Then, out of the blue, reader Court P answered the question. Reading that I had come thru Umatilla, he asked if I knew that was the govt's location of a huge stockpile of chemical weapons (nerve gas, blistering agents, etc) that the military is gradually incinerating. And he sent a web link to back this up. So that explains the need for an evacuation route!
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Walt Wright
917 783 6540
Walterwright@brooklynny.us
This site includes a lot of interesting stuff, including many photos. I am sure the ex-navy/coastguardsmen among my relatives (Jeff W, Ken G, Adam T) and my boat-building friends (Greg B, Chuck R, and Jim D), as well as others, will find this interesting.
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Walt Wright
917 783 6540
Walterwright@brooklynny.us
1. After 8 miles I stopped for two hours at a Subway/Gas Station/FoodMart. Not really much of a highlight but it got me out of the rain and I appreciated the hot coffee and "breakfast sandwich."
2 After another 5 miles I was very lucky to stop at the Woodward Canyon Winery. I explained to Kellie, the tasting room mgr, that I was mainly stopping to get in out of the rain, but she was great. She gave me a good history of the winery, explained why there are so many wineries in this region and why the conditions vary considerably from one vinyard to the next, and what made the Woodward Canyon wines so special. I limited myself to one tasting -- the 2005 "artists" Cabernet Sauvignon -- and it was terrific. Look for it, and buy it!
Then Kellie introduced me to Marlene, in marketing. Marlene had grown up in Guilford CT and worked on Wall Street, so we enjoyed comparing notes about NYC and CT.
Thanks, Kellie and Marlene, for letting me in out of the rain and being so hospitable -- that's the type of thing that's making this bike trip so enjoyable!
3. I wanted to load up on pasta, so walked into a little Italian place in Walla^2. This place turned out to be extraordinarily good! It certainly ranks with, and possibly higher, than any of the excellent restaurants I had been to in the Portland area. If you are ever in Walla^2, don't miss T. Maccarone.
All for now -- I want to take my bike into the local shop for a "tune-up."
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Walt Wright
917 783 6540
Walterwright@brooklynny.us
This was a ride in the rain, and I didn't take any pictures.
But below you will find a photo of Tom, Dale, and Grant, the three guys on a fishing trip who fed me last night.
Tom found a great way to start off his retirement: restoring a WWII PT boat. These were not made to last, and in fact the Gov't agreed with the manufacturer to sell them abroad or destroy them. In recent years Tom's group obtained two of the four known to exist and reconstructed one, fully operational PT boat. It is now part of the Navy's official "Historic Fleet," and is housed in its own museum in Portland, Oregon except when it goes to sea on official occassions. Way to go, Tom, for making the effort to preserve our naval history!
(I expect to post Tom's website after I have had a chance to review it.)
Other highlights of today's trip will follow tomorrow.
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Walt Wright
917 783 6540
Walterwright@brooklynny.us
After climbing out above the McGary Dam , 
most of the time I was on fairly flat US 730, on the south-east bank of the Columbia. It was very scenic, with 15 miles or more in the Wallula Gap, a passage thru the Horse Heaven Hills. Except for the view of the dam, the photos are all of the approach to and inside the Gap.
The Columbia turned north and I tirned east, and am now at a csmpground on the banks of the Walla Walla River Camp neighbors very friendly--3 retired guys here for the fishing who gave me a share of the beef stew and apple pie they had brought from home.
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Walt Wright
917 783 6540
Walterwright@brooklynny.us
In 1916 there was significant dissatisfaction with the mayor and other elected officials.
The voting system was one in which there was no declared slate of candidates. Each voter would just write in his/her choice for each position.
Oregon women had just been granted the right to vote. When the town's women's club met shortly before election day the women present decided, quietly and with no publicity, who they would vote for, for each position.
