By: Terry W. Sheely for The Reel News http://www.thereelnews.com/fish-for-fun.html
I'm leaning on the railing of my Hampton Inn balcony watching a big slug of a beaver swim upriver in the Columbia past a Richland jogger, two walkers and a bank fisherman. A spin-caster is methodically plugging the shoreline from the bow of a go-bass boat. I watch him and sip the edge off a smooth local red, an ‘09 Antagonist from Bookwalter Winery, and stare at the stack of notes, searching for a starting point.
State record walleye. State record smallmouth bass. Whopping big dollar national small mouth bass tournament. Nasty upriver bright chinook. Fall kings. Summer steelhead. Last free-flowing stretch of the Big C. White sturgeon, catfish, shad. The old Hanford Town site. Upscale, kickback houseboat fishing. Riverfront steaks. Monster mule deer. Chukar cherries. Atomic pizza.
Medallion frocked local wines served with cool jazz, electrifying symphonies, a little blue grass, Mediterranean gardens and a manicured splatter of golf greens.
Something for everybody, whether they fish or other, or both.
The new Tri-Cities with benefits: Three hundred days of sun, good fish at the doorstep, 160 wineries within an hour, golf, and a river ranch of houseboats.
And a fish guide called PigSticker who is backing the 24-foot jet into the black water, between darting red lights, shifting shadows, pickups and dripping trailers, and hopefully into a pile of nasty king salmon or steelhead stacked in the last free-flowing stretch of the Columbia.
The ramp, a long gravel bar actually, is crackling with activity and optimism. Chinook are in, steelhead just opened, I'm heading into water I've never fished before with a good guide and the better part of a clear September day to get it dialed in. In the bow, my wife turns up her collar, settles in for the ride upriver. Natalie is looking forward to today, fishing the Big C for salmon with Jon, seeing new country and dramatic new scenery, but she's dizzy with anticipation for tomorrow.
Tomorrow it's River Ranch Houseboats, foredeck barbecues, great sound system, smallmouth bass off the bow, rocketing sturgeon, paddleboards, private bedrooms, dinners topside, water slides and barefoot, kickback fishing in the beautiful lonesome of the Snake River above Ice Harbor Dam. And we'll be sharing the houseboat with good friends, Gary and Merrilee Lewis from Bend and their daughters Jennifer, 18 and Mikayla, 14.
The hard part of our Tri-Cities exploration will be making decisions, Jordan Youngs had warned, too much to do, too little time.
And he is proving to be right. This is a new Tri-Cities, a Fish Town with benefits.
The Columbia Basin's trio of towns has become a confluence of outdoor recreation where the Columbia, Snake and Yakima meld, where I can book a houseboat, dock it at a good downtown restaurant for crab cakes sautéed in lobster sauce and a half pound of king crab legs, then shuttle up to Tulip Lane and a cluster of wineries with live musicians, or grab a microbrew and slice at Atomic Pizza and fish with PigSticker Jon Forbes.
"Bring your boat, fish all day, dock at a restaurant and dine fine with great wine," is how Youngs' poetized the water-oriented recreationally astute second life of the three towns previously known for now mostly decommissioned Hanford Nuclear Reservation, Atomic Energy, The Bomb, and Mega-Tractors for monster grain fields. A little more rhyme than I had expected from the former TV weatherman now director of marketing for Tri-Cities Visitor and Convention Bureau for Richland, Kennewick and Pasco.
But he's right, PigSticker Jon says, this place has changed-for the better. And for fishermen, as I'm about to find out, the change is all good-if not downright comfortably indulgent.
Jon is waiting in the warm September pre-dawn dark outside the Hampton Inn in Richland with his 24-foot Willie sled packed and ready. Natalie and I climb in, sit down, and a short ride later step out in the dark on the round rocks of a riverbank launch at the outlet to WDFW's Ringold Springs Rearing Facility.
If it swims the Columbia Jon fishes for it-fall kings, brights, steelhead, sturgeon, shad, bass, catfish-"we're going to find a king up by the power lines at the old town site," Jon says, "and maybe steelhead."
