Road Trip! -- Walla Walla, Washington

This Road Trip! Report comes from Traveler staff member Timmie Chandler, who recently completed a trip east of the Cascades with her husband Rick Chandler, who is Curator/ and Facilities Coordinator for the Bainbridge Island Historical Museum.

The tourism slogan for Walla Walla, WA is: "Walla Walla - Surprise Surprise." And indeed, we were! Having never been to Walla Walla -- some say a town so cute they had to name it twice -- in the 33 years I have lived in the Great Northwest, I didn't know what to expect.

Walla Walla Onions

They bring a tear to my eye.

We were going so that my husband Rick could collect his Award of Excellence from the Washington Museum Association's Annual Conference. In fact, he took home two awards - one individual award for himself and one for the exhibit, Ansel Adams' "Portrait of Manzanar" at the Bainbridge Island Historical Museum.  The exhibit will be on display there until December 7th. If you live nearby and haven't seen it, you should allow yourself the time. It is a powerful statement of the Japanese internment during World War II.

We planned to spend the first night in Yakima, WA so that Rick could get into Walla Walla in a timely fashion for the first day of the conference. Along the way, we made our usual Curious Chandlers' side trips. We stopped at the new Suncadia Resort and Village.  Once a coal mine, now a swanky resort and golf course getaway.

We took another side trip to Roslyn to see what the Northern Exposure fuss was all about. I never did watch that program when it aired on TV in the early 1990s - nor have I seen the reruns. Maybe this Chandler isn't as curious as the Curator Chandler?

The author in Roslyn, WA.

The exit from Roslyn took us through the Yakima Canyon Scenic Byway.  It was beautiful. I felt as though I was floating through a watercolor. The canyon walls were basalt - covered in what looked like green velvet in places - all dotted with wild flowers. The Yakima River runs through it along with railroad tracks.

Yakima Valley Museum

Our final destination of the day was Yakima, where Rick wanted to visit the Yakima Valley Museum.  The museum was superlative in every sense, and they are not dependent upon state or local government monies to fund their programs and exhibits.  They have wealthy donors and private funding campaigns that not only keep them afloat, but keep them keenly competitive on the museum stage (as it were).  The building is an architectural delight.  Here we learned that celebrity chef Mario Batali is one of Yakima's favorite sons. He recently donated a wind up toy of himself and a pair of his used Crocs™ to the museum's collections.

Mario's Crocs™

Perhaps the most famous favorite son of Yakima though is Chief Justice William O. Douglas. One of the museum exhibits is his complete office that was donated to the museum after he died in 1980 - his desk, fireplace & mantel, all of his books and personal effects, his standing desk, his Justice chair, his robe - everything that was in his office after 36 years on the Supreme Court Bench. I believe his cabin still exists in Goose Valley, too. The exhibit has been built to duplicate his office in DC. They had to make a few tweaks here and there, but it is fairly faithful to the original office layout.

Yakima Museum Soda Shop

We allowed ourselves guilty pleasure ice cream cones from the soda fountain after we toured the museum. 

Rick @ Chandler Reach Winery

And of course, we weren't going to pass up stopping at a namesake winery! Chandler Reach Winery in Benton City was closed, but we've had their wines. They are quite good. We were introduced to Chandler Reach wines by none other than Seattle restauranteur Ethan Stowell, back when he was at the helm of Union on First Avenue.

Our room at the Marcus Whitman Hotel

Upon our arrival in Walla Walla, we checked into our room at the Marcus Whitman Hotel.  The Washington Museum Association got us special rates, but the hotel offers a wide range of lodging alternatives, including suites. They also offer a number of special packages, from golf to spa to "The Ultimate Mancation."  The hotel has been beautifully restored and refurbished in recent years. We were über comfy - leading the 'lush' life in Walla Walla wine country.

Whitman College Campus

The Washington Museum Association Conference was held at Whitman College, a small, liberal arts institution with approximately 1,500 students. The campus, like all of Walla Walla, is peppered with public art and sculptures like the ones to the right.

Artist working on a triptych at

the Marcus Whitman Hotel.

Rick and I enjoyed our downtown explorations, and because of the conference, I had a chance to enjoy my own 'little alones" as well.  We found Walla Walla to be very walkable, with a lot of public art installations, fun shops, delicious restaurants and interesting architecture.  Here are some highlights....

"If these walls could talk!"

If the walls of the old buildings in town aren't adorned with paintings or tilework, they are left in their beautiful brick splendor like the one at left.

We had scrumptious moules frites at Brasserie Four on Main Street, which was rated as #4 of 29 Walla Walla  restaurants by Trip Advisor.com.

Hot Poop!

Hot Poop has been a Walla Walla icon for over 30 years.  The girl with the parasol (left) is just one of many colorful roadside attractions in this college town.

Mill Creek runs right 

through downtown

We enjoyed the public art installations and catching occasional glimpses of Mill Creek, which winds its way through downtown through a maze of channels and tunnels.

Relaxing after a picnic lunch downtown.

We discovered some free attractions as well, like Gerald Matthews' Museum of Unnatural History, a collection of "opinionated, satiric, iconoclastic creations of questionable taste."  While not for everyone, this art installation and the museum's charismatic founder/curator adds a bit of color to this little town in eastern Washington.

"Un-natural" History?

While Rick attended the conference workshops, I managed to ferret out wines, which I deemed taste-worthy. This one from Plumb Cellars caught my eye because Rick is a carpenter. The 2007 Damn Straight Red shown here is the recipient of a 2011 Double Gold Seattle Wine Award.  It's a fine wine.

Did we have a good time on our Walla Walla Road Trip? "Damn straight" we did!

  

Benton County Historical Museum

On our way home, we stopped in Prosser, WA to get some caffeine, and we visited the Benton County Historical Museum. From the outside, it looks like a dinky little museum housed in a pole building, but inside it houses 5,000 sq. ft. of exhibits - like this one of a 'square' grand piano. Only 53 were ever built. This museum was a serendipitous find.

Tacoma Narrows Bridge

The weather was gorgeous east of the mountains until Saturday morning when we woke to rain. The snotty weather followed us all the way home. We crossed the Tacoma Narrows Bridge in a misty, moisty fog at dusk - my first trip across the bridge since it became two.  We returned home to Harbour Marina and our houseboat with great memories of our off the beaten path adventures.

I read in the paper recently that 'staycations' are out, but 'cheapcations' are in - despite the cost of gas. Like us, folks are venturing a little further away from home, but still don't want to be hit hard when the bottom line rolls around. What makes 'cheapcations' so much fun is that you constantly discover something off the beaten path that you haven't seen before - and you take the time to explore because it is, well, the cheap thing to do!

This jaunt cost us around $1,100, including gas, ferry tolls, food, museum admissions, and hotel rooms.  We weren't watching our pennies, and didn't skimp on gourmet dining and libations.  We could have reduced the costs significantly by being a little bit more budget conscious, and by choosing one of Walla Walla's many less expensive lodging options, which are listed below.  

More Walla Walla weblinks: Official Walla Walla Tourism Site, History and Cultural Attractions, Lodging Alternatives, Walla Walla Downtown Walk Brochure.