Our Anniversary in Wine Country

We have been spending about a week and a half in Prosser, Washington in May for the past few years. We usually meet my parents there, and sometimes other friends or relatives as well. Our wedding anniversary is late in the month, so this year we also had a celebration at one of our favorite restaurants in town with my parents and with the two friends that were the witnesses at our wedding. I never used to like repeating vacations or trips, but because my parents like to return the the same places repeatedly, we've been doing the same, and I find I now appreciate being able to return to favorite spots, like that restaurant.

The water tower welcomes us to town.

We hiked again the year.

From the Horse Heaven Vista at Sunset.

We started our time in Prosser with breakfast in the R-Pod and a walk on the long, paved trail that goes from Prosser to Grandview (we didn't walk the whole thing, only did about 3.5 miles). I like this path, and they've made some improvements at our starting point. The main reason to do this walk early in our trip is the easy access from Wine Country RV Park and how flat and easy it is; we can just walk as far as we like.

The new beginning of the trail.

But first a good breakfast (fruit, yogurt and granola).

Not sure how long it is, but it may be 6.5 miles.

Mt. Adams.

This creek is so pretty after walking past all the dry gulches.

We turned around at the bridge.

Details.

It was getting hot in the sun.

Irrigation water in the slough.

Lunch back at the R-Pod, grilled tuna and Waldorf salad.

Our early 16th anniversary dinner was at Wine O'Clock, which is the restaurant and tasting room for the Bunnell Estate Winery. It has a limited, seasonal menu, and everything here is always perfect. My favorite thing to have here in the spring is their fire roasted asparagus with lavendar-mascarpone butter. Heaven on a plate, honestly. The restaurant is in a large group of other winery tasting rooms called Vintner's Village, and it's close enough to the RV park that we usually walk there. It's a pleasant walk in the spring when it's not too warm yet.

The walk to dinner.

My parents and our wedding witnesses.

This is the white and rose flight. Russ got the cabernet flight.

Prost!

The roasted asparagus. It's my favorite.

Asparagus risotto.

Multi-desserts. It's a special occasion, right? I did share.

We went to Davy's the next day. It's C's favorite. They have burgers bigger than your head, hand-dipped ice cream shakes, and deep-fried everything. I always get the deep-fried asparagus and a veggie burger. I never finish everything but just eat half and leave the rest for later, because it's not a good meal if I'm feeling sick and tired for the rest of the day after lunch there.

 

Waiting for the fried food.

It was warm in the sun, but Chili is a sun dog.

Davy's used to have indoor seating, but after Covid it's takeout only.

Notice the painted horse artwork behind the sign. These are all over Prosser.

A Davy's picnic next to my parent's RV.

Yeah. I also have deep-fried cheese curds on my left. Yummy.

The next day was a hiking day for us. We chose the Horse Heaven Hills hike, with is just down the road near the town of Benton City. We've done this one before, and I remembered it enough to want to repeat it. You can do a long slow climb and quick descent, or go the other way and climb hard for slightly less than one mile (1220 feet in 0.8 miles) and drift down in a loop for another 6 miles. It's an open trail, with no trees and no shade, so it was fantastic that we had a stiff breeze for the initial hike up. The wildflowers were blooming and the wind made the tall grass wave like the sea. I prefer the climb hard first method instead of going uphill for the bulk of the hike. I love the views from the top of the hill. 

The back road to the trailhead (instead of the highway).

At the beginning of the hike, all the wildflower species are marked.

It was a windy day.

Lupine and Benton City in the distance.

Russ on the trail.

Wildflowers everywhere.

Gorgeous.

Distance viewing. I love the long views (we don't get many at home).

The highway and Benton City. This is the Yakima River valley.

The ridge of hills just keeps going.

You can see our trail below.

Trees across the valley.

I smiled all day. Such a good hike.

Russ.

After this hike, we walked back into Vintner's Village and the Airfield Winery and had a light dinner - a cheese plate and wine tasting flight. They gave us extra tastes and pours because we were nice about waiting for them to finish up with a tour group that came in unexpectedly (from a Columbia River cruise boat). We got to hear many stories about the original founder of the winery because his grandson(?) was one of the servers that day. These sorts of interactions are why I most love traveling, far from home or close to it, there are always fantastic stories and friendly people. Also, it's a bonus for my parents because they can bring their dog to spots that have outdoor seating, otherwise he barks the whole time that they are gone. The next morning, Russ and I went to a local cafe for coffee and Acai bowls for breakfast. For lunch, we took my parents (and the dog) with us again to Atomic Brewing in Richland. Beware of the nuclear butter; I love it, but it hurts me.

 

Airfield Winery. Notice the tour bus behind Russ.

The cheese plate. Just right for a light meal.

They have a nice waterfall to block noise and the traffic from the main road.

Chili thinks he's a person.

Russ and I walked back to the R-Pod. The cows were right at the fence along the road.

Our morning coffee spot.

Reading in a patch of sun.

The iced coffee was served like a boba tea.

So refreshing. I got mine without peanut butter, though.

Another outdoor area for Chili.

They have an excellent brewer. The beer here is fantastic.

My beer. No pictures of the food this time. I ate it before I noticed I didn't take a picture.

We enjoyed a final sunset from the Horse Heaven Hills Vista and a last Winery Lunch at the Thurston-Wolfe Winery before we headed home. Russ and I usually walk to breakfast at the nearest Starbucks on our last morning before we pack up the trailer and drive home. We aren't usually in a hurry to leave, but we do need to get out before they charge us for an extra day.

Usually Mt. Adams will be on the horizon, but clouds tonight.

The city of Prosser.

I found the graffiti hilarious. It also smelled like old beer here.

 

More views.

Almost a full moon.

Russ takes his time finding the perfect shot.

Me and Mom and the whole world.

I think this is a juniper tree and a sagebrush.

The Yakima River.

Horse Heaven Vista. We come here for sunset every time we visit.

Thurston-Wolfe Winery.

It was perfect under the trees.

Wine and fotos of wine.

The hummus plate was great.

I think this was a Paloma. It was strong and really good.

Mom enjoyed it too.

The groundhogs had a friendly cat watching over them.

They are usually here as we walk to our last coffee stop before leaving.

We'll probably be back again next year, especially if my parents decide to go again. They may sell their (huge) motorhome and downsize or give up an RV altogether. I guess we'll find out next year. This is a nice first trip of the year usually, even though this year we went to Texas first last year because of the eclipse. It does seem helpful to do a shorter trip and get the R-Pod ready for travel before committing to a long trip. Bon Voyage.