Day Seven / NW Trip

We departed Coast Guard ANT Kennewick (that’s Aids to Navigation Team for you civilians) at 9:00 am. It was real nice of them to let us set up camp there but we didn’t want to overstay our welcome.  Dinner last night at Dads mexican restaurant on memory lane was pretty good but strangely we were the only ones there.

This is pretty varied country here in Washington. We drove through the Yakima  Valley which is wine country. Mom seemed to  really liked that area. I wonder why? 

Lots of green flat fields. Then we kind of got into desert area. Lots of brown and dry land and kind of hilly. After the desert we got into the mountains. There is even snow on them thar mountains.

We stopped in Cle Elum, The Heart of the Cascades.  It is a small town, the population only around 1700 people. Cle Elum is the hometown of  Signalman First Class Douglas A Monroe, who is the only Coast Guardsman to have been awarded the Medal of Honor.  He was killed at Guadalcanal  on September 27, 1942

while rescuing 500 Marines trapped on the beach. We went there to see his memorial.  

We then set up camp at Lake Easton State Park.  We drove a total of 159 miles  at 11.5 mpg to get there.  Diesel is running about $4.29 a gallon.

After much discussion we have come to the conclusion that we like RV parks with cement and grass and maybe even gravel. 

I will again quote from my favorite philosopher Mr Adrian Monk…… Nature Dirty!!!!!!

It was a nice state park if you can get past the dirt and bugs and I was able sit outside in my funhouse and watch Mom beat Dad at Scrabble, again.  Maybe they should try arm wrestling. 

After Dad took a lickin at scrabble Mom let him barbeque the chicken. She is thoughtful that way. Then, finally, we roasted marshmallows.

Today was the longest day of the year and boy did it feel like it.

Douglas Munroe Memorial

Dad at Lake Easton

Lake Easton

Camp site at Lake Easton State Park