Our photos uploaded a little out of order, so we're going back in time to tell you about Spokane, which was our first stop when we got into Washington.
We did Spokane very much "on the fly" - it was a very quick stop on the way toward the coast. We popped in for a drink and a quick dinner at Safari Room in the Davenport Hotel. The posh decor was very exuberant and gave a nice backdrop for a relaxing evening. The next day, we grabbed lunch at Mizuna - a great café with am impressive menu and European feel to it's al fresco patio. Two good meals later, we said goodbye to Spokane and headed toward Leavenworth, and the drive was very scenic! We went through farming towns with cherry orchards surrounding us and some stands selling fruit at the roadside (I think the season wasn't quite right, so many places were partially shut down.)
One of the more impressive features we saw in WA was the Dry Falls. The giant hole in the ground used to be a site of sporadic and truly massive water floods. The size of the Dry Falls dwarfs Niagara both in height and widths of the waterfall, and the masses of water flowing here once upon a time are simply astonishing.
Another attraction we found was Grand Coulee Dam. We had no idea the largest electricity production facility in the US and one of the largest concrete structures in the world (wiki) was near our path. But thanks to a local wine maker, who treated us to a tasting in his roadside shop, we made our way to the dam and took in all its power.
-Taras
