07-11SEP07 - Kittitas, WA (aloha)

Unfortunately it is time to leave the scenic beauty of the Kittitas valley and head west of the cascades to our property in Sultan, WA. We spent the last couple of days relaxing and helping around the “ranch”. Between bucking hay and taking care of horses, Dan is certain farm/ranch life is not for him. He has no problem helping out Bonnie and Steve, but not full time for ourselves; we’ll stick to RV’ing. Steve, Dan and Corrie took some of the hay over the cascades to Dan and Steve’s aunt Madeline and her husband, Bob. After unloading the hay we had a very enjoyable time catching up on family news, while enjoying northwest cheese, local cold cuts, and fresh fruit. On our return to Kittitas we went by our property in Sultan. What used to be four acres of pasture and trees is now blackberries and trees! We couldn’t even walk it, looks like heavy machinery is needed to clear the blackberries.

We also found time to run over to Yakima to try our luck at a Yakama Tribe casino, Legends. The drive we took from Ellensburg to Yakima was along the Yakima River on Highway 821. If you are ever in this area, we highly recommend taking this very scenic route and keep an eye out for the big horn sheep. After the mandatory casino buffet dinner it was time for lady luck. One of our party did very well, but it wasn’t a Ryan.

Back in Kittitas, Corrie told Dan about a very colorful house that he might find eccentric/interesting. Turns out the house is known as Dick and Jane’s Spot and is listed in Dan’s book about Eccentric America. If interested, check out:

http://www.reflectorart.com/

Our last night we went to dinner with Bonnie at the local college hangout called the The Tav. Since the college, Central Washington University, was not in session it was a quiet dinner. Steve had left the day before for his annual hunting trip to Wyoming, and obviously wasn’t able to join us. We have had an excellent time in the Kittitas valley, with great friends, good weather and interesting things to do; but it is time to head west before the Seattle rains hit.