 |
| Tumbleweed parked next to the Escape at work. |
As the season has changed and our time in the Tri-Cities is coming to an end, we've been trying to figure out how to celebrate autumn in a way that is unique to Eastern Washington. After a bit of searching, Charlie came came across an event that seemed too good to be true - a 5k vineyard run, catered lunch, and grape stomp. Overly excited we clicked on the "sign up" button where we were faced with the words..."sold out." Disheartened we continued searching for other comparable events, but quit soon thereafter, unable to find anything nearly as enticing.
We both went on with our lives and decided we'd figure out something to do for the weekend. After a busy day at work I arrived home later than Charlie who greeted me with a big smile and said he had good news. Not knowing what he could be talking about I asked him to continue. He then informed me that we were signed up for the run, lunch and grape stomp!!! He called the vineyard, worked his magic using the "we just moved from PA" card and we were in. What a guy!
So come Saturday we were off to Sunnyside, WA (about 40 miles west of the Tri-Cities) where Airfield Estates Vineyard was ready to greet runners and walkers, humans and dogs. We were truly in wine country surrounded by acres and acres of vineyards...a beautiful scene.
 |
| Airfield Estates Vineyard |
 |
| Ready to run! |
With the crack of the gun we were off, running up and down the hilly vineyard, which was a bit dry for my sensitive pulmonary system, feeling like we ran well, but didn't break any records. We hung around to enjoy complementary (giant) apples and muffins, taking in the great weather. They began announcing winners for a small award ceremony and we were both surprised when they called the name Amanda O'Malley for the 3rd place women's award. Oh geez!
 |
| Finishing times: 1st place: 21 min 2nd place: 22 min 3rd place: 26 min |
Phases 2 & 3 of our day were in Prosser, WA at Airfield Estates Winery. We leisurely drove the 15 minutes to Prosser where we chowed down on beef brisket (Charlie) and pulled pork (Amanda - they didn't have any vegetarian options! The pork was tasty though). We mingled a bit then headed into the warehouse for 3 hours of grape stomping. We didn't know exactly what to expect, but did know that we were helping create the 2012 Ruby Rosé wine. Pretty cool!
With an accordion serenading, we all doffed our shoes, rinsed our feet, and jumped into large plastic bins. Clusters of grapes were continually added to our bins as we stomped and stomped and stomped! The initial shock of cold grapes and rough stems was a bit uncomfortable, but we toughed it out and were some of the last people stomping. It was excellent to talk with people stomping in adjacent bins. We were surprised to find out how many people travel from afar for this yearly event.
 |
| This is just a small portion of the stomping bins they had set up. |
 |
| Stomp! |
To conclude this post, I'd like to share with everyone where our next stop will be on this American Adventure...knock on wood...it is nice to already know where we are going (unlike previous stops)!
As hoped, we're heading to Western Washington where we'll be spending 23 weeks in a small, rainy town of about 8,700 people called Hoquiam. The name Hoquiam comes from a Native-American word meaning "hungry for wood." Historically tied to lumbering and export the town sits along the North Bay, which opens up to the Pacific Ocean. We'll be approximately 2.5-3 hrs from Seattle, Portland, Olympic National Park, Mount Rainer National Park and various ski resorts. We'll be working at Pacific Care & Rehabilitation Center, which is a small skilled nursing facility. Both of us are new to this setting, but excited to try something new.
 |
| Hoquiam, Washington. Located in Grays Harbor County. |
Until next time...happy autumn!
No comments:
Post a Comment