Steelhead season has just opened, he explains and the leading edge of the chinook run is just starting to show. Above the launch, bank fishermen are claiming casting positions to work the swirls at the mouth of the Ringold hatchery ditch. Steelhead follow the shoreline through here, Jon says, within range of bankcasters working jigs and eggs, drifted egg clusters or throwing spinners. In the weeks when fall chinook and summer steelhead overlap dozens of bank fishermen jam their elbows and rods into these swirls and eddies.
Jon's jet spits into the dark and we're flying upriver, guided by his decade of river-running experience. Five outlandishly big mule deer bucks raise their heads as we blast past. They're on the Hanford side of the river, just steps away from a fence with warning signs, sensors, observers, Nuclear Reservation guards and safety. The nuclear production site is mostly decommissioned now, but the guards and the deer stay.
We run until daylight starts to paint the steep and deeply eroded cliffs on the east bank of the storied Hanford Reach. Jon serves up his PigSticker special; Corkies with golf ball size blobs of cured salmon eggs, leashed to diver planers and back-trolled slowly down river. It's the lure du jour.
Other boats are working the wide river, picking out points and slicks to prospect. A few fish are rolling. Steam rises from my coffee. Jon is a good guy to fish with, personable, quality gear, knows the local history, the river, the runs, and that I'm a wee bit early for both chinook and steelhead.
"It'll get hot in October," he says, "This place will be elbow to elbow and there will be tremendous numbers of fish caught." I'm at least two weeks too early according to the fish counters 50-plus miles downriver at McNary Dam. Fall chinook hit the dam fish ladder in peak numbers from September 13 to 28 with the high count on September 18. Those fish may take another week to hit the Ringold /Hanford Reach area. "Late September into October is prime," Jon says, and I make a note for future reference.
For steelhead too, it seems.
Peak for summer steelhead passing above McNary is between September 15 and October 8. A lot of those fish are headed for a right turn into the Snake River and Idaho, but a very big bunch is continuing north in the Big C toward Ringold and a host of top-producing tributaries above-Wenatchee, Entiat, Methow, Okanogan rivers. I make another note.
PigSticker, Natalie and I are fast heading toward a shoulda-been-here-next-week-trip but it's been a good day to try. We invest several hours backtrolling good looking salmon water above and below the wooden power line crossing. A dozen or so other boats are sharing the water but we never see a net go out.
The eroded cliffs along the east bank are a mesmerizing pattern of angles, shadow and light. Geese are in the air, herons, egrets and eagles along the banks. The river is wide and flat. When I stand on the boat seat I can see the historic old town site of Hanford, bought and vacated by the government in 1943 to create the world's first plutonium production facility that morphed into the "Hanford Manhattan Project." Two years later that project exploded over Hiroshima and Nagasaki and ended the war with Japan.
Only one building remains at the town site, the wind raked walls of the 1916 high school. A porcupine waddles along the high bank moving between willow clumps. There's a dry, quiet in the air. A sun-washed desert peace. It's hard to believe that beyond the porky, past the high school, across the sand and scrub is where the world changed forever.
PigSticker continues to work hard to coax us a bite. Jon makes the long run back to Ringold and continues below to see if we can run into any early movers. Boat ramps are few and far apart in this area.
The salmon/steelhead free-flowing water is within range of Tri-Cities ramps. It's a 17 mile run to Ringold from the ramps at Howard Amon Park in Richland, and 14 miles from the 4-lane ramp in Groves Park in Richland. Eight more ramps are available south of Amon Park in Richland, Kennewick and Pasco.
Best access to Ringold water is from the Ringold Springs gravel bar. Ten miles north on the east side is a one-lave gravel ramp at WDFW's Wahluke Wildlife Area that drops into the Wooden Power Line fishery. Also on the east side about 18 miles downriver from Vernita Bridge is the WDFW White Bluffs two-lane ramp. There's also a very popular WDFW ramp, especially popular during upriver bright and fall chinook seasons, at the Hwy. 24/Vernita Bridge.
