Highland Fest and Beyond

So, this last weekend was the Highland Fest... It's a bit like Valleyfest in the Spokane Valley, but it's for our neighborhood over here. There was a 1k run that the kids did on Sunday morning, and here they are lining up:

Another shot of them as they're about to start the run:

So, as I said, the Highland Fest is quite a bit like Valleyfest, only without all of the activities for kids. Still, what's more fun than posing in front of a local weinermobile?

On the way back from the festival, we took a more scenic route, along the trail that goes next to the river. If you go down some stairs by one of the scenic overlooks, you get to the actual "Hidden Falls." Here it is, in all its glory:

Now, for the last bit - tonight, we went on a Mississippi River History Walk, courtesy of Smart Trips... They're an organization that is all about promoting alternative modes of transportation, including walking, biking, mass transit, and so forth. Every couple weeks or so, they have some sort of activity. For the one tonight, we learned some about the history of the Mississippi River in the area and other fun facts. This is a picture taken from the top of the locks, over at the Ford Dam:

Sometime I might post something just about the Ford factory and the history of all of that... From the economic aspects to the community aspects, and including the sandstone mine, it's quite interesting.

The first event with Smart Trips was a Highland Park garden walk, and that was fun... Highland Park, for those not familiar with the area, is our neighborhood, not an actual park. At any rate, they've posted some pictures from the event, and they can be found on their Facebook gallery.

The Trail (and surrounding stuff)

This is mostly a gallery post... I've been talking about the trail, but haven't actually shown anything. So, without further ado, here are some pictures I took with my cell phone (sorry about the quality) on our walk yesterday. One more thing - we found a nice non-paved trail around the side of the lake, complete with rickety bridge, caves, a small canyon, and lots of scenery. It's hard to believe it's this green, without sprinklers, in July.

I have more, too, but 5 is all that they let you put up on one post, apparently. I'm sure there will be more to come...

The question of milk

So, since we've been here, we've started going to the Farmers Market. It was ranked as one of the top 5 markets in the country, if I remember right - who knew? At any rate, it's fun to get stuff there, and try to plan meals around whatever seasonal fruits and veggies we pick up, and it's healthy and helps the local farmers, of course. We haven't found a good option for milk yet, though.

When we were in Spokane, we got our milk from Spokane Family Farms - not organic, but vat-pasteurized and non-homogenized. Very good stuff, and pretty reasonably priced for what you get ($3.33 a gallon direct from the farm when bought in threes, or $5 a gallon from Rosauers, Yokes, or Huckleberries). So far, we haven't found anything like it over here - at least, not for the same price. The closest they get for the same thing here works out to about $8 a gallon, which puts it outside the range. Sure, it comes in glass bottles, like milk used to, but that's too much.

The search continues... In a place this big, there has to be something...