Ellensburg, Washington

From our campsite in Yakima, the drive north to Ellensburg provides an opportunity to overlook the fertile Kittitas Valley. Layer upon layer of volcanic lava flows eons ago, now eroded into fertile soil, support the grasses - turning amber in autumn, and everywhere there's irrigation, rich orchards are growing.

Guided by the  Yakima Valley "Official Visitor's Guide" we stopped first at the very helpful Chamber of Commerce office. We picked up several informative brochures including a walking tour guide and browsed the Ellensburg Rodeo gift shop, which shares the same space. Too late for the rodeo this year, that was the closest we'll get. This is a very "western" town, and the impact of the ranching and mining industries show in the buildings and names of businesses.

One of the main reasons we wanted to visit Ellensburg is the John Clymer museum. We own several of his prints, and were anxious to see what they had of this native son's work. The museum was nice, and informative, but we were a little disappointed as to the amount of Clymer's work it holds. There was a visiting display "State of the Art; Western Design Today" which included leather goods, clothing and furniture. Some very nice work was included, so it was definitely worth the visit.

Ellensburg has taken good care of their lovely old architecture, though narrow streets make it difficult to capture in photos. The town burned down in 1889, but within 10 days the stalwart citizens began work on rebuilding - using primarily fireproof brick. The result is a beautiful downtown with a lovely turn of the century feel.

By the time we were finished with the museum it was time for lunch. Close at hand, and turning out to be an excellent choice, was The Palace Cafe and Saloon.  Well prepared food with good service and a delightful atmosphere - can't beat that combination. Lunch included a nice local lager, Roslyn Brookside, brewed by the Roslyn Brewing Company in nearby Roslyn. The building itself is old, built in 1908, and The Palace (in business since 1892) has been in the location for quite some time.  The antique pressed tin ceiling and dark wood set the tone, supported by antique train and auto memorabilia, artwork, and old time photos. A humorous drawing depicting the aspects of a hunting camp hangs in the hallway on the way to the lounge, in the back of the building. Check out the album link for a photo of that art work.

We drove back to camp via the canyon route. Here it's more obvious that this is a high desert climate. The river is beautiful, and we discovered a fairly new BLM camp, Big Pine, along the way. It's so new it's not on the maps yet or we would probably be staying there!

For other photos see the album.