A Race and Some Wine

After we braved the pass for our Eastern Washington weekend, we made it to Richland, got settled into our hotel for the weekend, enjoyed a nice swim in the pool, and headed to bed to get a good night’s sleep before Jon’s half-marathon in the morning – the Tri Cities Half Marathon.  We were staying just a half mile down the road, so we were nice and close so Jon could check in and get warmed up.

Jon Before the Tri Cities Half Marathon

The next day dawned clear and bright, with a moderate wind.  We went down to the half-marathon and Jon checked in for the race and got warmed up.  And soon it was time for the start.  Jon didn’t want to start to close to the front, because his theory is that he would rather pass people than be passed.  Ok, I guess that has some logic.  But he didn’t really have to worry about getting passed, because he finished the Tri Cities half marathon in 1:26:08!  That is a 6 minute, 34 second pace!  Jon ended up finishing 3rd in his age division, and 11th overall!  I was so proud of him!  Unfortunately, I don’t have any photos of his finish, because one of the race officials kept walking into them – I have a lot of pictures of a race official in a red coat.  Sigh…

Due to Jon’s quick feet, he was done with the race by 9:30 am, so we went back to the hotel so he could get a shower, and we were on the road to Walla Walla for the day’s touristing by 10:30 am.  Walla Walla was our destination for the day – a little more than 45 minutes from the hotel where we were staying.  The drive is a flat easy drive along the river and through some pretty country, with a large national wildlife refuge, and some run down towns along Highway 12.  And some cows (sorry I just had to get that in there, because I think cows are really cute).  On the drive, we talked about where we wanted to visit, and where we should start.

Once we made it to downtown Walla Walla, our first stop was all for Jon.  He had been dreaming of a record store, and Walla Walla has what claims to be the oldest independent record store in Washington state – Hot Poop Records.  Yes, you read that right.  Upon entering Hot Poop, you get the distinct impression that if you were to die in there, your body may not ever be found.  The place was absolutely filled to the rafters with music.  I have a feeling that this place had a copy of every CD and record that was ever made.  But you might not be able to find it, because alphabetizing and organization were very loosely applied there…  Jon enjoyed himself though, and managed to find a couple of treasures that he was pretty excited about.

Jon Posing At Hot Poop Records – Ignore His Geeky Expression!

After Jon got his fix of Hot Poop, it was time to get some lunch!  We headed down Main Street and checked out a deli that was recommended by one of the wine books I have.  Olive Marketplace and Cafe had some great food and a lot of selection on their wine list.  As we were going to be tasting after lunch, I didn’t have any wine with my meal, but it would be the perfect place for a Saturday afternoon glass of wine with your meal.  I had the BLT with Hills Applewood smoked bacon, avocado, tomato and butter lettuce on a ciabatta roll.  It was served with a side salad with an assortment of lettuce and toppings.  Jon had the Apricot Chicken salad, with apricots, red grapes, butter lettuce, hazelnuts, grilled chicken and fresh tarragon aioli.  Jon also had a cup of their lentil and sausage soup of the day; it was thick, creamy and delicious.

BLT (Foreground) and Apricot Chicken Salad and the Soup of the Day (Background)

Now that we were fueled up, we were ready to start tasting some wines!