Inland Empire (Half) Century
Another weekend and I was off on another bike adventure. Marcus, Haylee and MJ joined me, making it another family weekend as well. This time it was in Kennewick, WA, a place I had yet to visit. It was part of the Tri-Cities area of Washington.
On my way to Kennewick, I made a stop at the Teapot Dome Gas Station in Zillah, a historical site from when Harding was the President and a reminder of the Teapot Dome scandal of that time.
Prior to leaving, I messaged a former graphic designer collaborator of mine and was from Richland (one of the Tri-Cities) to see if she wanted to have dinner on Friday night. She did and it was the first meeting face-to-face. It was so fun to catch up with Michelle (she left the graphic design business a decade ago and went to work at Hanford as a consultant).
The hotel we were staying in for the weekend was on Clover Island and had a really nice view of the river and bridges. It was a bit dated, but was quite comfortable and the people were friendly. Breakfast was a dud, so I ended up eating very little before heading to my bike event, the Inland Empire Century.
My route was 50 miles (half century) and it took me from the park back past my hotel, crossing the big bridge and continuing on the other side of the river. The head wind was a monster and there were times I thought my bike was going to slide right out from under me!
The route took me from Kennewick to Pasco and to Richland (the Tri-Cities) before heading back to Kennewick on the other side of the river (with much less wind). Geese with babies were everywhere and I even had to stop on the trail at one point because they were laying on it in my way.
After the ride, I met up with the kids at the Endive Eatery, which happened to have Aussie style foods and thrilled Haylee (who’s from Australia). I had a Spanish Tortilla, which was more like a frittata with potatoes, eggs, ham, cheese and tomatoes. It was delicious!
I went back to the hotel for a nap while the kids visited a winery and playground. When they got back, MJ ran around the room naked for a bit and being my little pin-up boy.
That evening, we met up with my friend, David, who had moved to Kennewick from Arkansas in March. He had just bought a house over in Oregon where he works for the railroad. His wife and household goods would be joining him soon. David joined us for dinner at the hotel’s restaurant. We shared a 2 prime rib special. I was glad Marcus was along since he and David talked military and shop and I didn’t have to contribute to the conversation too much.
The next day, we all headed home. It was so nice to check out a new location by bike and to spend time with family.
