Town Fun Facts:
- Continent: North America (United States), Washington State, Pacific Northwest
- Primary Language: Primarily American English, secondarily Mexican Spanish
- Currency: U.S. Dollar (USD)
- Passport Validity: (consult country’s embassy page)
- Tourist Visa Required: (consult country’s embassy page)
- Driving: On the right-hand side of the road. (consult country’s embassy page)
- Famous For: Wine country, First brew pub since prohibition (Grant’s Pub), Agriculture (apples, cherries), Supplies ~75% of the U.S. hops, Kyle MacLachlan (actor), Yakima Roof Racks, Chukar Cherries
Basic Phrase:
Yes: (yEs)
No: (NOH)
Please: (plEEz)
Thank you: (thăngk yo͞o)
Hello / Hi / Hey: (hel low / high / hay)
Type of Trip: Unescorted, 6-Days
Month Visited and Temperature: End of May/first of June (2021). 72-90 F (22-32 C), dry, some windy days
Cities Visited: Yakima (or just Yak to us born there)
Washington State
Highlights:
I grew up on the eastern side of Washington (WA) state, so this was a trip home to see family following the height of the COVID pandemic. One question I get asked is “doesn’t it rain a lot?” Nope. Yakima is in eastern Washington where the weather is quite different than Seattle’s more mild, wet climate. Yakima has a semi-arid climate with a Mediterranean precipitation pattern. Winters are cold and snowy, December being the coolest month, with a mean temperature of 28.5 F (−1.9 C).
Yakima sits in a valley about 2’ish hours south east of Seattle. Yakima (proper) is not a town of countless things to do (just being honest). There are a few local history museums, the Farmers’ Market, outdoorsy things (hiking, river rafting, golf), the Capitol Theatre, and Indigenous American museums and cassinos. To really take advantage of what eastern WA has to offer you need to get out and drive around the area.
Most of Washington state is visually stunning, with its year-round snowcapped mountains (Mt. Baker, Rainier, St. Helens, and Adams) that can be seen from most anywhere in the state, and endless outdoor activities. The Seattle area is more touristy, but there is plenty to do throughout WA. Official Washington State Visitors’ Guide https://www.experiencewa.com. Although this visit did not include a trip to Leavenworth, WA, I would be remiss if I did not give it a shout out (https://leavenworth.org/). Great location for skiing (water and snow), delicious food, and Christmas.
Leaving Seattle, WA (the wet side of the state)
Landing in Pasco, WA (the dry side of the state)
Whilst Yakima may not be high (or at all) on your bucket list, the eastern Washington area is a wine mecca (YUM!). Wine production started in earnest around the 1950-60s. The wine industry was generating more than $2.4 billion annually with wine grapes being the fourth most important fruit crop in the state (behind apples, pears and cherries) by the beginning of 21st century. By 2009, Washington had certified its 600th winery. Wineries are sprinkled throughout the state, but most are located in the eastern region of Washington. L’Ecole has garnered national and international recognition over the years for producing superior quality wines. L’Ecole N° 41 is a third-generation family-owned, artisan winery located in the historic Frenchtown School depicted on their label. Founded in 1983, they were the third winery established in the Walla Walla Valley.
Photo courtesy of www.winemag.com
There are many famous people from WA, such as Bill Gates, Ann & Nancy Wilson, Eddie Vedder, Kurt Cobain, Hope Solo, Phil Mahre, Sam Kinison (Yakima born comedian), and Kyle MacLachlan to name a few. Kyle MacLachlan (Yakima born actor) has starred in many movies and TV series over the years (The Librarian: Quest for the Spear, Twin Peaks, Sex and the City, Dune, etc.), he also has a winery in eastern WA named Pursued By Bear that scores quite high with wine critics.
Two final shout outs to eastern WA, Yakima Roof Racks and Chukar Cherries. Yakima Roof Racks (one of two top Roof Rack/Cargo Carrier companies in the industry) started as a small machine shop in Yakima, WA (they have since moved their company to Beaverton, Oregon) and put themselves on the map at the 1984 Summer Olympics, decking out every race vehicle with original aerodynamic fairings. Chukar Cherries (https://www.chukar.com) started on the family farm in Prosser, WA. Chukar makes a variety of yummies made with cherries (chocolate covered cherries, cherry preserves, nuts, and dried cherry & nut combos). My hands down favorite is their Honey-roasted praline pecans doused in premium milk chocolate and dusted with powdered sugar! Seriously addicting. They also have…wait for it… Wine & Chocolate Pairings! What is better than that?!?
