Los Hernandez

Just south of Yakima, Los Hernandez sells homemade tamales and is located at 3706 Main St in Union Gap. It received a James Beard America Classics award in 2018.

Their tamales are made fresh daily. You can also purchase raw tamales or frozen tamales to heat at home.

It's a small place with a few tables. Order at the counter and they will bring your order to you.

They're known for asparagus tamales with pepper jack cheese. It's only available May-July. Each tamale is $2.19, $13.14 for 6 and $26.28 for a dozen.

Lunch special with 2 tamales, rice & beans--$6.99. It includes a small salsa (usually $0.53).

I also had a pork tamale. They have chicken tamales as well. Each tamale is $1.84, $11.04 for 6 and $19.16 for a dozen. 

The tamales are delicious. Moist masa and flavorful filling. I liked the asparagus better than the pork.

2019 07 06

U Pick Cherries at Barrett Orchards

We wanted to pick some cherries and found Barrett Orchards, located at 1209 Pecks Canyon Rd. in Yakima. Picking ends at 3 pm although the store stays open longer hours. The orchard has other fruit. The ripening schedule is:

Cherries--June-July
Apricots--June-July
Peaches--Aug-Sep
Nectarines--Aug-Sep
Pears--Aug-Oct
Apples--Sep-Nov

Just not sure if you can pick the other fruit.

We were there in early July and the Rainiers were already gone. We were told to come by June 20 if we wanted Rainiers.

The staff liked Selah cherries--They said the cherries were a cross between Bing and Rainier. I'm not sure I found them.

The cherries are easy to pick. They're clustered and you don't need any ladders to get to them.

Winegar's ice cream is sold onsite. It's made locally in Ellensburg. I got a cone of Jacob's Caramel Brownie--chocolate ice cream with brownies and caramel swirl. One scoop was $2.75 and a waffle cone was $0.50. It was good and so inexpensive.

2019 07 06

Salish Lodge & Spa

Thirty minutes outside of Seattle is the Salish Lodge & Spa. It's located next to Snoqualmie Falls.

If you're not a guest of the inn, park at the free lot then cross the road using the covered bridge.

The interior of the lodge with a cozy fireplace.

We had wanted to visit Snoquomish Falls but it was closed with a Search & Rescue Mission.

2019 07 06

Silver Cloud Hotel

I used Hotwire to find a hotel at the last minute and ended up with Silver Cloud Hotel. It's located at 14632 SE Eastgate Way.

The room was large and the bed was comfortable. There was a refrigerator and microwave in the room.

2019 07 05

Seattle Fish Guys

Back in Seattle, I picked up dinner from Seattle Fish Guys. They're located at 411 23rd Avenue S.

They make a nice poke.

Two types of poke, a side salad and rice for $13.99. Options for the poke include Shoyu Tuna, Salmon and Tako (octopus). Scallop poke is $2 more. The side salads include mac salad, seaweed salad, squid salad and kim chee.

2019 07 05

Olympia State Capitol

Back in Washington, I had a few hours to kill and stopped at the State Capitol in Olympia. I had no idea there was so much to see.

There is a memorial to the Vietnam War that is reminiscent of the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington DC. 

The Korean War Veterans Memorial

World War II Memorial.

The campus is situated on a knoll overlooking Capitol Lake.

Winged Victory Monument commemorating WWI leads to the capitol building.

The brick and sandstone dome of the capitol building rises 287 feet and is the largest masonry dome in North America. You can take a free tour that lasts roughly an hour.

There are 6 bronze doors at the front of the building. Each depicts an image of the early industry and scenic beauty of Washington State.

The ceiling of the interior dome rises 175 feet from the floor of the rotunda. The 5-ton chandelier contains over 200 bulbs and was the largest created by Tiffany Studios in New York.

The Reception Room is used for formal state ceremonies, receptions and meetings.

Washington was admitted as the 42nd state to the union. There was no official flag created before Idaho & Wyoming were admitted 8 months later.

