WALLA WALLA, WASHINGTON: A Very Diverse Day Presented in Three Parts

August 10, 2019

PART ONE: Scenery

If you've been patient enough to read this journal from the start, there are probably a couple of things you may have learned about me. For one thing, I'm a sucker for great scenery. For another thing, I like the presence of water.

You might also have learned a few less flattering things about me--such as how much of a jack-ass I am--but let's not go there because that has nothing to do with SCENERY.

Make no mistake about it, today's scenery was quite spectacular once again. I don't know how much longer I can keep saying that day after day, and maintain any credibility, but somehow I find a way. I have a few pictures coming up to prove it, but keep in mind that I tend to stop for a picture at the most scenic spots. If you look at anybody's touring journal and see nothing but a bunch of beautiful pictures, you'll think "Oh my gosh, I've got to go to there! It's so incredibly awesome!" In reality, there is a bunch of plain old regular stuff in between the awesomeness. As for me, I like the plain old regular stuff almost as much as the awesomeness.

Just beyond the raised bridge is the confluence of the Snake River and the Columbia River. This picture was taken from a bridge over the Snake. The bridge is shaking from all of the big trucks. I couldn't help but think of the collapse of the Interstate 35 bridge over the Mississippi River in Minneapolis a few years ago. I moved on before the weight of me and The Reckless Mr. Bing Bong caused a similar disaster

This one was taken at the confluence of the Walla Walla River and the Columbia River. The presence of water is soothing to my senses, and the Columbia River has become one of my favorite sense-soothers.

Heading into barren country along eastbound Highway 12.

PART TWO: Animals

Along with enjoying scenery and being a jack-ass, you might also have figured out that I really like to see, and interact with, animals. I like it best when they pay attention to me, but I am not offended when they ignore me. And I do not discriminate between wild animals, domestic animals, and farm animals. They're all great.

While on that quaking bridge which seemed to be on the verge of collapse, this white pelican flew into view.

This osprey mom did NOT like me stopping to take a picture of her nest. "CHIP CHIP CHIP CHIP CHIP CHIP CHIP CHIP CHIP CHIP" she shrieked.

No matter how much I waved my arms and mooed, these cows with huge horns would not stop munching on grass long enough to look straight at me for a picture.

I saw many other cows and and sheep and horses. I took a few pictures of them, but I post too many pictures of those fine animals. I don't want to get too one-dimensional on the animal front. Goats, on the other hand, well, one can never post too many pictures of goats. I think goats GET me.

I spent a fair amount of time exchanging opinions and snarky comments with this small herd of goats.

PART THREE: Commerce and Industry

Scenery, yeah. Animals, sure. Those are natural things. But I also have an appreciation for businesses created by humans. Gigantic factories hold a special fascination for me. The smokestacks, the pipes, the tanks, the trains, the specialized equipment, the engineering that must have been involved--all that stuff boggles my small brain.

This plant on the Columbia River was so big I thought it was an energy producer or oil refinery. I looked up some info on the PCA Company and learned they make corrugated packaging for the agricultural industry. They must pump out a lot of cardboard.

I also like small businesses. I've seen plenty of creative stores in very small towns trying to make a go of it. I've seen numerous little roadside fruit and vegetable stands and I always feel bad when I pass them up because I don't have enough space on my bike to carry a ten pound bag of apples or a watermelon.

Today I saw a new kind of roadside vegetable stand--a very specialized vegetable stand. I'm traveling through the area that grows the famous Walla Walla onions, and there are vendors who sell ONLY those sweet Walla Wall onions. The one in the next picture was near a convenience store where I stopped for a break. For some reason it wasn't open for business at that time. It was certainly within their business hours.

True to my jack-ass nature, I thought it would be funny to stop at one of those Walla Walla Onion stands and ask, "Say, do you have any sweet VIDALIA onions?" But it's a good thing I didn't do that, because I would have felt bad and I would have felt obligated to buy a ten-pound bag of Walla Walla onions and load it onto my bike. Onions are probably my favorite vegetable, but I have no idea what I'd do with that many of them for the next week of my tour.

The next industry I noticed, which came along late in the day, was the wine industry. Apparently, the Walla Walla River Valley is the Napa Valley of southeastern Washington. On Old Highway 12, I saw no less than eight wineries in a ten mile stretch. I should have stopped at one of them to buy a bottle, but the truth is, I don't much like wine. Perhaps that's the reason for my sarcastic wine reviews every year.

Here are the names of some of the wineries I passed. I don't know why the Cougar Crest Estates Winery in the background wouldn't have been tempted to take a can of spray paint to the names of its competitors.

I hadn't seen so many wineries packed together since I biked along the eastern shore of Lake Erie. I like how wineries work together to promote their industry in these grape growing regions. It's so much different than the cut-throat business world I came from.

A victim of the cut-throat world of business. I think this photo is kind of Jeff Lee-esque.

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Today's ride: 51 miles (82 km)
Total: 515 miles (829 km)

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Keith KleinHi,
You’ve got a few years yet until you reach old-goat hood. Heck, by my reckoning you’re still just a kid. Until you butt heads with the reality of decreasing returns and can still run with the herd, we’ll be expecting more adventures to follow.l
Wine makers aren’t real capitalists. Too much mutual help and not enough competition. My neighbors are like that. If one gets sick the others will pitch in to help get the harvest in, or keep the vines in good condition. Makes life here more pleasant.
Cheers,
Keith
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5 years ago

Gregory GarceauTo Keith KleinI really have noticed (and admired) the friendliness and co-operation within the wine-making industry. In the business world I lived in, I would probably have gotten fired for offering assistance of any kind to a competitor. If one of those businesses was suffering due to the owner's sickness, that was the time to steal his customers and run him out of business once and for all. Makes life here more UNpleasant. (Definitely part of the reason I retired early.)
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5 years ago