Wow, this tour is AMAZING. It starts with a 15 minute video at the visitor center which explains…read morethe background of the geopolitical climate that prompted the construction of the reactor. It is the first large-scale nuclear reactor ever built, taking uranium and converting it into plutonium-239 (used in the Trinity test in New Mexico and the Fat Man bomb dropped on Nagasaki, Japan). Then there is a 45 minute bus ride to the B reactor itself (try to avail yourself of the restrooms at the visitor center, but there's a tour bus bathroom and port-a-potties at the reactor itself). The bus ride flew by as the docent talked about the area and his own experience as an engineer. Very engrossing. As you enter, there's another short presentation by a docent explaining the physics behind the reactor, and then you're set loose. There are also small docent-led presentations at specified times too if you want to get more into the nitty-gritty of the design and operation of the reactor. I wish I had more time at the reactor, maybe 15 more minutes, since there was so much to see and read. The exhibits were so well done!

Definitely worth a visit, though most of the buildings that once were on the site at the height of…read moreHanford's operations are no longer there. Everything went on schedule as described. The bus is a comfy coach and the 45 minute ride to the actual Reactor B is enlivened by the tour guide's info about the history and geology of the area, as well as providing background on the construction and challenges of putting together the entire site so quickly. Free bottled water is provided at the site, and there's a good mix of short talks by guides (about 15 minutes or so each) and time to walk around, read info on exhibits, and take photos. Visitor Center is clean, with chairs inside for waiting as well as benches outside. Because we'd driven almost 3 hours to the site, we took advantage of a shady bench to have our lunch. The timing of the 11:45am tour means you'll want to get something to eat before setting off, because you won't return to the Visitor Center for about 4 hours (and there is no food to purchase at the Center, and no food allowed inside the Reactor B building). There is, however, a place to eat next door to the Visitor Center (The Dive) where I can at least confirm that the beer and onion rings are excellent. We got lucky and had a relatively cool (80 degrees) day. Bathrooms at the actual park site (the reactor) are limited to portable toilets, but again, all the info presented from registration to the actual tour were clear, informative, and well done.

an affront to the senses since 1978 the Ed Hendler Bridge connects Kennewick to Pasco in the worst…read morepossible way. when it was dedicated it was the first major cable stayed bridge in the United States and the second longest in the world coming in at just over 2500 feet long and carrying Washington 379 some 50 feet above the Columbia River. adding insult to injury the last bit of the way cooler looking cantilevered Green Bridge (officially: the Pasco-Kennewick Bridge) that it "replaced" sits as a viewing platform beside. it's not too horrible for a cable stayed bridge but I wouldn't want it in my backyard...

The Cable Bridge, officially called the Ed Hendler Bridge and sometimes the Intercity Bridge, spans…read morethe Columbia River between Pasco and Kennewick as State Route 397. It was constructed in 1978 and replaced the Pasco-Kennewick Bridge, an earlier span built in 1922 and demolished in 1990. I not only crossed this bridge, but got to see it up close from a boat on the Columbia River (in and out from Clover Island). The "cable stayed" design is quite a sight to see and admire. The Cable Bridge, from the time of its opening, has proved to be a popular landmark in the Tri-City area, so much so it has become an unofficial symbol of the area. The Bridge is lit up at night, and there's an annual Cable Bridge Run across the span. At the foot of the Kennewick end is the Tri-Cities Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The remaining pier of the old Pasco-Kennewick bridge now serves as a scenic lookout, from which one can view its successor bridge.

