C’mon Get Happy
July 9, 2010 by Heather Caro
Yakima Avenue Tea at Second Street Grill. Photo by Robin Beckett
By Heather Caro
We love a girl who puts a little consideration into her martini.
That’s why, when reader Angela Wentz asked us for help finding the best outdoor happy hours in Yakima, we couldn’t turn her away. She had a serious list of criteria: great service was a must, an outdoor seating area, and, of course, good happy hour specials. Said Angela, “Everyone knows that if you can get a discount it makes the fare that much better.”
We had our work cut out for us, but to make it easier, we enlisted Angela to help. And many happy hours of research later, we developed a list of a few sunny spots we think are worthy of even more investigation.
Days of Wine and Roses
July 9, 2010 by Heather Caro
The landscaping of the Hyatt home includes small ponds and waterfalls, river rock features and wildlife statues.
By Heather Caro
Photography by Sara Gettys
Driving through the picturesque Lower Valley – perhaps on a wine tour – visitors might catch a glimpse of the towering river-stone arches and weeping sequoia trees that mark the entrance to Leland and Lynda Hyatt’s rural Zillah estate on Bonair Road.
Notes From Heather: Summertime and the living is easy.
July 9, 2010 by Heather Caro
It’s summertime in the Yakima valley and with it comes that age-old conundrum: How to cram all that the valley has to offer into just a few short months.
Between bike rides at the greenway, barbeque with the fam, camping on the weekends, lounging in the hammock, and (finally) finishing that book that’s been gathering dust– my summer agenda is filling up pretty quickly. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Neato Mojito
July 9, 2010 by Heather Caro
Photo by Gordon King
Santiago’s makes their mojito with local mint, muddles with ice and mixed with rum and lime juice. What makes theirs different, says owner Jar Arcand, is the coconut-flavored rum that’s floated on topo. “That’s our special twist,” he said.
Santiago’s Restaurant
111 E. Yakima Ave.
Yakima
(509)453-1644
Happy hour, Monday-Friday
4-6 p.m. in the lounge
Zip-It Good!
July 9, 2010 by Heather Caro
Natalie Hoyt flies through the air on a zip-line at Heritage Farms Canopy Tours.
By Heather Caro
Those who have done more stay-cation than vacation over the last couple of years may have missed the adventurous ecotourism trend of zip-lining.
Showing up everywhere from cruise ships to rain forests, zip-line tours promise an exhilarating ride without leaving a big footprint on the landscape below. But you don’t have to travel to Cancun or Hawaii to enjoy the high-altitude perspective – Heritage Farms Canopy Tours in Washougal, Wash., is just a day trip away.
Mixed Greens – 10 to Tee in the Yakima Valley
July 9, 2010 by Heather Caro
Bernice and Harold Snyder of Yakima head off to the second green at Westwood.
With nearly 300 days of sunshine in the Yakima Valley there is more than ample opportunity to get in a few days of golf. Lucky for us, we also have plenty of fabulous golf courses right here. Whether you are a casual weekend golfer or a tournament pro, there is a course to suit any skill level. So dust off your plus fours and book your tee-times, Yakima – the greens are calling.
Yakima Girl’s Picnic in the Park
July 9, 2010 by Heather Caro
Photos by Chad Bremerman
The weather has been so nice that Yakima magazine and blogger Yakima Girl (aka Jill Baer) decided to have a picnic with Jill’s family in the new performance park on Second Street in downtown Yakima. Want to have a picnic in your own backyard? Here’s where to get the goods.
Social Pages March/April 2010
July 9, 2010 by Heather Caro
Cherry Recipes We Adore
June 24, 2010 by Heather Caro
Life is just a bowl of cherries…especially when you live in the Yakima Valley! Don’t let the season pass you by without enjoying sweet (or savory) treats made from cherries straight from the tree.
Read more
Tribal and Sport Fishers Both Look Towards Spring Chinook Fishing
June 15, 2010 by Heather Caro
Tribal and Sport Fishers Both Look Towards Spring Chinook Fishing
Submitted By Bob Tuck
Yakima Fish and Wildlife Biologist
An ancient ritual will be renewed this spring near Sunnyside Dam as Yakama Tribal fishers, standing on their hand-crafted fishing platforms, sweep their dip nets through the cold waters of the Yakima River, as their ancestors have done since long before the Pyramids were built. Sensing the slightest change in currents or smallest bump through the long wooden handles, they seek an honored gift from the river for their families and longhouses; Spring Chinook salmon are back.
Meanwhile, sport anglers at Fairbanks Outfitters on West Yakima Avenue look over the latest high tech angling gear, eager to match their fishing skills against 25 pounds of silver and muscle. Spring Chinook are one of the most highly prized sport fishes in North America, and the opportunity to fish for these leaping beauties almost in the shadow of the Chinook Tower is a result of faith and hope, planning and building, compromise and accommodation, as well as the indomitable spirit of the salmon.
Salmon runs in the Yakima Basin followed the same downward spiral as runs in the Columbia River, a result of a over a century of habitat degradation, water resource development, overfishing, and other factors. By the middle of the 20th century the runs passing Valley towns were tiny remnants of their former abundance, with sockeye extinct and summer Chinook and Coho headed for the same fate. By the late 1970’s the future looked bleak for the tiny runs of spring and fall Chinook and steelhead that still fought their way to historic spawning areas. But some people refused to let these fish, that have nurtured and inspired people for thousands of years, slip into oblivion.
Restoration efforts over the last 30 years by the Yakama Nation, state and federal agencies, local governments, private entities and landowners, have borne results. Following a small test sport fishing season in 2000, in May, 2001 the fisheries co-managers (Yakama Nation, Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife) opened the first regular sport fishing season for spring Chinook in the Yakima River since 1964. Once again, a fisher living in Terrace Heights could greet the rising sun on a gravel bar downstream of the Terrace Heights Bridge, fishing vest festooned with multi-colored lures, and be at his desk in the Larson Building in time to start the workday. If he was lucky, he enjoyed the thrill of a fighting spring Chinook, rainbow sparkling in the spray of its leap, on the end of his fishing line.
Over 2,000 spring Chinook were caught in the 2001 sport season, creating increased business for locale sporting goods stores, motels, restaurants, and other businesses. Sport fishing seasons were opened in 2002, 2004, 2008, and 2009, with an average harvest of approximately 525 fish. The 2010 spring Chinook run is forecast to be approximately 16,000, which will make it the largest run since the 2001 run, when over 23,000 returned. Sport anglers are already oiling their fishing reels, while Tribal fishers fashion new hoop nets.
If you are a sport angler, stop by Fairbanks Outfitters and talk to Gary. He’ll be glad to show you the latest tackle, or discuss the best places on the river to catch one of the greatest treasures the river has to offer. Anyone, fisher or not, can visit the Cle Elum Supplementation and Research Facility near Cle Elum, where juvenile spring Chinook are reared for release into the Yakima River. In mid-September, you can view spawning wild spring Chinook in the Cle Elum River, near Ronald.
Down near Sunnyside Dam, several Tribal fishers gather up their gear and the several salmon that they have caught. These fish will be prepared for use in Longhouse ceremonies, or for family gatherings. Salmon stories will be passed down from grandparents to children, continuing an unbroken tradition that stretches back to the morning of time. And in the river, the salmon continue their own cycle of life, as they have since time immemorial.