Good Dog!

We went camping near Jubilee Lake with some friends of ours and both they and we brought our dogs. Theirs loved to fetch sticks in the water and wouldn't let size stop her. She brought this small dead tree back without a second thought.

Jubilee Lake

A short drive into the mountains around the Walla Walla Valley brings one to Jubilee Lake, a lovely place to camp, hike, canoe, swim and picnic. We happened to visit on a beautiful day in August this year.

Bennington Lake

Bennington Lake is a man-made reservoir located south of Rooks Park on the east end of Walla Walla. In the winter the water level gets quite low, so the activities of choice shift from fishing to throwing sticks for Fido. On a beautiful Saturday (beautiful for the end of February!), my husband and I decided to take the dog for a long walk. We needed the exercise. So we grabbed his GPS (for some geocaching) and headed to the lake. Several walking paths and trails circle the lake, and on the north side lead to Rooks Park. We didn't make it to Rooks Park (that would've been approximately 6 miles), but we did walk around the entirety of the lake, including the beds of mud the recent rain created. We guesstimate we walked about 3 1/2 -4 miles. On our walk we encountered several people on horseback (they were smart - only the horses get muddy that way!), a lot of dogs walking their owners, and a few kids, some walking, some on bikes. Quite a crowd was at the lake, but as we moved to the far side, we were alone a majority of the time and were able to spot a couple of hawks, and, though none of them were visible, we did find some evidence of owls and deer. As you can see in the photo, spring is on its way...the fields are ready, and so are the trees! It was a lovely walk, and we were very glad we did it...in spite of being exhausted afterward!

Winter Landscape

As you're leaving the Walla Walla Valley and heading toward Tri-Cities (northwest of the WWV), you meet up with the mighty Columbia River. The area around the river is very wet, and has a few lakes interspersed with trees, reeds, and even some sagebrush. Everything is braced for winter, dressed in seasonal brown and ready for whatever the season brings. This scene shows one of the larger bodies of water that isn't the river itself in this area, and is facing northeast.