heading down to the coast for a night of racing and come upon this ridiculous thing in the middle…read moreof the desert. don't get me wrong, I've bridged up here a lot but this span is in its own league entirely... besides being a half-mile long ramp across the river it's got twisty turns on the other end feeding in or leading out or just driving past on Rte 26 heading to Tacoma and by the time I realize how cool it is there's no place to pull over and have a look until next time (getting turned around counts as next time) and realizing there's way too many spots to get a better look at the bridge and sometimes it takes two or several passes which is kind of a good problem to have... totally digging the man-gates on the richland side; the stunted brush and broken terrain brings odd notions about what went on here before the fences got staked... enjoy :-)

Holy smokes, what a great view! But holy smokes, the wind nearly blew me off the bridge!…read more The Vantage Bridge is the second one at this location, which carries Interstate 90 over the Columbia River and joins Vantage with George (and who was clever to name their town George in the state of Washington?). This section of the river is the Wanapum Lake that is formed by the Wanapum Dam that you can't see from the bridge but it's there. This type of bridge is a "through arch bridge" and it has a total length of 2504 feet. It was dedicated in 1962 and is in great condition considering it is 60 years old. There is a "scenic view" spot on the east bank where you can get a great view of the bridge. It was so windy up there that I could barely stand! [Review 17107 overall - 95 in Washington - 623 of 2022.]

Excellent view of the columns We loved the ride and took…read morepictures of the formations. However we didn't get to see the tall ones or maybe the shadows did not allowed a great view

There is a pull-off from West McManamon Road where you can park your car as you visit Drumheller…read moreChannels National Natural Landmark. I had been debating about whether to stop here after hiking some of the trails past the main entrance of the Columbia National Wildlife Refuge and decided to stop because the pull-off had ample space for me to park and a sign denoting the pull-off corresponding to the National Natural Landmark was easy to spot from the road. From the parking area there is a short gravel path to a vista/viewing point that looks out over the channeled scablands. This viewing area has a few informational placards with information about the history of the area and about the importance of the natural habitat the area provides for wildlife. A number of small trails branched away from the vista/viewing point that I chose not to explore. I enjoyed stopping here and it tickled my tastebuds to do more exploring in the vein of past geology projects of mine. In my sedimentology and stratigraphy course as an undergraduate training in geology and geophysics one of my focus projects was on the channeled scablands. I chose the topic because the word scablands was not familiar to me. Funny enough, the channeled scablands ended up being in my home state (Washington State)! So stopping here carried a large sentimental meaning to me. Even if the channeled scablands have not been a focus of your professional activities I recommend stopping here. The location provides a good view of the scablands and a great cursory background of the importance of the area in understanding Earth's (natural) history.

The Teapot Dome Service Station I either got from Atlas Obscura or a book called Weird Washington…read morebut I can't entirely be sure but this place has been on my bookmark list forever and finally got to go to it while on vacation. It's Yelp classification of Local Flavor fits the bill precisely! Historical and unusual this tea pot dome service station was actually a functioning one at one point in time and the building has been kept up and maintained perfectly so it looks quite pristine! Antique gas pumps are nearby to admire, a pic nic table and a memorial nearby. Admission is free and the day I was here I visited with a very congenial gentleman about the nearby area and took some info home about the building and the area. Definitely a cute place to stop! The attraction isn't anything that would be too terribly time consuming to stop at and a good place to stretch your legs and enjoy a service station of the past.

