as they go. Viola! Just like that, they find themselves on Chamber of Commerce winery maps, part of the Columbia Valley “wine trail,” much to the bemusement of the farmers. http://www.columbiariverwine.com/

Deer Season

On I-90 on the way back I pass a pickup with half a dozen deer lashed to it, each one neatly gutted from throat to anus.

http://www.thenewstribune.com/adventure/story/536214.html

Dry Falls Cellars Winery

I go over on a perfect late fall day. Temperature near 70º. No wind. Big blue sky. I do some weeding in the entry landscaping. It’s the first day of deer hunting season, and my neighbor knocks off early to head north for a couple hours with his buddy and his guns. On the way out of town that afternoon I happen to see a "Wine Tasting" sign for Dry Falls Cellars off Highway 17 in Moses Lake. http://www.dryfallscellars.com/. I wind around through the industrial buildings next to the airport and come across the winery just as another load of grapes is coming in from the Wahluke Slope. I meet Jim & Jonathon, brothers-in-law. I sample a couple of their wines and tell them about my project. They share what information they can, and it seems like the beginning of a friendship. I would like to have someone with some experience to help out. But I realize that if I’m going to get a vineyard started, I’m probably going to have to do it myself.