Finding the Yakima and Other Adventures

Last week I spotted some fabulous fall foliage from the car while driving by the Yakima River, so the next day I grabbed the Hounds and my camera and went in search of a good view point to snap photos from.

It wasn't easy.  Unlike the Columbia, there are no public parks running alongside the Yakima, at least none that I could find on a map anywhere near Richland.  I did spot one tiny parking area called the "Tapateal Water Trail" at the end of a gravel road, so we started there.

We found a lovely view, but the tiny parking area turned out to be WA State Wildlife Dept land, for which I needed a pass to park, which I did not have, so we could not explore the trail.  The Hounds were mildly disappointed -- here they are at the trail head:

The Yakima River winds between Richland and West Richland, so we continued on to West Richland where I decided to investigate a long and winding road called Riverside Drive, since it wound, appropriately enough, alongside the river.  

However, after a leisurely drive of three miles or so, we hit a dead end, with only glimpses of the river between the houses, for all of the land was privately owned.  Our one consolation was spotting an alpaca farm:

Having noticed a dike between the houses and the river, I wondered if it were walkable, so I followed a different route back, trying to get as close to the dike as possible.  There appeared to be fences and gates all along the way, and feeling frustrated, I nearly gave up on my quest when, right before reaching the main road, I saw a small parking lot near the bridge over the Yakima.  It was not marked on my map.  It was public, and it led to a short path that ran right beside the river -- success!

The Hounds were happy and so was I.

We enjoyed splendid views of the fall foliage.

Then we headed back to the car:

So that was one adventure for the week.  And that little park we found by accident?  It doesn't even appear on Google maps!  Ha!

For the weekly urban sketch group outing, the venue was the Richland Community Center, a building I would have liked to draw except it was very windy and a bit cool.  So I found a spot indoors which had large windows looking out at the park instead.

Finally, for our last adventure of the week, the Hounds and I explored yet another section of the Columbia Riverfront trail.  This part starts at the Richland marina and heads south towards Kennewick.  We did not go all the way to Kennewick -- that would have been a good five miles one way.  We went more like 1-1/2 miles one way.

The skies were overcast so things looked a little gloomy, but it was still a fascinating landscape.

And the fall foliage was good here, too.

You can certainly tell we are in an arid part of the state!

We came across some railroad tracks and a railroad bridge -- luckily, they are no longer in use.

I managed to get a quick sketch in:

This coming week I will be busy with house stuff -- I am finally moving into the new home!  There is a ton of stuff to sort out and put away, a lot of cleaning to do, plus the arrival of a new sofa, a TV, and the TV service installer.  It's great to have my own space again!