When the votes were counted, it was determined that women had won virtually all the positions and were now in control of the town's government. The prior mayor's wife was elected mayor, beating her husband by a vote of 25 to 8. Apparently they ran a very efficient government for the next four years, introducing lots of town improvements on a very low budget.
The election results supposedly drew national attention at the time.
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Walt Wright
917 783 6540
Walterwright@brooklynny.us
Yesterday I got up early, had a bowl of oatmeal, then poked around for a couple of hours as I packed up and got ready to go. I was procrastinating, I think, because I was fatigued. Fortunately, Barbara got me moving by asking me to stop by her camper for a cup of coffee.
The coffee and talk really hit the spot. I had met Barbara the day before. She and her husband Mike are avid windsurfers who spend a lot of time in May in Roosevelt Park and other sites along the Columbia River. I guess they should be considered professional windsurfers, because for several years they traveled around the western states promoting the sport. They pull a trailer behind their truck camper: when I first saw it I thought it was a small horse trailer but it is really just to carry all their various boards and sails. Barbara said that the sport of windsurfing seemed to be dying out as kite boarding, which is actually easier to learn initially, gains in popularity.
Barbara said that she had been bicycling a couple of days before, on a day with a very stong wind, and had coasted UP a long steep hill, with the wind at her back, and then had to peddle hard to get down!
I next stopped at a restaurant about a mile up the road. All morning I had been looking forward to a full breakfast there. But when I arrived I found it was a bar and grill that didn't serve breakfasts so I had to settle for a (mediocre) BLT.
I set off for Paterson, about 35 miles away, the next town en route. My thoughts were on stopping there for a good lunch and cold water and some snack food -- my bicycling map said Paterson had a grocery store, restaurant, and gas station. It was sunny and hot and I was running out of water by the time I reached Paterson. I saw what had been the gas station, now just a derilict building. The restaurant, The Desert Cafe, looked like it had been deserted years ago. And the grocery store was closed on weekends!
I asked a local resident (whose wife, it turned out, ram the grocery store) to refill my water bottles. As I was chugging water and eating some trail mix, he said he was going to be driving to Umatilla in a while and would be happy to throw my bike in the back of his truck and give me a ride. I admit that I seriously considered his offer, but I declined. I asked if it would be okay for me to stretch out on his lawn in the shade of a bush to rest for a bit, and he said "Sure, you're welcome to, but you'll need to be careful of the spiders." So I declined that offer, also, and continued on my way to Umatillo, 18 miles farther.
Shortly after leaving Paterson some clouds rolled in and the temperature dropped quickly. I put on my rain jacket/windbreaker, but was still somewhat chilly. Eventually the wind picked up and I had a tailwind. Then the road turned and/or the wind shifted and I had a headwind. I found myself having to peddle on what should have been a long gradual downhill, and was reminded of Barbara's more extreme experience.
Before checking in to a motel in Umatilla I passed an ice cream place where I stopped for a chocolate shake. Good!
I was told that the best place for dinner was the Devine Diner, a 10 minute walk. But when I arrived at about 8 pm they were just closing -- ar 8 pm on Saturday! Umatilla isn't NYC.
I was directed to the Express Cafe, where I was assured I could get good food. This turned out to be a bar with two pool tables, and a limited bar food menu. I had wanted something with a lot of carbs, but my choices were limited. I chose the nachos, which were not very good. They were so cold (although the cheese was still soft and runny for some reason) that I had to ask Becky, the bartender/waitress/cook/cashier, to put them back in the microwave. I had also been considering an order of deep-fried green beans,which Becky had told me were excellent, but after the nachos I decided to forego this pleasure.
On the way back to the motel I picked up some milk, fig newtons, and fruit, so that I didn't have to go to bed hungry.
I got a good night's sleep, just finished a decent breakfast (at the Devine Diner), and am looking forward to doing some laundry, getting another milkshake, and taking a long nap.
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Walt Wright
917 783 6540
Walterwright@brooklynny.us