Chinook, if they are here, are tight-lipped. A few roll, none bite. I know there are native spawners in here that will push past 40 pounds, plus the hatchery kings that typically weigh in the 20's. We back troll along a gravel bar with boulders on the bottom and I think that maybe I should switch gear and see what the smallmouth are doing. There's good bass fishing in here. The Washington record, in fact, came from the Reach, an 8.75 pounder that's held onto the top spot since 1966. And down below where the Snake and Columbia merge at Sacajawea State Park, in the Finley Area around Buoy 30 is where Mike Hepper landed the state record walleye on a cold February in 2007. That giant weighed 19.3 pounds.
Before we call it a salmonless day Jon gives us a boat tour of this historic reach, the last free-flowing stretch on 1,243-miles of river that drains a watershed the size of France. In 2000 President Bill Clinton designated this free-flowing water with its dunes, white bluffs, and rare wildlife, a National Monument. Fourteen concrete walls of hydroelectric dams block the river above and below this remnant of a free-flowing Columbia and strangely I find it satisfying just to fish such rare piece of water, this special place.
"Come back toward the end of September or October," Jon says, "it'll be hot. Always is." I make a calendar note.
Houseboat Bass
We meet Jordan for wood-fired pizzas and micro beers at the kitschy Atomic Ale and Brew Pub up on Lee Street then head east though Pasco on Highway 124 to Ice Harbor Park for the second leg of our Tri-Cities Discovery. The park with a good ramp, loading dock, and marina is just above Ice Harbor Dam where we rendezvous with the Lewis' and River Ranch Houseboats owner Ben Harris.
Smallmouth bass and big Idaho steelhead are what we're looking for in this section of the Snake.
Harris' River Ranch Houseboats is based in Burbank and includes a fleet of 59-foot houseboats for both Snake and Columbia rivers. He says he'll shift the boats around for custom trips-fun and sun in the Columbia with and dine and wine at downtown restaurant docks, or fish and hunt, wild and quiet in the Snake above Ice Harbor Dam. We opted for wild and quiet.
River Ranch has been in operation for just a couple of years and is the only houseboat fleet operating out of the Tri-Cities, Youngs says. When we finish loading food, drinks, bags, tackle and more rods than most tackle stores, Harris gives us the tour, a map pinpointing good anchorages and buoys, explains the controls, 115-hp twin outboards, switches on the electrical panel and turns us loose. With 1,568 feet of floor space and room to sleep 12, our little crew of six has plenty of wander-room.
The big boat is a floating condo.
It's equipped with full size beds, electric stove, refrigerator/freezer, gas barbecues, microwave, all the pots and pans, utensils, toaster and coffee maker we'll need, plus flat screen TV and DVR, marine radio, two bathrooms, shower, deck furniture granite counter tops, central heat and air conditioning, water cooled generator and 110 electricity.
We idle out of the marina into impounded Lake Sacajawea, point the bow toward Idaho, throttle down and don't look back. Thirty-two miles of Snake River, from Ice Harbor to Lower Monument dam, is ours for the prowling.
Natalie smiles.
The oversize helm is a bit intimidating and there is a 60-foot lag between spinning the wheel, adjusting the throttles and turning the boat that takes a little getting used to, but within a couple of miles we've got it fairly well on track-and our wake no longer looks like a snake swimming with a broken back.
First evening stop is an anchor buoy in a quiet bay at Big Flat Habitat Management Unit. A white egret wades in front of a green wall of tules, geese fly so low over the water their wing tips brush reflections and upriver are miles of water running between cliffs and hills with long yellow grass. Orchards, green and lush are on the hilltops, but the river banks are as wild as the evening the Lewis and Clark Corps of Discovery Expedition camped along here.
Gary casts a smallmouth plug from the bow and I fire up the barbecue.
Grilled halibut buried in Italian bread crumbs and cheddar, roasted veggies, little red, purple, and white potatoes, crab cakes, salad, garlic bread-not the usual fish camp food.
The girls try out the water slide, adopt the paddle boards, and drift away.
A three-quarter moon is lighting up the water when the coyotes break loose.
We take turns cooking, driving the boat, fishing, staring through binoculars and choosing music. A long rip rap rock bank with overhanging willows and wads of desert brush begs to be fished.
