I pulled my visor down on my helmet and after making sure my camera backpack was securely and safely fastened to the back of the sissy bar I swung my leg over the bike and settled in.  John sat in the driver seat revving the engine. My body leaned into his as my arms encircled his waist. We pulled out of the driveway and onto the road ready to enjoy an adventure on this blue sky autumn day.  We were together yet alone on this adventure. Sitting next to each other and yet unable to say a word over the roar of the engine as we made our way down the highway.  I felt totally secure on the back and as we rode along.  I was utterly immersed in the experience.  A tap on the shoulder and he would pull over so that I could grab my camera and capture it on film knowing that it could only represent a small portion of this experience.  This ride was a bit of freedom, spontaneity, adventure, and also doing it together. A tap on my leg from him and I knew we would pull over.  The sign to other riders who were enjoying the same kind of adventure we were was a kind of comradery that I really didn't know even existed. These small quiet gestures spoke volumes. The leaves had mostly fallen and collected along side of the road. The sun that shone so bright and the chilly air quickly becoming colder the longer we were out. The beauty of a steel bridge across a shrub lined river, the sunlight streaming through a train tunnel decorated in crusty orange leaves painted the adventure in colors that I just couldn't quite capture. As we neared home I was a bit chilled and just longed for a good cup of chili and a nice warm shower; however my adventurous free spirit was already planning another ride down this little used bit of highway.







 

John first introduced me to Leavenworth when we were dating.  We had driven through here once and stopped at the river that meanders through the town.  There happened to be a forest fire at that time and the wildlife sought refuge in the town.  We were on a bridge over the river watching a group of kids playing in the water when a "small" black bear wandered out of the bushes and down to the water. It poked it's nose in the air and sniffed.  The kids were still splashing around not even noticing the bear.  it stood there for a bit sniffing and looking and then wandered back into the brush.  Every time we walk along that same path in Leavenworth, that scene comes right back to me.  it was too amazing to forget.  This day though there weren't any kids playing in the river.  The snow wasn't too high up on the mountain and the air was crisp. This little German style town is such a fun little stop along Highway 2.  With blue skies and the leaves glowing in full color we just had to pull over and browse the shops.  The streets full of people happily walking from shop to shop, we joined in as well.  





 

I couldn't spend the weekend drinking wine the whole time.  We needed to get out, exercise, see the area besides the wineries.  There is a lot to the Palouse.  Being late Autumn we were pushing the limits before temperatures dropped too much and the snow flew.  However we found a great little trail just inside the Oregon boarder along a gravel road to hike.  It meandered along the creek crossing it back and forth until it petered out.  We talked, and laughed and just walked life together in this natural autumn setting. 


 

A weekend spent touring the wineries of Walla Walla with friends.  It was an amazing time.  there are essentially five main terroir or growing regions in the Walla Walla area.  We started our tour at the Westside with Woodward Winery and L'Ecole Winery right next door.  One thing we learned from our friends, Justin and Amy, is to bring our own food/snacks. Wine tastes better with food, also it helps with the alcohol content to diminish it's effects.  Each of the wineries we went to had tasting fees that were waived by purchasing a bottle or two of wine and so we did load up for the year.  We also visited Woodward Canyon, Seven Hills, Tranche, Three Rivers and Waterbrook.  I think my favorite was Tranche.  Their tasting room was a tent by a fire pit in the middle of their vineyards.  It felt more authentic than the others.  I think I would also have divided our time by region:  Westside, Eastside, Southside, Airport and Downtown.  The downtown and airport district were more of tasting rooms than near the vineyards.  We brought with us our Wine Folly book which helped out tremendously.  We had also learned a bit about tasting wine before going.  I admit I sometimes buy wine based on the label yet mostly on cost.  When I find a wine I like, I buy it again and again.  After coming back home, I tried looking for wines specifically from Walla Walla that I liked to augument my "wine collection".





 

On one of our yearly trips to Montana we listened to the story of the Sager Children who used the Oregon trail to travel to Walla Walla Washington.  While on the trail both of their parents ended up passing away and they continued on alone.  That story was "Seven Alone".  It is based on the true story of the Sager Children although I am not sure how much was fact and how much was embellished. It was so long ago that we listened to it.  Fast forward to now and we found ourselves at the historic Whitman Mission site.  The museum itself was closed but we could walk the trails.  It was a beautiful autumn day in the Walla Walla valley with long wavy grass and blue sky that stretch forever. We first climbed to the monument on the hill that overlooks the area.  From here you can see the mission site and the area of the Native American encampment.  So much tragedy on both sides.  Then we started down the hill, wandering around the restored mill pond and apple orchard, the irrigation area, and the footprints of the old mission buildings.  It was nice to have some background knowledge of who lived here and how they came to be here. This was worth the visit for sure.