Travel Tips:
Fly in and out: Flying in and out of Yakima (YKM) is a pain in the kazoo! The small air terminal has (currently) two flights (operated by Horizon/Alaska Air) a day that do not line up with flights in/out of Seattle resulting in a big layover. I would recommend flying into either Seattle (SEA) and driving (pretty drive that takes about 2.5 hours) or flying into Pasco Tri-Cities (PSC). Depending on where you are coming from, the Tri-Cities airport has many flights a day with several connecting cities (SEA, SLC) and seasonal nonstop flights from San Diego (SAN). The drive (about 1 hour 15 mins) from Tri-Cities to Yakima takes you directly through wine country with Bed and Breakfast places along the way.
Dress etiquette: Nothing notable to speak of, generally informal. Be respectful/courteous of the places you are going.
Public Loos: Public loos can be limited to airports, gas/petrol stations, bus/train stations, some highway/expressway exits, and tourist-heavy town centers. Cafes/restaurant are the best option in an emergency, but it is polite to buy something for the privilege of use.
Packing Tips:
Luggage: For this trip I initially selected my Hynes Eagle 42L Rolling Backpack Wheeled Backpack but swapped it out for my slightly smaller TravelPro 19” soft side spinner bag. Being a former flight attendant, I love my TravelPro. The one BUT I would have is that I am not a fan of spinner bags in general (even though I have two of them), I find they tip more easily (running through airports and just standing) than the two-wheeled kind but to each your own. My personal carry-on item was a Samsonite Mobile Solutions Convertible tote/backpack. This is the first time travelling with the Samsonite tote and I loved it. I did not check either bag.
Personal carry-on bag contained: This bag was roomy enough to pack a light scarf (for the cold plane), crazy ass heavy work laptop (I worked a bit and would not normally bring a laptop on personal travel with me), TSA liquid bag, power cords/headphones, a few snacks, travel wallet, two mobile phones (work and personal), sanitizer/extra masks, keys, small Burberry crossbody handbag, and soft sided small travel jewelry case.
Note: If you are from outside the U.S. do not forget to pack a plug adapter(s) and a converter.
TravelPro Platinum® Elite International Expandable 19″ Carry-On Spinner
Samsonite Mobile Solution Convertible Tote/Backpack
Clothing/Shoes:
I knew the weather was going to be warm to hot so I packed lightweight items. Below is a list of the items I packed:
1 Short sleeve t-shirt (ended up not wearing, no reason)
1 Long sleeve tissue weight t-shirt (ended up wearing this with lounge around pants)
2 Long sleeve tops (one (1) dressy tunic top (wore this only on the plane), one (1) linen button up)
2 Tanks
2 Sweaters (one (1) tissue weight tie front, one (1) lightweight duster)
2 Pairs of pants (one (1) black skinny jean, one (1) twill joggers
8 Undies
2 Bras
1 Pair of socks
1 Pair of PJs (the bottoms doubled as lounge around pants)
3 Pairs of shoes (one (1) TOMS canvas slip-ons, two (2) sandals ((1) flat and (1) heeled))
1 Lightweight scarf
1 Crossbody handbag (Burberry)
Note: I did not do laundry whilst on this trip
Travel Tip: Most hotels and AirBnBs have hairdryers but suggest calling to confirm if not noted on your intended lodging’s website.
Travel Tip: I like packing cubes, most of the time. This trip I put all my items in packing cubes going and half of my items in cubes on the return. It depends what you are putting in the cubes and what type of trip/bag you are using to see if they make sense and or save space. I actually had more room in my bag on the return. For both directions I rolled my clothing.
Note: Not all packing cubes are created equal. I have several brands but like the Bagail and Gonex Compression Packing Cubes the best. I like how the second zipper compresses your items even smaller. The Bagail are thicker material and have a top opening, where as the Gonex are a thin material with a side (easier) opening.
Bagail Compression Packing Cube