A slight head wind is arguing while I try to hold the big boat within casting range of the rocks for Natalie and Gary to target, and regret not trailering my 17-foot fish boat. A runabout towed off the stern is perfect for serious houseboat fishing.
Gary lands a couple of small smallmouth that ate wobbling plugs right where they should and we swap sides of the river to spend a second night tied up to the dock at aptly named Fishhook Park. The park is closed for the season-from the land side-which means us river-runners have it to ourselves. Gary and I throw spoons and spinners for steelhead along the edges but come up empty.
Merrilee serves up home-made tacos, juicy slices of Hermiston watermelon, smoked oysters and clams. This fish trip is a long way from sleeping bags and baked beans. After dinner we fish for smallmouth until dark when Gary and I take the flashlights and head for the park sprinklers on a nightcrawler hunt.
Either my crawler grabbing technique has suffered in recent years or these are the fastest nightcrawlers in Washington. "Spooky crawlers," I tell Gary after three of the slithers dive into holes when the light hits them. "With good reason," Gary replies. "Any nightcrawler living in ‘Fishhook Park' has got to be paranoid."
In the blackness overhead, comes the Pterodactyl-like screech of a great blue heron, and in the distance coyotes yammer. A large fish crashes in the water near the boat.
Carp I think. Steelhead I hope.
The next afternoon, we head back to the marina to drop off the Lewis family. On the riprap breakwater that blocks the marina from westerlies, fishermen are dangling shrimp and cluster eggs under floats for steelhead or casting for smallmouth. One young man nails a decent smallie as we pass. Still no sign of the steelhead run that's rumored to be coming. The Corps of Engineers says 8.6 million steelhead smolts went into this river two years ago, almost 5,000 adults were counted at Ice Harbor Dam this week, the peak of the return run. I can see the dam from here, but I have yet to see a steelhead.
Back on the water, Natalie and I have the boat to ourselves and surprisingly it handles just fine with our crew of two. We explore toward Ice Harbor Dam, pass several more mooring buoys positioned by River Ranch, swing around small boats trolling for steelhead, head back upriver and trade horn signals with a tug pushing three empty barges toward grain elevators in Lewiston.
I fish a bit along the way as Natalie steers. Late in the afternoon I call it quits and tie up at another RR mooring buoy in a quiet cove. That evening, my birthday, we grill pork chops on the foredeck, chill a plate of fresh tomatoes, Walla Walla slices and cucumbers, and eat on the open upper deck. For dessert, I uncork a celebratory bottle of Barnard Griffin Syrah, prop my feet on the railing and watch a golden sun light up the yellow fields and basalt grasses. There should be mule deer coming to water and if there are I can't see them.
That night, after popcorn and a good white from Tagaris Winery, I return to the upper deck, stretch out in a lounge chair and stare into blackness at a few million stars. Even the coyotes are quiet tonight. A meteor sears across the stars and disappears over an silhouetted orchard in the distance. I'm a million miles away from a worry.
Tomorrow we'll fish for bass again, slowly, reluctantly work downriver, back to the marina, turn the boat, unbruised, over to Ben Harris, load the van and drive back into reality.
But that's tomorrow.
Today I've fished for bass and steelhead, photographed the egrets, saw new country, celebrated another year, ate popcorn and sipped good local wines, stared into a gazillion stars, and fell asleep with the moon shining on still river water, the boat gently swaying on the mooring buoy, and rippling wavelets licking at the hull.
I'm liking this Fish Town with Benefits. I'll be back.
Excellent question. Even though your palette detests the taste of a Bordeaux or Malbec, you can have an enjoyable time in wine country.
For starters, wine is so much more than a nice beverage to sip on. It's about the lifestyle, the people and the experience.
Here are few things you can enjoy while visiting wine country that don't involve tasting it:
1. Take in the stunning views at each winery.
2. Meet the winemakers and their staff and learn about the process of growing wine grapes and making the wine. It's quite interesting.
3. Enjoy live music at the winery. Many wineries in the Tri-Cities offer live performances during the evening.
4. Have a meal or a snack. Multiple wineries in our area serve appetizers and even have full restaurants. There is nothing wrong with taking in the view while having a snack and enjoying an ice water or other beverage.