Hanford Reach National Monument is a beautiful area abundant with distinguishing natural landmarks…read more The monument is broken up into a number of different sections, termed units, with different access availabilities. Something to check out in advance if you are thinking of going. Highway 24 (WA-24) makes its way through some of the monument and there are occasional informational/interpretive signs alongside the highway in pullouts. The monument forms a roughly horseshoe shape around the Hanford Nuclear Site a Department of Energy (DOE) site. The importance of the Hanford Reach National Monument is highlighted through the signs providing integrated background of the area and the nuclear site utility locally and in human history. Provides a sobering reminder that the manufacturing and building of man-made structures and technologies, including nuclear reactors, need to be offset with the preservation of areas of pure nature to sustain life on Earth. If the prospect of high radiation doses makes you faint just thinking about it, then it may be best you don't come to a place like this. My work has brought me into the world of nuclear physics more than once and for me fear mongering tactics have long since worn off. Some things aren't so scary when you get to know it/them. I chose to drive out to the White Bluffs Lookout area and the road to the area was gravel and several miles long. The turn-off to this road is located near milepost 63.2 on Highway 24. My car ended up getting rather dusty by the time we made it to the parking lot. I saw only one other car while I was there, a maintenance vehicle. The interpretive signs help provide social and historical context for the monument and are worth a read no matter how familiar you are with the topics presented. A closed road, which one can walk, runs along some spectacular rock outcrops. I chose to eat my packed lunch along the side of this road after walking a little ways. After lunch I did a little bird watching and returned to my car. Very windy on my visit on the 12th of August 2020.

It's not comparable to neighborhoods like the French Quarter (New Orleans), Beacon Hill (Boston),…read moreor the Jersey Shore, but who woulda thunk MY neighborhood here in Richland, WA was a "Historic District". But my neighborhood of Alphabet Houses surely has a history tied to this country, and it is kind of cool to put your residence in a historical context. Now, what drove me to write this Yelp was my noticing of historic signs popping up on Van Giesen during my drives to work in the morn. One by one, I started to see little black signs magically appear on the corners of various streets: McPherson Ave, Marshall Ave, Warren Ct, Mahan Ave, etc. Now these signs are due to the effort of a local group honoring veterans, so isn't totally Historic District-related, but it certainly helps for telling the stories history. As for the Alphabet housing. During the war effort of World War II, the small farming of town transformed from a small farming town to a metropolis of secrecy (fuel for the first atomic bombs were built on the Hanford Site). Richland Population: 1943: 500 1945: 25,000 (!!) The huge change in population needed to be handled quickly. Yes, many soldiers were housed in tents and temporary barracks, but scientists, technicians, and management (along with their families), needed honest to goodness homes. An architect from Spokane was given 90 days to design homes and neighborhoods for the huge influx of people: enter the alphabet houses (http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/z_1wFu2h3fGTsjBo6jfv2A?select=TfltN_vfiTmYtBImYep2tg). Each home design was assigned a letter (hence the term "alphabet houses"). The houses range from tiny 1-bedroom houses to huge two-story duplexes. (for the record, I live in a 2-story 3bedroom, home known affectionately as an F-House). It's over a half century later, and many of these houses are still around and generally in their original state. Some areas of the district are quaint and DO look historical, but other neighborhoods do look a wee bit ghetto (like my 'hood!). This is home, and it's nice to know the history behind the area. If you ever get the chance, you should drop by the CREHST Museum (http://www.yelp.com/biz/crehst-museum-richland). There's a cool exhibit about the Alphabet Houses.

The alphabet housing "district" in Richland is interesting to say the least - the new small metal…read moresigns giving some history about the street names are neat, but unless you go on a walking tour of the area I can't see how you would read them. This part of town is probably the least expensive part of northern Richland, the houses have been remodeled and modified, a least most of them have, but the area still retains its unique vibe.

I love lighthouses and feel that they are a still a novelty to me after living in the Pacific…read moreNorthwest for over ten years and the fact of being born and raised in landlocked states prior to moving to the West Coast. Normally they are along the coast that we go to see and visit but the Clover Island Lighthouse is a river light house for the Columbia River. There used to be quite a few river lights along the Columbia but if memory serves most of them fell into disrepair or torn down. The Clover Island Lighthouse is quite new by lighthouse standards as it was built in 2010 on Clover Island where events are held as well as river views. It also serves a landmark for the island. Being such a new lighthouse I suspect it's used more for tourism rather than for practical purposes but I wouldn't rule that out either as the Columbia River is a very busy river for boat traffic. It's a little bit of a surprise to me that there was even a lighthouse in Tri-Cities as they are definitely situated in the desert but that makes it ironical in a fun way as well. Quite a few of the lighthouses on the coast have similar paint jobs and some are built similarly as well. I know there is a vast array of different lighthouses in all shapes and sizes but those seem to be more common in Michigan from what I gather. So it was quite refreshing to see a lighthouse that was not only new but also has a stucco look to it which is very appropriate for the arid environment and other housing in areas like this. The island is pretty small and there is a restaurant there and Ice Harbor Brewing has a location on the island as well so you can eat and drink along with taking a gander at this cute little lighthouse as well and any marina activities that are available for those with boats.

