Jim Prall is setting a high bar for breakfast this morning with his homemade buckwheat-flax seed waffles topped with raspberries and walnuts that grow on their property. We have a fun time talking with the gang about cycling, camper vans and the state of our democracy. It feels like a little pop-up WarmShowers family here in Moscow and it's wonderful to spend time with them.
The main level of Dotsy and Prall's home feels like a treehouse
We're taking the south route back to Pullman, on Palouse River Drive and the Sand Road west. The road is pretty deserted and mostly downhill once we are past Moscow, riding past the green and gold fields all around us. The day is warming up nicely, a relief after the cold snap earlier this week.
We haven't spent much time exploring the towns that we're riding through. Yesterday at the visitor center I found a walking tour brochure that highlights some of the historic sites around downtown Pullman. Looks interesting, there's time today to check it out.
On our way in we stop at the home of our WarmShowers hosts for tonight, Andy and Chelsea. They live in an unusual house built into the side of a hill. We say a quick hello, drop our bags in the garage and ride into town on the bike path.
The bike trail runs by the old Koppel family farm and community garden, which rents out organic plots and has a garden to raise food for local food banks.
It’s past lunchtime so we head to Paradise Creek BrewPub, in the old U.S. Post Office. Built in 1930, the handsome sandstone and terra cotta building appears to have been been well tended through its many lives — as a printing press, movie theater, bakery and now the restaurant. The mac & cheese and salmon burgers here are both very tasty.
This fountain is near the site where a natural aquifer was tapped in 1889 to create several artesian wells. The reliable source of clean water helped convince the legislature to locate the land grant college here that is now Washington State University.
The tallest structure downtown is a 75 foot high concrete grain silo built in 1955, a visible sign of the importance of wheat in the Palouse. Whitman County has been the largest wheat-producing county in the country since 1978.
The Oregon Railway and Navigation Company Railroad was the first rail line to arrive in Pullman. This 1900 through-truss bridge on the Oregon Railway line has supported trains carrying both grain and passengers over the South Fork of the Palouse River.
Built in 1916, the Northern Pacific Railroad Depot replaced an older wooden building with a much grander structure. It's now the Pullman Depot Heritage Center.
Graceful arches on the Mason Building on Main Street, built in 1892. After the 1890 Pullman Fire, brick construction was required for all new downtown buildings.
Riding by these landmarks we're getting a sense of the local pride in Pullman's history. At this point it's getting late in the afternoon so we better move on to our other goal for the afternoon - bringing back wine and dessert for dinner.
Around the corner from Paradise Creek Brewpub, Noshie's Wine Shop is doing their Thursday afternoon wine-tasting, another case of lucky timing for us. They're pouring a great Spanish red wine and have fancy dark chocolates too. Hopefully we'll get back to the house before they start to melt.
Our wine steward at Noshie's is a lot of fun; she really seems to love the job.
Back at the house, Andy makes a run for pizza on his e-bike. We settle in for dinner as the late afternoon shadows advance across the wheat field in front of their home and learn about some of their touring adventures.
Andy likes to travel the forest roads on his Salsa hardtail. He also builds and races boats, DJs at clubs and dabbles in a lot of other things besides his day job as a web developer. Chelsea has done a solo bike trip down the Pacific Coast and some excursions with her Dad. She works in the University fine arts program and is an artist as well. They have a lot cooking.
Whew, it's been a different and quite wonderful day. Our WarmShowers hosts have all been extremely kind and generous and we got to spend time with two of them today, along with a shortish and scenic ride. Feeling very lucky.