For anyone who appreciates history, architecture, scandal and the Venn diagram where all of them…read moreoverlap, the historic Teapot Dome service station in Zillah, Washington is for you! Located on the main drag in downtown Zillah, this iconic structure is both hard to miss and a poignant reminder that if you are an elected official and do something dumb, it will probably be memorialized forever... Perhaps in the form of an old gas station! For those who are unfamiliar with the teapot dome scandal (like I was until about three minutes ago) - here is a link to a Wikipedia article that will give you some background. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teapot_Dome_scandal In a nutshell, the presidency of Warren G. Harding was rocked by some illegal activity where leases to drill for oil were granted inappropriately. One such place was in teapot dome, Wyoming... Hence the name. Wouldn't you know, those rascals in Zillah, Washington were on the ball and constructed this novelty gas station as a reminder of the past and to give your kids something fun to look at when you would stop for gas. Unfortunately, this place doesn't have active pumps anymore, but they do use it as a welcome center for the community. There's a nice little parking lot out front, some restrooms if you need to stop, and plenty of opportunity for a picture that will remind you of those clever people down in Zillah! Also, I can imagine architects may appreciate all that goes into a place like this. At present, I don't have a good enough appreciation for the complexities of architecture to know whether not this place is a masterpiece or a piece of crap. Either way, it looks like something out of a nursery rhyme and is unique in the service stations that I have ever been privy to. If you're going through the area, it's worth taking a three minute detour to go see this place!

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.

This is a really cute park to stop and have lunch or just sit and chill out. There is quite a bit…read moreof parking and if you're one that is just passing by Moses Lake, there is a public bathroom to stop and get rid of some lemonade. There is a cool fountain as you enter the information center/rest area and then plenty of picnic tables lined up to sit down and eat. It would be nice if there were some umbrellas or something to shield from the strong sun, but the only time you'll probably get sun is in the summer anyway because let's be real....this is Washington. Eastern Washington is a bit different though, but I still wish there was some sort of coverage from the sun. There are no trees either. I also thought it was cool that they have an electric car powering station, so that could be cool if you need to stop and charge up your e-car. This information center is basically in the middle of downtown so it has great access to all the festivities and restaurants and goings-on of the downtown area. I'm just glad they had a bathroom because I really needed one.

Oooo! the Vernita Bridge is a bit fancier than it appears at first glance with almost 2000 feet of…read moreWA 24 crossing the Columbia River here since 1965 when the Vernita (nee: Jaeger) ferry was decommissioned after serving the area for most of the preceding 150 years. the main spans look like your basic continuous through truss but are actually three smaller spans that have been joined together and appear as one; the center span was apparently constructed for later conversion to a vertical lift bridge to accommodate boat traffic below with features on the oversized central piers and truss-end posts to support installation of the required hardware. the Vernita Bridge was built at the end of an era: riveted constructions were giving way to bolts and weldments but certain sections of the bridge that were being bolted on other structures at the time are riveted on the Vernita Bridge, and other sections that were still being riveted elsewhere were welded on the Vernita Bridge...

I loved it!! I love history museums generally and they really did do well with this one. I would…read morehave happily paid for it. They had a lot of different galleries and each one was very interesting. My 10 year old loved it as well!

What a amazing blast into history. The staff was friendly and knowledgeable. The ideas that they…read morehave displayed are a wonderful event of our history. I will be coming back.

I have been in this state park on numerous occasions. Take my airstream and hang out. It's a…read moregreat place to stage for traveling up and down the river. RV sites are large and open for the most part with electric, water and sewer. The winds at night are a riot during the hot parts of the summer. They blow like crazy. There is a day park separate from the RV park that you can walk to to swim and/or just relax. During the summer it is always crowded. Vantage has a gas station with food if you need it. Gorge is very close. Across the river are parks that are supported by Grant County PUD which are very nice and usually not many people. I'm impressed with the money and resources that Grant County PUD has put into the area. Just south of the Wanapum on the same road is a small park on a lake (small) that no one is ever there. Called the cove. If you have a boat you are in heaven with the Colombia River at your call.

Fun little park with toys for kids and a dock for fishing. Wish I had a kayak with me. The water…read morelooked dirty and swampy. No way in hell I am swimming in that. Lots of parking very quaint. Nice day to visit

Nice clean recreation camping area developed by Grant County PUD…read more Nice bathrooms, well marked tent pads, river trails, paved. Pretty river views, looks to be open year round First bathroom gets a lot of use as a highway rest stop.