In the Yakima Valley, Serious Wine Vineyards and Sweeping Vistas

August 24-28, 2017

We followed along the Yakima River tumbling through a canyon before it reaches watering crops in the valley below. Our route paralleled the river along the high desert and rolling plains of sagebrush before opening up in Washington to terraces of lush green grape vineyards and fruit trees for miles on end stretching through the Yakima Valley. Travelers to the Pacific Northwest are probably lured by postcard promises of orca whales or the Seattle Space Needle against a backdrop of lofty peaks.

 But what too few tourists learn is this: The massive dome of Mount Rainier — arguably the showiest of Washington State’s majestic Cascades — is best beheld not from Puget Sound but from the high desert east of the mountains. There, from points up and down the Yakima Valley, Rainier like a giant snow cone rises majestically above swaths of irrigated farmland and sagebrush-covered range.

A world away from Seattle, the “dry side,” as it is known to Washingtonians, is home to more tractors seen than sedans and SUVs on the road it seems. In addition to broad vistas and respite from rain, the region boasts a booming wine industry and lots of agricultural fruit produce. Early pioneers in the Yakima Valley who first took a chance on planting Vitis vinifera — in a place where Concord grapes were king — have in one generation seen the number of wineries in Washington State swell from a handful to nearly 1,000. This is some serious competition for California's Napa and Sonoma Valley wineries. Yakima Valley's growers in Washington are closing in on an ever expanding market.

Arriving at the Yakima Elks Lodge connected with a golf course we were able to park and obtain full hook up alongside the green at one of their 30 campsites. This provided our rig (RV and tow Jeep) a great base camp for several days. To our surprise, the Elks Lodge was open to fellow traveling Elk members and offered amenities for breakfast and lunch dining, live music, showers, use of a BBQ grill on the patio, a golf pro shop and an 18 hole golf course. The office even helped us with some business matters needing to be faxed.