Blogs from Spokane, Washington, United States, North America - page 2

TWO GENERATIONS OF DISTINGUISHED SERVICE BROTHERS: TSG HENRY W. OLIVER US ARMY, 1941 TO 1945, INFANTRY ALEUTIAN CAMPAIGN COL GEORGE S. OLIVER US ARMY, 1942 TO 1974, INFANTRY COMBAT SERVICE IN KOREA, CIB, BRONZE STAR LTC FRANK C. OLIVER US AIR FORCE, 1942 TO 1965, AIRCRAFT COMMAND... read more

STEPTOE Steptoe Butte is located a few miles southeast of Rosalia, Washington. It is such a unique feature that it carries its own geologic definition. A steptoe is a prominence of quartzite protruding through a basalt flow. Only one such place exists on the planet. The butte is not named after that unique geologic feature though. It is named in honor of Edward Jennings Steptoe and is a place he would probably just as soon forget. Edward Steptoe graduated from West Point in the class of 1837 along with a fellow named James Gunnison. Steptoe served two tours in the Second Seminole War, and fought valiantly enough during the War with Mexico to have attained a brevet rank of lieutenant colonel. Gunnison graduated second in the class of 1837 and served in the Topographic ... read more

7th Aug ’12 Whitefish to Spokane, Washington. Another 250 miles to go in the boiling heat and we just drove and drove, eventually we got to the outskirts of the city of Spokane and the traffic on the highway made it seem like we were on a race track! Our hotel wasn’t right in the centre and we managed to negotiate the roads to find it fairly well. As our room wasn’t ready – despite it being 4.30pm we just collapsed in the lobby, drank the free drinks and waited 30 minutes until it was. Howard then decided he wanted to drive into the city to see the waterfront area. So risking life and limb we braved the one way system, dodged the cars and swerved into a car park. The riverfront park was lovely, a ... read more

Friday, late afternoon, we arrived at Staci & Martin's apartment in Spokane, Washington. We lounged around that evening chatting and catching up since we last saw each other on New Year's Day, 4 months ago. Staci & I email, chat/video chat, or text message multiples every week but seeing each other is much more fun. Martin prepared us a Mexican style dinner that was very good and then we decided to go to a local bar to watch the Lakers/Mavericks game. Us ladies were more interested in having a few beers to relax. Saturday morning the 4 of us went to YMCA Central in Spokane as Staci & Martin are members there. Ali Vincent, Biggest Loser Season 5 Winner, recently moved from Arizona to Spokane and was putting on a 30 minute Boot Camp workout. Staci ... read more

Driving through on the interstate, Spokane appears to be a sprawling mess of begrimed grain elevators. Anyone who has briefly visited will snidely say, "Well, it's certainly no Seattle." It’s true that much of Spokane isn’t pretty but there are some nice areas and it’s big enough that after four months I am still discovering hidden gems. Spokane offers all the amenities of big city but retains a nice town-like feel. It’s easy to escape the city – for example, the rural farm where I live is only 15 minutes from downtown. On the hand, Spokane’s size ensures that there are always events and interesting things to do. Aside from the daily Spokesman-Review, there are a few alternative weekly newspapers that keep locals informed with restaurant reviews, upcoming events, and area activities. There are three community ... read more