The Continuing Saga in Yakima

In the past, when I've visited my brother and his family in Yakima I have only stayed a few days, each time wondering, "Why the heck do they live here?" Now that I have spent some time here, the Yakima valley has grown on me. I've found so many little trail systems close to home that can be patched together to allow for hours of happy, gorgeous running. I have found a couple restaurants that serve fresh, clean food and the prices here are a quarter what I'm used to in the Bay Area. The tiny gym I joined was $15 a month! Hot yoga classes are $60 for 5 classes! There are vineyards and hop farms everywhere and a tasting at one of the small wineries doesn't cost an arm and a leg. And every single person I have encountered has been friendly, warm and open to sincere conversation. The rushed atmosphere and sense of urgency that pervades the city life is not here and I love that. The smoke from wildfires was miserable and I would never want to spend a frigid winter here but for the most part I pretty much love Yakima. And of course spending this precious time with this precious family, including the dog, the cat, the rabbit and the chinchilla, has been a gift. The weather has turned cooler, some rain has cleared most of the smoke and soon I head back to the Bay to wrap up my stint at urban life. Then it's back home to sweet, warm, fragrant Maui and daily swims in a warm, salty sea. I'll say aloha to Yakima and my family for now but in the future I'll jump at the chance to hop on a plane headed for central Washington.