Atomic Revelations
Today we found ourselves in the city of Richland, WA part of what is called the tri-cities area containing Richland, Kennewick, and Pasco Washington. Amazingly enough I was able to get myself out of bed at around 8:30 am, just in time to grab a quick breakfast and head off on a morning tour.
The morning excursions included a bus tour of the tri-cities area and a trip to Sacajawea State Park. It was on this tour that I discovered the reason the tri-cities area had developed so quickly. During World War II the United States commissioned a project code-named the Manhattan Project to develop a nuclear bomb and as it turns out they created the plutonium for that bomb right here in Washington. After the plutonium had been acquired it was assembled and tested in other places around the US but this city can be seen as the atomic bombs true birthplace.
On a brighter note Sacajawea park was a beautiful state preserved area at the confluence of the Snake and Columbia rivers. It is named for Lewis and Clark’s Native American guide on their western expedition. The park is located at an actual site where Lewis and Clark camped one winter, although it most likely looks a little different today than it did back then. There was a nice museum and several informational areas that provided details about the expedition and it’s members.
The park is open to the public and allows camping which leads me into my next topic, LARPers. LARP stands for Live Action Role Play and there were several tents set up in an area of the park where people were partaking in medieval sword fights. Not only where they using fencing equipment to get the real feel of a sword fight but they also dressed for the period and had decorations all over the place including banners, flags, and even some of the tents looked straight out of A Knights Tale. It looked like a lot of fun and I definitely hope to try it out one day.
For lunch I decided to partake in some of the local cuisine (as well as beverages) and stopped in at Atomic Ale Brewpub and Eatery. This is one of my favorite parts about the northwest, the amount of small craft breweries that are around. I would consider myself a bit of a beer enthusiast and I love going around and tasting these one of a kind brews that are brewed right there in front of you. All of the beers at this brewery took on the town’s atomic theme such as the Half Life Heffeweizen, and the Reactor Core Red Ale and they were pretty delicious. I tried both Reactor Core Red and an IPA and it was interesting to note that both had a bit of a carmally taste, not something I usually expect in beer but it was an interesting and tasty experience.
In the afternoon I found myself enjoying more local beverages on a tour of three local vineyards in the area. Each vineyard provided us with about 5 samples of their local wines and they were delicious. They ranged from whites, to rosés, reds, and even dessert wines. I’m so glad that my family decided to take this trip this year and not last year.
Finally in the evening I got to here an informative presentation from the captain and take a short tour of the pilothouse. Our captain Andrea Michelson actually got her start on this very ship as a deck hand and has worked her way up all the way to captain. She gave us a lot of information about the ship and I was disappointed to find out that the paddle is not the main propulsion system of the ship. It is actually driven by two “Z” drive propellers and the paddle is simply left to rotate as the ship moves.
Tomorrow will be a day on the river on our way towards Stevenson, WA so I’m not sure how much I’ll have to update everyone with. Hopefully it will be enough to keep you entertained and keep you coming back to find out more. Check back tomorrow for more.