Over the river, through the chemical weapons depot, and past the Manhattan Project site we go

The drive to Wenatchee, WA was an interesting one! On our way out of Oregon we got to drive past a chemical weapons depot in the high desert, cross the Columbia River into Washington into more high desert and then into the hop farm and vineyard country of Washington. We got there before spring had sprung, so the orchards and vineyards weren’t green yet. It was interesting seeing them in their dormant state.

After we crossed the Columbia, and drove for a bit, started noticing a fence line that wasn’t ending with signs about no trespassing, warnings, and information. It looked like just fenced in sand, no livestock, no crops, just dirt roads on the perimeter. We, being the curious sort, decided to stop and see what it was all about.

They only provide tours a few times a year, and we couldn’t get one booked for this visit, but we will be going back sometime in the future to get an inside (as much as the government will allow) of this historical place. It is also the largest nuclear waste site in the US.

We had a few days of travel before we were going to get to Wenatchee, so we stopped at another Harvest Host for the night. Velan Winery was another fun place to stay. We had a wine tasting and purchased 4 bottles of wine, which we have thoroughly enjoyed. The owner of the vineyard was a very friendly and interesting person. We had a wonderful stay!

The vineyard was surrounded by an apple tree grove.

Our next night was spent at another Harvest Host, Seed Cupboard Nursery. It had a really neat shop onsite and, we found a little decor for the camper! They were exactly what we needed over our dining area. We haven’t named them yet. Any suggestions?

We had to keep moving, and needed another overnight stop. This time we stayed at a lavender farm! We were literally the only ones there. With Harvest Host, they ask that you purchase something from the place you are staying. Since there was no one there, I ordered from their online store and had some bath bombs and body butter sent to my daughter. She said they were amazing. I was quite a bit envious.

We spent a very quiet and peaceful night at Lavender Estates and, the next morning it was time to get moving again. We had a reservation at Wenatchee Confluence State Park, and poor Aaron had work to do.