Weekend Getaway: Walla Walla & the Tri-Cities

This past weekend, Ben and I took a short trip to Eastern Washington. We spent Saturday exploring West Richland/ Red Mountain Wineries and Sunday we saw a huge hot air balloon stampede, ate amazing gelato, and took a scenic bike ride down trails in Walla Walla.

Saturday:
we took a drive over to Red Mountain area for a quick visit to some wineries. We were so impressed with most of the wine offered - really fantastic & locally grown too.

   - Stops - 

1) Terra Blanca - stellar wines, ate delicious lunch. 

2) Cooper - good reds 

3) Kiona - tasted probably 15 wines, they were rather unremarkable, and the tastings were very small. I would have rather liked 5 tastings of the good wines, than 15+ sips. 

4) Fidelitas - quick stop, great decor (wood + industrial), tasty wines.

5) Tapteil - the lady behind the counter wasn't very interactive, always spoils the mood.

6) Hightower - My favorite stop - top to bottom great wines. With about 8 tastings, we bought 4 of them!

7) Hedges - Gorgeous estate and tasting room, i highly suggest walking around. oh, the wines were very nice too!

8) Finally, we found a fantastic dinner at Fox and Bear.

Sunday:
We started our day super early to get over to Walla Walla fairgrounds by 6am (the launch was set for 6:30). There was a little hesitation in the air as the wind was picking up, with a threat of a storm somewhere on the horizon. Luckily, it calmed down enough for 80% of the balloons to launch. It was amazing, and I highly recommend  seeing a hot air balloon rally or stampede if you get the chance.

We followed it up with a 6.5 mile trip through the fields, parks, and water in Walla Walla. I think we quoted it as a "nature-gasm." It was so beautiful!!