Thursday was a full day of fun activities. Toppenish, about 90 minutes from Kennewick, were stops 1&2. The first stop was the wildlife refuge in Toppenish, WA.  Our host is retired from the US Fish and  Wildlife Service and has worked at or visited many of the Fish and Wildlife Refuges in the Pacific Northwest, but had not been to the one on Toppenish. Along the way to the refuge, we passed several fields of hops and were informed that Washington produces about 75% of all the hops consumed in the U.S.

At the wildlife refuge, it was a real luxury to have an expert with us. Our host pointed out some of the birds that were nesting there and the value of the refuge in the life cycle of some of the animals who live there year round or as part of their migratory pattern. We could have easily spent more time there, but it was the first of a few stops that day.

The next stop for the day was the Northern Pacific Railway Museum, also in Toppenish. It is housed in the former Toppenish Railway Depot. The Northern Pacific Railroad had been important in moving goods and passengers from the Great Lakes to the Pacific Ocean close to the Canadian border. It operated from 1883 until 1970 when it merged with Burlington Northern Railroad and later with the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway in 1996. It is now known as the BNSF Railway and no longer provides passenger service. In 1918 the American Railway Express, (later renamed Railway Express Agency in 1929) was started to deliver goods to and from many  cities (including Toppenish) in the U.S. Passenger service gradually declined and ended for Toppenish in 1961. REA went bankrupt in 1975 and the depot finally closed. It was purchased in 1993 and turned into a museum.

A visit to the museum includes the passenger waiting room, ticket office with original equipment, a sleeping compartment, freight room with relevant equipment, and an REA room. (Peggy was particularly pleased to learn more about REA Express since 2 of her relatives had worked for it.) In the side yard is a well-preserved 1941 REA truck. In the freight yard, there is information about the 19 freight cars and locomotives, including a dining car. Again, we could have spent more time there, but lunch and wineries were calling us.

On the way out of Toppenish, the City of Murals, we drove past some of the many murals. They began in 1989 in connection with Washington State’s Centennial Celebration. The theme for the Murals is the history of the area; they are amazing works of art. There are 76 Murals covering such topics as immigration, agriculture, Indigenous people, and cowboys. We hope to return, on another visit, to walk through the town and see all the murals.

The next stop was one of our hosts favorite wineries, Anelare. The views were only exceded by the amazing wines. We relaxed and enjoyed tasting different wines in such a wonderful setting. Although we have far more wine than just the two of us are drinking on our own, we couldn’t resist buying some of the fine Anelare wine. Fortunately, we have a fair amount of room in the Camry for extra wine. Another advantage of not traveling in the Miata. Treveri Winery, which specializes in sparkling wines, was on our way back to our hosts’ home so we made a little detour there. Our hosts had been there once before Covid, and they had enjoyed the wine. They had been meaning to return for sometime, so this was the perfect opportunity. Again, the weather and the views were perfect for relaxing outside while sipping wine. We even managed to return “home” in time for our hostess’ 6 o’clock business meeting. After her meeting, we enjoyed excellent Thai food; last night we had Indian food. An added bonus to this trip is that Peggy is experimenting with food she doesn’t normally eat and discovering that she does in fact like some Thai and Indian food!

Friday was an early wakeup call for Peggy because she had an IRB Meeting starting at 7 a.m., 10 a.m. EDT. The upside of the early Zoom call meant we had the rest of the day free. Today’s activities were local and slower paced. We to downtown Richland Gallery at the Park to see a local artist’s exhibit. The gallery is in another repurposed old building. Our friend’s quilt group will be having an exhibit there in the near future. It is a bright, naturally lighted gallery, and it will be perfect for a quilt show!

After touring the gallery, we walked through the park and for a short way along the riverfront. The weather was sunny but with a perfect temperature for being outdoors. The park had a small sandy beach and a fountain pool for the little ones to play in. Our hostess had grown up near the park and went there as a child.

After the park, we headed back to the house for a leisurely lunch, did some laundry, and relaxed for awhile before heading to our hosts favorite winery where they are club members and frequently help with the bottling process. Again, we relaxed on the patio drinking some spectacular wine and chatting with the wine pourer until closing time. You guessed it: we bought more wine. We returned back “home” and had a very tasty lasagna for dinner while reminiscing about our Australian trip and talking about their upcoming trip to Australia. After dinner we enjoyed seeing photos of and hearing about our friends’ international trips until it was past bedtime.