You can also see the Senate and House of Representatives chambers. Washington's legislators are citizen legislators, meaning their responsibilities at the Capitol are part-time. Legislative sessions last 105 days in odd years and 60 days in even years.

2019 07 05

Madrona Bar & Grill

After the whale watching trip, I had an early dinner at the Madrona Bar & Grill, located at the Roche Harbor Resort. They have a nice deck so you can sit outside and watch the activity in the harbor.

Small Caesar Salad with Anchovy-Parsley Oil--$8.95. Hearts of romaine, Kalamata olive, tomato & parmesan with house croutons. The flavors were nice but there was too much dressing.

Roche Harbor's "Tilted Kettle" Clam Chowder--$8.95. Cream, clams, bacon, butter, red potato, sweet clam nectar, celery, onion, dill, basil, thyme and parsley. The chowder was good but it was a small bowl.

Tieton Cider--$6. Nice and crisp.

2019 07 03

San Juan Outfitters

Because the resident orcas weren't back on San Juan Island, I booked a whale watching trip to try to find orcas. I had heard the transient orcas were around. Unlike the resident orcas, transient orcas hunt mammals and have no problem finding food in the San Juan Islands. The transient orcas can be seen throughout the year whereas the resident orcas can be found May-September when the salmon population is high.

I chose San Juan Outfitters because they left from Roche Harbor. It was July 3 and there were only 6 passengers onboard. Bring a hat, sunglasses, sunscreen and binoculars. They do have a few binoculars onboard but if the boat is full, you'll need to wait to use the binoculars.

After an hour ride, we found the orcas near the Canadian border.

There was a good sized pod and we watched them for nearly an hour. Never saw spy hopping or breaching though.

On the way back to Roche Harbor, we saw harbor porpoises sunning themselves and a bald eagle in a tree. It's so easy to spot bald eagles--just look for white ping pong balls in trees.

2019 07 03

Roche Harbor

Roche Harbor is on the northern end of the island. There are parking lots just before you arrive at the harbor. Unless you have lodging reservations, grab the first spot you see.

From the parking lots, walk down to the harbor. You'll pass beautiful homes.

The Hotel de Haro has been in operation since the late 1880s. It's the state's oldest continually operating hotel. It has 20 rooms. Nearby are cottages that can accommodate families.

Trellised walkway leading from the hotel to the harbor.

The house on the hill behind the hotel is a point of contention in Roche Harbor. It's owned by an ex-Disney executive and it is reminiscent of the Haunted Mansion in Disney.

Nearby are abandoned lime kilns.

Our Lady of Good Voyage Chapel is located in Roche Harbor.

The Lime Kiln Cafe serves quick take-out meals. They used to have the best mini donuts but I couldn't find them this time.

2019 07 03

San Juan Bakery

I stopped in the San Juan Bakery, located at 775 Mullis Street.

They have sandwiches, pizza, bread and pastries. The key lime pie was very good and the whole pie was $20.

2019 07 03

Pelindaba Lavender Farm

One of the sights on San Juan Island is the Pelindaba Lavender Farm. The lavenders are at their peak in July & August. Visits are free.

The farm is beautiful with many sculptures. 

I spent an hour just wandering the farm. You can get some beautiful pictures.

2019 07 03

Trumpeter Inn

Trumpeter Inn is a Bed & Breakfast, located 2 miles inland from Friday Harbor.

The inn has 6 rooms. I had the Chamomile Inn with a queen bed. There is no refrigerator in the room but there is one in the kitchen that is shared by the other guests. The room has no TVs but there is free wifi.

The bathroom is beautiful. There are robes in the room to use during your stay.

Sitting area.

Free homemade cookies and snacks. You can also help yourself to drinks in the refrigerator.

Breakfast is delicious. Goat cheese frittata one morning.

Puffy apple pancake on another.

The inn is very quiet and peaceful.

There are alpacas onsite and they're adorable.

There are also goats on the property.

Grab a chair and unwind.

2019 07 02