Grandma Zoe made the move up to Washington just a few weeks ago and now that she is settled in a bit, we took to the road to visit her in Spokane. We left Friday afternoon to beat the traffic and were lucky enough not to hit a single slow down. Once over Snoqualmie Pass and out onto the Central plains of Washington it was evident that a big thunderstorm was brewing and we just might be heading into it. Most of what we could see was off in the distance, but it still enjoying the lightening show. However, as we got closer and closer to Spokane it was evident that we might get a nice storm yet. And we did.
When we arrived at Grandma Zoe’s new place, the car was unloaded and we finally had the chance to relax and visit with Grandma. Just after dinner, the storm that we thought might hit the area finally started to blow over and gave us a nice little light and thunder show. It was a nice welcome for us!
The next day we took our time getting up, enjoyed some breakfast and then head out to enjoy the area. Grandma Zoe lives just across the Spokane River near downtown so she wanted to take us over to Riverside Park and show us the area. The day was cloudy, post thunderstorm but it was beautiful and perfect for a day out walking and enjoying what Spokane has to offer.
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| Crossing over one of many bridges over the Spokane River into Riverside Park and downtown Spokane. |
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| Rain puddles and reflections. |
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| Clock tower and foot bridges. Pretty day in a pretty little city. |
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| If there is a carousel, Abby and Ellie will find it. This one was super fast too! |
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| The carousel in Riverside Park is just over a hundred years old and absolutely gorgeous. The carousel horses still have their original tails made of actual horse hair. |
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| Such an easy place to photograph. |
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| The detail and precision of these carousel horses is amazing. Creating a carousel horse is an art form that has been lost over time. Only one company and maker exist in the United States. |
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| Riverside Park clock tower along the Spokane River. |
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| This bog old goose thought she was park of the Canadian Geese flock and certainly made his presence known. |
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| Tagged Canadian Goose. I wonder what the research can tell us about the places this one goes. |
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| Enjoying the Wagon Slide… Ellie was a bit unsure of it but finally came down. |
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| Its the giant Radio Flyer Slide… so much fun! |
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| Fat goose taking a “gander” at the Spokane River. I know… that was bad. |
After our walk through the park, we stopped downtown for lunch and had some very yummy pizza. After we stuffed ourselves full, the walk back to the car was needed. After our afternoon out we went for a nice little drive, exploring back roads, taking pictures and enjoying the scenery. Before we knew it we were back home having dinner and relaxing after a fun day out.
The next day we had a wonderful breakfast and headed out to Green Bluff with the hope of picking apples and enjoying yet another beautiful day. Unfortunately a lot of the orchards were closed to public apple picking but we still enjoyed the day and some of the yummy food these places had to offer. The girls ended up with ice cream and that made their day. The rest of the evening we relaxed, enjoyed the gorgeous sunset and Shaun and I took a drive after the girls went to bed. It was a great last night of our weekend in Spokane.
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| Ice cream that’s almost as big as my head… hurray! |
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| Eating the whole cone was a big job, but Abby was up to the task. |
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| A rainbow after the storm. |
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| It almost looked like the rainbow was coming from downtown and the old smoke stacks. |
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| Picture perfect sunsets. Even better than a painting. |
In the morning we packed our things and prepped to leave. Before we hit the road we went to breakfast with Grandma Zoe, checking out the restaurant just across the street from her place. It was delicious! A perfect way to prep for our drive home. We had hoped to stay a little longer but because of blasting work over Snoqualmie Pass, we had to get going so that we weren’t stuck in a two house wait. Before we knew it, we were on our way home. Traffic was great and the ride was smooth. It was good to get home and prep for the next few days to come… The girls start school tomorrow!
The Wharton Adventures 