BACK TO THE FISH HOUSE AND BEYOND…

After Bend we continue north onto Dayville, OR.  We stay in our favorite (so far) RV Park in America - The Fish House Inn & RV Park.  We stayed here last summer when we were newbies and loved the place; but now after a year under our belt, we can really appreciate how really special this place is.  There are only seven spots here in a park-like setting.  Everything is low-key down to the hand made sign that states: “if no one’s around, pick a spot and we’ll find you.”  (Which is exactly what we do.)  

Dayville Cafe
Open for business!

After we get setup we walk over to the Dayville Café and grab some lunch.  Last summer the place was closed and for sale. We are happy to report that the new owner is young, talented and committed to providing locals and visitors with local sourced, fresh, tasty, and affordable meals. This is a family affair, while he’s in back creating down home culinary delights; like hand cut fries and home made pies, his wife and his mother are out front taking orders, delivering food and filling water glasses.  The food here is really good and they make a killer root beer float!  

After lunch we head back “home” and are greeted with hugs by Mike Smith (the owner) and wags and licks from Zoe and Zander (his golden retrievers.)

We originally plan to stay only a few days, but it’s rainy and hailing and the Memorial Day weekend is coming up, and Mike has one opening over the weekend so we stay put for a week. Between thunderstorms, we get in a short hike and a visit to the Fossil beds visitor center. It’s a nice relaxing week. (As if there were any other kind for us LOL.)

Yakama Nation
RV Park, stay in your rig
or a teepee

Next we continue north up the back roads to Toppenish, WA just south of Yakima.  We stay at the Yakama Nation RV Park. Although not the lush garden landscape of Fish House, it’s clean and comfortable with good Wi-Fi. Within walking distance is the Yakama Nations Cultural Center with an interesting Native American museum, gift shop, restaurant and theatre. Close by is the Legends Casino that gets a big thumbs up since we left with more green than when we arrived ;-) and we received half off coupons for their Thursday seafood buffet with lots-o-tasty Dungeness crab!

The city of Toppenish is famous for it’s murals.  There are over seventy murals on buildings and walls throughout the two square mile city depicting the history of the area.  Some of the murals were privately commissioned, but many were produced at the Toppenish Mural Society’s annual “Mural in a Day” that occurs on the first Saturday of June. It just so happens that we’re there for the event, so we head into town and watch paint dry…  We also take in the Northern Pacific Railroad Museum and The American Hop Museum.  Although we love beer we never really considered where the hops come from or how they are produced…well now we know and recommend a stop at this little interesting museum.

2013 Mural in a Day

Watching Paint Dry...

Toppenish Mural

even the police have one!

After learning about railroad history and hop production we stop at the Taqueria Mexicana and have a great meal and some cold beers. Their salsa (one spicy and one mild are really tasty.  The side order of Guacamole is outstanding. It is so fresh that we suspect that it is made to order.  The Chimichanga is delicious, the meat tender and tortilla crispy but not greasy.  The Chile Verde: tasty, spicy and the portions generous. (Enough to take some home and create some breakfast burritos the next morning.) 

Now, with one week until our ferry departs for Alaska we head for Bellingham…

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