5. Meet winery dogs. These unique animals are full of personality and have been appointed as the social directors of their wineries. They greet and interact with guests as they visit.
6. Eat chocolate. This one is easy. A lot of wineries pair red wines with chocolate, but who says you have to drink the wine too?
The Tri-Cities is known for having some of the best weather in the state. However, let's be honest, winter is winter in Washington state and almost all locations, the Tri-Cities included, get hit with wind, cold temperatures, rain and even snow.
While getting ready to head into the office this morning I overheard the local weather man predicting temperatures this weekend that actually started with a number higher than 4 and 5. Yes, 60 degree weather is returning to the Tri-Cities for the first weekend in March. Temperatures in the low 60's with mostly sunny skies on the weekend, time to end my hibernation
.
So what to do this weekend? Sure I could do something that isn't entertaining like pull weeds in the yard or any other backyard task. Not this weekend. Temperatures in the 60's is t-shirt weather, so I am thinking about heading down to the Sacagawea Heritage Trail on the river and getting a nice walk in. Maybe I will even bring my rollerblades. A round of golf perhaps? How about a hike up Badger Mountain? A dip in the Columbia Ri.... I'm kidding, it's going to be nice out, but not THAT nice.
Whatever you choose to do this weekend, have fun in the Tri-Cities. If pulling weeds is your thing, then go get ‘em!
Before we get into all the fun activities going on in the Tri-Cities this coming Father's Day weekend, I wanted to share some funny one liners. You know, the ones that only Dad makes.
Me: "Dad, can I have 50 bucks?"
Dad: "Forty dollars? What do you need thirty dollars for?"
If you are anywhere with stuffed and mounted animal heads. Dad: "It must have been going pretty fast when it hit that wall!"
When rubbing your eye
Dad: "What's up?"
Me: "There's something in my eye"
Dad: "Yeah, it's your finger"
All joking aside, you and Dad can have a great time this Father's Day Weekend in the Tri-Cities. Here are a few ideas of things to do:
1. Take Dad to a professional baseball game. The Tri-City Dust Devils open up the season with games Friday, Saturday, and Sunday night at 7:15 P.M.
2. Have a golf outing. Whether it's playing 18 holes, a par 3, or just putting, grab the sticks and head out to the course.
3. Hike to the top of Badger Mountain with Dad. You can race him to the top or take your time and enjoy the view of the Tri-Cities.
4. Terra Blanca Winery and Estate Vineyard is having a special BBQ for Dads on Sunday.
5. Grab locally hand-crafter brew at Ice Harbor Brewery and listen to live music. Franco Paletta and The Stingers, a blues band from Portland, will be performing at 7:30 Saturday night.
6. Check out vintage cars at Howard Amon Park in Richland and as they will be on display during the Red, White, and Blue Car and Motorcycle Show from 9 A.M. - 4 P.M. Saturday.
7. If all else fails, take Dad out to a nice dinner at one of the Tri-Cities restaurants right on the banks of the Columbia River.
For more information on the events listed above, click here.
Happy Father's Day!
Any Dad one liners you can share?
The Tri-Cities enjoys a desert climate, dry and warm. However, we have almost all the same activities as a waterfront destination with the Columbia, Snake, and Yakima Rivers in our own backyard. The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest and the 4th largest in the U.S. by volume.
Keep in mind, when we talk about the Columbia and Snake Rivers, we aren't talking about class five rapids or kayakers dodging jagged rocks as they forcefully navigate themselves down the river. The river current through the Tri-Cities is very peaceful and hardly noticeable.
Activities include kayaking, tubing, water skiing, wake boarding, swimming, boating, kite surfing, paddle boarding, and wading. Not to mention, you can now literally sleep on the river.
Imagine a floating hotel room equipped with beds, a full kitchen, a barbeque, a flat screen TV, and a water slide. You and a group of your friends and family can make this a reality with River Ranch Houseboats.
The houseboats can sleep up to 12 people in beds, but additional boaters can sleep on the top deck under the stars. Anyone who is 25 and older can rent a houseboat and there is no special license required. The boats travel up to 10mph and are meant to be anchored or beached at specific areas on the rivers.
