Having fun in the Tri-Cities of Washington…

Wow we have had such a blast with our friends Debbie and Marshall. We  have known them  both since even before we were married while in high school.  So we have had a lot of catching up to do. We laughed and visited and looked at old pictures, some of which had yellowed over time. As great as it has been to see all the really neat places in the USA it really pales in comparison to all the people we have had a chance to reconnect with. How lucky we are to have been able to retire early and enjoy this stage of our lives!

Marshall and Debbie invited us out to meet their “Tuesday Empty Nester Crew” with whom they meet for weekly dinners. It was a real treat to meet their friends and we appreciated their letting us invade their weekly meeting. We had a great time and dinner was grand, especially the Ninkase Pale Ale. On Wednesday we met again at a really neat little tavern called the Atomic Ale Brewpub & Eatery where we had their wood fired pizza and I had their crafted International Proton Pale Ale… Yummy it was… as was the second one. It was really fun to once again hang out with our dear friends.

Wednesday morning Sharon and I decided to bike part of the Sacagawea Heritage Trail that spans from Pasco Washington to Richland. The 27 mile paved hike/bike trail meanders along the Columbia River and crosses several bridges over the river. We chose to do an 11 mile loop that involved crossing two tall bridges (another first for Sharon). From the highest point the drop to the water looked way, way, down there!  This was an excellent biking trail that offered great views of the Columbia River, a light house, and of course the two bridges. I even spotted a marmot scurrying along the rip rap.

As it neared the weekend we attended a few festivals. Thursday night it was out on the town as we visited the Hogs and Dogs Festival where there were hundreds of motorcycles parked in lines for all to admire. Everything from dirt bikes to Harley’s to custom chopped bikes were on display. Even batman’s bike was there…Fun times were had by all and the dogs were pretty darn good as well.

Friday was yet another festival as we went to the Cool Desert Nights, a three-day classic car and street rod event. Checking out all the old cars was fun and some of them were very neatly restored while others were left in their natural classic skins. Many nice 40’s and 50’s models and fun to see many of the cars that were “hot” during our teen years. A little rain shower in the desert dampened the car parade a bit but we it surely did not stop us from thoroughly enjoying the show.

Lots of things to do here in the Tri Cities and did I mention that there are many vineyards and wineries in the area too…