Loren took us out to dinner (It may have been some folks’ birthdays) and then to a little ice cream shop afterwards. When we arrived near the ice cream shop, the road was blocked by signs and tons of people. A craft fair took over a few blocks, making for some interesting strolling after we got our ice cream. First things first!
After we left the fair, we walked a bit to see some of the interesting architecture nearby. This first castle-like structure is… wait for it… the Superior Court building for Spokane County. Rather disappointing. I guess I didn’t really think there’d be a moat with drawbridge and knights on horseback, but a courthouse?
Then there’s this odd looking structure. Alien landing site? Middle eastern temple? How about Spokane Regional Health District offices…
One morning we went for a walk in the John A. Finch Arboretum. Not far out of town, this place is very pretty, and the beauty would make you think you’re in a park far from civilization… but it’s directly adjacent to I90. The freeway noise is substantial. Very nice to look at though! [An interesting note here: John A. Finch was the mining partner to Amasa B. Campbell I wrote about last week. See Campbell’s mansion here]
Another morning found us at the Riverside State Park, a bit north of Spokane. A nice walk through the woods took us to this stairway. At the view point above was a ranger giving a tour to a group of young Japanese girls. We waited while they marched down the staircase, and I had to tell them “Ko ni chi wa!” (Hello or Hi) They seemed to get a kick out of that. Ok, I did too!
From the top you have a great view of the Spokane River! This park is the largest in Washington, and there are plenty of attractive trails.
This area is called the ‘Bowl and Pitcher” for the interesting volcanic rock formations. I’m not too sure they look like bowl or pitchers, but they are interesting.
From the viewpoint it’s not far to the base of the bridge.
I believe a suspension bridge was built here in the 1800’s. The bridge was rebuilt by the CCC to safer standards, but made to look almost identical to the original bridge. They call it a “Swinging Bridge,” but it is very stable. The views it offers are great too!
Above the bridge on the far side of the river, was a sign pointing to the “Storybook Trail.” Of course we had to see what that was about. They’ve posted a book on small signs, each page a hundred feet or so down the trail. It might be a very clever way to entice small kids to keep going!
The book was a highly suspenseful story about a bunny who decides he’d like to be anything other than a bunny. I won’t ruin the ending, but it has lots of twists and turns… well, you will just have to follow this trail to find how the story ends. (Or make a probably predictable guess.)
Early Saturday morning our friends Jeffrey and Brooke accompanied us on a birding excursion to Stevens Creek in the Dishman Hills Conservation Area. Always fun to go out with them! With their help we found our first Cassin’s Vireo. 🙂
Looks like fun! Nice picture of Jeffrey 🙂