For more information on the houseboats head to www.riverranchboats.com.
In order to make this claim, we need to first discuss what the definition of "Best Weather" actually is. There are some who enjoy gray and drizzly skies, people who like the cold and snowy scene, and those who prefer the extreme heat all the time. Without any hard scientific evidence I can say through my experience in Washington the majority prefers sunshine, dry, and warm weather with the occasional rainy/snowy day mixed in to break up the routine. More or less, a mix of all weather types with the bulk of days being sunny and mild.
As we get further and further into spring and eventually summer, let's break down the average temperature and precipitation month by month for various places throughout Washington. You'll see the Tri-Cities on average offers the warmest temperatures and the least amount of precipitation (with the exception of a couple tenths of an inch on a few months).
May:
|
City |
Average High Temperature(Fahrenheit) |
Average Precipitation |
|
Seattle |
64 |
1.8" |
|
Vancouver |
66 |
2.6" |
|
Spokane |
66 |
1.6" |
|
Yakima |
72 |
0.5" |
|
Tri-Cities |
75 |
0.7" |
June:
|
City |
Average High Temperature |
Average Precipitation |
|
Seattle |
70 |
1.5" |
|
Vancouver |
71 |
1.8" |
|
Spokane |
74 |
1.2" |
|
Yakima |
80 |
0.6 |
|
Tri-Cities |
82 |
0.4" |
July:
|
City |
Average High Temperature |
Average Precipitation |
|
Seattle |
75 |
0.8" |
|
Vancouver |
77 |
0.8" |
|
Spokane |
83 |
0.8" |
|
Yakima |
87 |
0.2" |
|
Tri-Cities |
90 |
0.3" |
August:
|
City |
Average High Temperature |
Average Precipitation |
|
Seattle |
76 |
1" |
|
Vancouver |
78 |
1.1" |
|
Spokane |
83 |
0.7" |
|
Yakima |
87 |
0.4" |
|
Tri-Cities |
90 |
0.4" |
September:
|
City |
Average High Temperature |
Average Precipitation |
|
Seattle |
70 |
1.6" |
|
Spokane |
73 |
0.8" |
|
Vancouver |
74 |
1.8" |
|
Yakima |
78 |
0.4" |
|
Tri-Cities |
80 |
0.4" |
Everyone likes different types of weather, but can we say the Tri-Cities has the best weather that appeals to the majority?
Source: National Weather Service
The Columbia River flows directly through the Tri-Cities. The river offers endless recreation to Tri-Cities locals and visitors. Everything from kayaking, water skiing, jet skiing, swimming, fishing, sailing, wake boarding, inner tubing, wind surfing, parasailing, feet soaking, and now cruising.
Join the Portland Spirit as they bring the Columbia Gorge Sternwheeler to the Tri-Cities area for a week of cruises starting Friday, April 15th - Sunday, April 24th. Riverboat dining experiences aboard the Portland Spirit vessels includes fresh Northwest cuisine prepared in their on board galleys, superb service, beautiful views of the Tri-Cities and live entertainment and narration. A lunch cruise, brunch cruise, dinner cruise, or a Snake River Locks cruise on their vessels is perfect for entertaining out-of-town guests or for celebrating your special occasions.
For more information and to schedule your cruise head to http://www.portlandspirit.com/ or call 800-224-3901.
Many of the Tri-Citie's attractions starts with the letter 'W'. In cases where it doesn't, there is a way to incorporate ‘W' somehow.
Water - With the Columbia, Snake, and Yakima Rivers running through the Tri-Cities, there are many recreational opportunities. These include: swimming, kayaking, power and pleasure boating, wakeboarding, waterskiing, wind surfing, and watching the hydroplane races in the summer.
Weather - The Tri-Cities enjoys some of the best weather in the Northwest with 300 days of sunshine a year. We have a mild climate with less than seven inches of precipitation annually. Summer temperatures average a pleasant 88 degrees, with river breezes contributing to cool evenings and balmy days.