We stopped here for about 10 minutes to check out the lighthouse when we were in the area. It's a…read morenice quick little stop with some history. There are great views of the water and bridge and there is plenty of parking. It's definitely worth a stop if you have a few minutes. The sunset here was lovely and we were entertained by some jet skiiers on the water. There was also an ice cream vendor but he was closing up when we arrived.

This is the first major cable stayed bridge in the US. It is a very cool looking bridge. There is…read morea small parking area on the N side that provides access to the paved trail that runs along the river. This also provides excellent views of the bridge and the barges running the river.

Roundabouts scare me. When I was in Scotland and England a few years ago, I popped out a few…read morethousand gray hairs whenever I twirled around their crazy roundies! And now the Kennewick, has started to employ roundabouts within its city limits. I know there are nice reasons for having these roadway features, but they still creep me out. But the one, which takes the cake is the "double roundabout" at the 395/240 interchange! It looks nice and interesting from above....from a satellite. But from behind a wheel...it can be hair-raising! I guess I don't mind driving them that much. My biggest fear are the other drivers. I get cut off countless times. I swear I get nearly nipped on every entry. If you'd like some entertainment. I'd say grab a patch of ground above this engineering feat, and then watch the madness! Surely with the Blue Bridge nearby (notorious for being cause of the most accidents in the Tri-Cities) & this roundabout, auto insurance people will have their work cut out for them with these two scary driving attractions!

My first experiences with roundabouts were in England, luckily in the passenger side of the car…read more(that's the left side). The person driving grew up in England and had roundabouts down to an art, easily cruising through, not braking, not slowing down (I swear he always accelerated), and on the other side of the road. So, when roundabouts came to this country, my mind was conditioned to driving through a roundabout on the English side. This roundabout really is not the mother of all roundabouts, but it is unique for two reasons: it's a double and you can check in on Yelp! I'm not sure why it doesn't merit a 5 star rating from everyone? It keeps the traffic flowing. Perhaps, it's the ability to check into Yelp while driving. Warning: don't try this on your own.

Excellent fun place! Games and arcade! Karaoke rooms! Games are a…read moreRetro blast from past! Right next door to Proof Pasco for a great meal as well!

Power up has a cool vibe. It has a pretty open flooring with games around the perimeter and the bar…read moresituated in the middle corner. We didn't spent too much time here because they didn't have a ton of games that interested us. It was popping with people the night we went.

Functional, Not Glamorous. Grunt, Not A Captain. Workhorse, Not A Wheeler & Dealer…read more That's how I'd describe the I-82 Bridge. It constantly has two look downriver at its sexier counterparts: Blue Bridge & the famed Cable Bridge (http://www.yelp.com/bi...). It's a hard life. But of our three big bridges here, I'd say this one is the biggest and gets the most traffic. I think the problem with this bridge is the size. It crosses the mighty Columbia and you almost wouldn't know it when crossing this bridge. I guess that's it's downfall. Oh well, it just get's the job done, and for that it can be a Captain in it's own book.

Even though there is no sign that I have ever seen, this is officially the Sam Volpentest Bridge…read more He was a guy who made lots of great things, like the HAMMER training facility, happen for the TC. He also made this bridge happen, and can be thanked (or maybe scorned) for all of the development near roads 100 and 68. It's almost like a magic bridge. You can't really tell you just crossed one of the more powerful rivers on the country. But it is also such a BORING bridge. No cool cable web thingy like the Ed Hendler (Or more famously the Cable) Bridge. Also none of the rugged trussed sturdiness of the Blue Bridge. But it makes it a lot easier to go back and forth between Pasco and Richland, and makes a quicker journey to Pendleton, Yakima, or Spokane possible than would be otherwise. Sam Volpentest was a quiet sort of fellow who made things happen for the good of the Tri Cities. Maybe it is fitting that a bridge named for him is also quietly making things move here too.