Yakima, Washington - June 11 & 12, 2007 (Re-run)

 Yakima is most known as an agricultural area, producing a variety of fruits and vegetables.  It is the country's largest producer of hops, the main ingredient in beer, but we found beautiful gardens, as well.

  While the city has about 100,000 residents, that jumps to 250,000 when you include the suburbs.  Yakima Valley was long been the home of Native Americans and still has a sizeable population living on the Yakima Reservation just outside of town.  When the railroad bypassed the original town in the 19th century, buildings were moved with rollers and horses to be near the train station and the city grew there.

On the way to Yakima, we crossed the Columbia River and also got a good view of Mt. Adams, Washington's second highest mountain and an old volcano.  While not considered extinct, it has not erupted for a thousand years.  Nearby Mt. St. Helens, of course, experienced a major eruption in 1980, filling Yakima with volcanic ash.

Entering Yakima Valley.