Wine - We welcome you to the Heart of Washington Wine County®. The Tri-Cities is within a one-hour drive of 160 wineries and is complete with hotels, restaurants, and cultural amenities. During the warm summer months, the Tri-Cities has more than 17 hours of sunshine each day, two more hours than Napa and Sonoma. These long mild days in September and October are perfect for ripening wine grapes.
Wildlife - The Tri-Cities is home to eight National Wildlife Refuges and Reserves which include nature trails and shoreline viewpoints. In April and May, native wildflowers begin their grand display. In June see flocks of American White Pelicans, Great Blue Herons, Mule Deer, Coyotes, and Beavers. In late summer and early fall, watch the salmon run up the Columbia River.
Wedge - This will be your golf club of choice if you are within a few feet of a green at one of the Tri-Cities' ten beautiful golf courses. Beginner, intermediate and scratch golfers have their choice of gorgeous 18 hole, putting, and par 3 courses.
Walk - Enjoy this activity and others on 23-miles of contiguous riverfront trail. Weaving between the Tri-Cities, the Sacagawea Heritage Trail offers a view of nature's scenic beauty along the Columbia River.
Welcome Circle - One of the seven basalt story circles you will find at the Confluence Project at Sacajawea State Park. The story circles, created by famed artist Maya Lin, are just one of seven interpretations that make up the project. All seven projects are located at the confluence of rivers throughout the region and each of the seven locations was a stopping point for Lewis and Clark on their journey more than 200 years ago.
Watermelon - An amazing treat among other freshly picked produce and homemade goodies you will find at one of many farmers' markets throughout the Tri-Cities.
What kind of ‘W's can you use to describe the Tri-Cities?
Unless you are travelling at the speed of sound, the chances of you making it to the Tri-Cities from Seattle in 16 minutes is unlikely. However, the Tri-Cities of Washington State is centrally located in the Northwest and there are several different ways one can get here. Let's explore the practical methods with reasonable travel times and take a look at some of the more unconventional methods with absurd travel times.
First of all, there are several direct flights into the Tri-Cities on commercial airlines. These include flights from Seattle, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Salt Lake City, Denver, Las Vegas, Phoenix /Mesa, and Minneapolis.
Flight times:
Seattle to Tri-Cities: 50 minutes
Salt Lake City to Tri-Cities: 1 hour 30 minutes
San Francisco to Tri-Cities: 1 hour 40 minutes
Las Vegas to Tri-Cities: 2 hours 5 minutes
Denver to Tri-Cities: 2 hours 10 minutes
Los Angeles to Tri-Cities: 2 hours 20 minutes
Minneapolis to Tri-Cities: 2 hours 50 minutes
Mesa/Phoenix to Tri-Cities: 3 hours 30 minutes
If hopping on a plane isn't your thing, the Tri-Cities is just a drive away.
Drive times:
Walla Walla to Tri-Cities: 1 hour
Yakima to Tri-Cities: 1 hour 15 minutes
Spokane to Tri-Cities: 2 hours 15 minutes
Wenatchee to Tri-Cities: 2 hours 15 minutes
Lewiston, ID to Tri-Cities: 2 hours 15 minutes
Seattle to Tri-Cities: 3 hours 30 minutes
Portland to Tri-Cities: 3 hours 30 minutes
Vancouver, WA to Tri-Cities: 3 hours 30 minutes
These are the transportation methods most visitors use to get to the Tri-Cities, but let's take a look at some weird ways.
Walk time (3 mph):
Seattle to Tri-Cities: 2 days 18 hours 37 minutes approx.
Unicycle time (6 mph):
Portland to Tri-Cities: 1 day 11 hours 30 minutes approx.
A camel's sustained running speed (25 mph)
Spokane to Tri-Cities: 5 hours and 20 minutes approx.
Speed of sound time (750 mph):
Seattle to Tri-Cities: 16 minutes approx.
Regardless of your mode of transportation, come enjoy great wine, water recreation, golf, and weather in the Tri-Cities.
Can you think of any interesting ways to get to the Tri-Cities? Use some high school math and tell us how long it would take by commenting below. Don't forget to hit the share button too.
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