Richland's alphabet soup houses

An A house today

Richland, Washington's alphabet houses were quickly constructed to house thousands of people working on the Manhattan Project during World War II.

The one- and two-story ranch style homes formed the nucleus of the community which grew out of the desert as people converged to construct the atomic bombs that were later dropped on Japan to end the war.

B house today

The community was quickly designed, with street construction starting in March 1943. The first house was completed a month later. Before construction started, Richland had only about 20 homes, hardly enough for the 16,000 people coming to work at Hanford.

Each house style was assigned a letter, with B being the most common, followed by A. Both were duplexes. Housing was assigned based on how many people were in a worker's family. Some houses had only one bedroom, others had three. Though almost all of the houses had chimneys, few had fireplaces. Instead the chimneys were used to vent from the coal and oil used to heat the homes, the local historical society says.

Dozens upon dozens of the houses exist today, just about everywhere you go in Richland. While the houses essentially all looked the same back then, today's owners have added decorative touches such as paint schemes, porches, window shutters and carports. As you drive around Richland, it is amazing to see the changes made by a little creativity.

Two PNW colleges among most beautiful campuses

Two Pacific Northwest colleges are on Travel + Leisure's list of the 30 most beautiful college campuses in the United States. The colleges, which originally were listed in a 2011 magazine article, were picked because of outstanding architectural features as well as natural beauty.

Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon, made the list because of its park-like campus with "verdant forests, sweeping pathways and stone walls." The article notes that a tree walk is lined with native trees that early  explorers Meriwether Lewis and William Clark saw when they made their great journey from Missouri to the Pacific Ocean in the early 1800s.

Another Pacific Northwest college on the list is the University of Washington in Seattle. The article singled out the Gothic style Suzzallo Library because of its 35-foot high stained glass windows and vaulted 65-foot high vaulted ceilings. Also noteworthy are the 30 Yoshino cherry trees that bloom every spring in the Quad and the spectacular views of Mount Rainier from the Drumheller Fountain.

Barnard Griffin winery

Barnard Griffin is a small, quality winery operated by a husband-and-wife team located in rural Richland, Washington.

Rob Griffin has been involved in the Washington wince scene since 1977. He and his wife Deborah Barnard have been making wines under their own label since 1983.

Winemaker Griffin has a master’s degree in viniculture and enology from the University of California at Davis. He came to southcentral Washington in 1977 to serve as the first winemaker for Preston Winery located a few miles north of Pasco. He met with quick success, with his 1977 Chardonnay winning Best of Show at the Seattle Enological Society’s Northwest Wine Festival.

Barnard Griffin Wines Started in 1983

He and his wife began making wines under their own label six years later, with their first bottlings consisting of a total of 400 cases of Chardonnay, Fumé Blanc and Riesling. Griffin went on to become winemaker and general manager at Hogue Cellars in Prosser, before the couple went full-time with their winery. They have been at their present facility at 878 Tulip Lane in Richland, Washington, since 1996.

Barnard Griffin has used colorful tulips on its label since 1983, and bottles lines of White Tulip and Red Tulip wines in addition to their white and red reserve lines. The winery’s production is more than 75,000 cases a year.

Winery Wins Many Awards

The number of awards the winery has won attests to the quality of their wines. Many of their awards come from California wine festivals, making the wins particularly sweet because California is better known for its wines than Washington. In early 2009 alone, Barnard Griffin wines have won at wine festivals in Riverside, Monterey and San Francisco. For the fourth consecutive year, Barnard Griffin won a gold or better for its Rose of Sangiovese at the San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition.

Barnard Griffin was named the Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year by Wine Press Northwest in the spring of 2006.

Wine Grapes Come From Throughout Mid-Columbia

The grapes for Barnard Griffin wines came from throughout the Mid-Columbia region, from the Wahluke Slope to the north to the nearby Red Mountain vineyards.

The on-site tasting room is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily. The tasting room also houses a small art gallery, where glass works by Deborah Barnard are on display. There is a fee to taste wines which is refunded when purchases are made. The winery also has a small wine bar/eatery and offers live music on weekends.

How to Find Barnard Griffin Winery

Barnard Griffin is one of three wineries on Tulip Lane. It is the middle one, bounded on the north by Tagaris Winery and on the south by J. Bookwalter Wines.

Take the Queensgate Road exit off of Interstate I-182, which runs from Interstate I-82 in the west, past Richland and on to. From Queensgate turn onto Columbia Park Trail, then left onto Windmill Road, and finally right on Tulip Lane. Watch for the winery signs on Columbia Park Trail.

Sacajawea State Park honors Indian guide

Dug-out canoes at Sacajawea State Park

Sacajawea State Park, near Pasco, Washington, honors Sacajawea, Lewis & Clark’s guide on their Corps of Discovery journey from St. Louis, Missouri, to the Pacific Ocean.

The park is located at five miles south of Pasco at the confluence of the mighty Columbia and Snake rivers. Meriwether Lewis and William Clark left St. Louis in May 1804, looking for an overland passage to the Pacific Ocean. On October 10, 1805, they arrived in what is now Washington State, traveling down the Snake River to where it joins with the Columbia. They arrived at the confluence six days later on October 16, staying for two days to explore the area, before continuing down the Columbia to their final destination, the Pacific Ocean. They also stayed in the area on their return trip to St. Louis in the spring of 1806.

Sacajawea joined expedition in North Dakota

 

They spent the winter of 1804-05 at Fort Mandan, in what is now North Dakota, where they added Sacajawea, a 17-year-old Shoshone, to their group. She was to serve as their translator and sometimes guide for the remainder of the trip. Also joining the expedition was her French-Canadian husband, Toussaint Charbonneau and their infant son, Jean-Baptiste.

But it is Sacajawea which this 284-acre park honors. The park was originally a construction site for the Northern Pacific Railroad, and was called Ainsworth. When the railroad moved on, the town disappeared, eventually to be replaced by the park, which got its start in 1927 when some land was given to the Pasco chapter of the Daughters of the Pioneers of Washington. The group deeded the land to Washington State in 1931. The Sacajawea museum was built in 1938 as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) to display Native American artifacts from Columbia Plateau tribes.

Visitors may note two spellings of Sacajawea’s name, even inside the park. The traditional and historic name, Sacajawea, is used at the park and the interpretive center.  The Shoshone word means “one who assumes a burden.” The name, Sacagawea, is used in the exhibits, and means “bird woman.” This was her given name.

Interpretive center explains journey

 

The museum is operated as an interpretive center today. It tells the story of the Lewis & Clark expedition, with emphasis on the West. There’s a marvelous statue of Sacajawea, a lodge made from reeds, and a display of items that the expeditionary corps would have had with them, among other things.

The interpretive center is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily April through October.  The park itself is open from 6:30 a.m. to dusk year ‘round, though in the winter months, visitors must park at the gate and walk in. Once inside the park, a myriad of activities are open to visitors. The list includes hiking, walking, picnicking, swimming, boating, fishing and bird watching.

A number of activities take place at the park during the open months. They range bluegrass festivals, old-time fiddlers, heritage days and haunted forests.

Sacajawea State Park is part of the Washington State Parks System. It is located southeast of Pasco just off Highway 12 at 2503 Sacajawea Park Road

 

More pretty Pacific Northwest beaches

Two more Pacific Northwest beaches have been added to a list of cant-miss beaches in the United States.

Cannon Beach, Oregon, and La Push, Washington, were named on a supplemental list of 20 more beaches to visit in the USA. Oregon's Ecola State Park and Washington's Cape Disappointment State Park were named on the first list of 22 can't-miss beaches.

Of the four beaches, Cannon Beach is the only one I've visited, though I have driven by Ecola beach. Cannon Beach is most known for Haystack Rock, a huge rock formation on the shoreline. I remember one visit when I took an early morning walk on the beach. In the early morning mist, the scene reminded me of the Robert Frost poem that started with 'The fog creeps in on little cat feet . . ."

La Push is located on the Olympic Peninsula and is the northern-most beach in Washington.

Two PNW beaches make "top" list

Two Pacific Northwest beaches are on a CNN list of 22 beautiful beaches in the United States.

Cape Disappointment State Park is on Washington's Long Beach Peninsula. It was recognized for having the North Head Lighthouse, rugged cliffs and beaches.

To the south, across the border in Oregon, Ecola State Park also was recognized for its scenic beauty and outdoor recreational activities, including crossing the path the Lewis and Clark Expedition took on their history journey in 1803-5. Tillamook Rock Lighthouse, about a mile offshore, can also be seen from the park.

Richland’s Horn Rapids Golf Course Utilizes Desert Surroundings

Horn Rapids Golf Course

Horn Rapids Golf Course incorporates the surrounding desert landscape into the club’s 18 holes which are the centerpiece of the golf course community. 

The Horn Rapids subdivision is located a few miles out of Richland, Washington, proper, though it is still within the city limits. The golf course is surrounded by upscale housing which is surrounded by the desert. Inside the golf course community, the fairways are lined with sagebrush. There are many ponds on the golf course and it is not unusual to see ducks paddling away.

Horn Rapids Golf Course opened in mid-90s

Horn Rapids Golf Course opened in 1994. It was designed by Keith Foster who has designed and renovated golf courses across the United States.

The course features 18 holes spanning 6,988 yards. There are six tees, the black tee being the longest; the aqua tee is the shortest at 4, 455 yards. The black and blue tees’ hole 12 is the longest hole at 579 yards. The black tee’s hole 13 is the shortest tee for the course at 200 yards. The golf course website has hole by hole descriptions and diagrams of the course.

Horn Rapids Golf Course is a par 72 course.

Horn Rapids offers year ‘round golfing

The Horn Rapids Golf Course is open year ’round. Cheapest greens fees are Monday through Thursday or in late afternoon any day of the week.

The golf course has a driving range, three practice greens and an 18-hole bent grass putting course. Carts and clubs are available for rent through the pro shop. A full-service restaurant with banquet facility is located on site.

Horn Rapids Golf Course Has RV Sites

The Horn Rapids Golf Course offers golfers the opportunity to play in close proximity to their recreational vehicles. The course has four RV sites which have 30-amp electrical hook-ups as well as water and sewer hook-ups. The Horn Rapids RV Resort is located right across Highway 240 from the golf course community. It has more than 200 full hook-up sites for RV’ers. The resort also has a recreation hall, convenience store, internet access, fenced run for dogs, deli and laundry.

The Horn Rapids Golf Course is one of 10 golf courses in the Tri-Cities area of southcentral Washington which encompasses Pasco, Richland and Kennewick. West Richland, a growing town which borders Richland, is considered part of the Tri-Cities area.

Horn Rapids is located just off Highway 240. The golf course is at  2800 Clubhouse Lane.