Yellowstone Trail: Seattle to Boston -- Red Brick Road Redmond, WA

    Not long ago, we were talking with one of our neighbors about the adventures we've gone on for our blog. His excitement level began to rise as the conversation continued because he hadn't heard of many of the places we had blogged about. After saying, "Thanks for the tips," he started wracking his brain to think of cool places that he's heard of in our area, but has never checked out during his 40 years of living in the Washington State.
   The destination he thought of sounded more like a myth than something that could have actually existed. "The Yellowstone Trail," he said, "I think it's out in Duvall somewhere, but I've never gone. Supposedly back in the early 1900's the road went all the way from here to Yellowstone National Park." Our eyes lit up, but with some skepticism. How could, and why would, there be a trail going from Seattle to Yellowstone Park at that point in history? We were determined to find answers, and thus began our Yellowstone Trail journey.

Map of the Yellowstone Trail, credited to the Yellowstone Trail Association

The History of the Route

    Through the wonders of the internet, we learned that the Yellowstone Trail was indeed real, and not only did it go from Seattle to Yellowstone National Park, but all the way to Boston Massachusetts. It was the first automobile road in the northern part of the United States that went from coast to coast. The trail was formed in 1913 and was active until about 1930. The Yellowstone Trail was made possible by a grassroots organization, called the Yellowstone Trail Association, which was made up a group of mid-westerners who were tired of not having good, all-weather government roads to use. Together, they pressured the government to create better roads as cars became more popular. Decision-makers came to the conclusion that having a national route that took drivers through the scenic Yellowstone National Park made the most sense. (Learn more from the active members of the Yellowstone Trail Association.)  

The one-mile authentic remnant of the Yellowstone Trail in Redmond, WA

The Yellowstone Trail Today

    We set out on a cloudy wet winter morning to the historical trail with our jackets and chocolate lab. Google Maps and Bing informed us that we were looking for Red Brick Road (196th NE Ave.) in Redmond, just off of Redmond/Fall City Rd--does Red Brick Rd. remind you of The Wizard of Oz? Yeah, it did for us too. As we came into the valley after driving through downtown Redmond, we knew we had almost arrived when we spotted an old farm house we'd seen in a photo online taken in 1975 of the trail--the same farm house still remains today.

    We chose to drive the authentic Red Brick Road first, as it's only a mile long at this point. While bumping along we imagined what it would have been like to be on this exact route in a Model T nearly 100 years ago. The road still maintains the same speed limit as it did back in 1913--25 mph, and we have to tell you, even in today's cars, on a brick road, 25 mph seems pretty fast! We enjoyed the countryside: the horses, donkeys, Great Blue Heron, miniature horses, wetlands, and farm houses. It really is scenic. The rest of the Yellowstone Trail technically still exists, but the majority of the other portions have been repaved and turned into highways and residential streets. 

The Red Brick Rd. really is quite picturesque as you drive along--that's golden grass in a nature preserve in the background

    When you arrive, breath in the country-fresh air and wrap your mind around the history. This was the only way to travel from Seattle to the East Coast nearly a century ago. 

The only identifying sign you'll find at the Yellowstone Trail landmark in Redmond

It Was Worth It
    After driving the trail, we jogged it with our dog, who decided that this was an extra-specially good idea. We enjoyed taking the Yellowstone Trail at a slower pace and thoroughly appreciating the scenery around us. When the road turned back into asphalt, we have to admit, we weren't ready for it. You just can't find brick roads around here, and certainly not with this kind of history. The Yellowstone Trail marks an important time in the development of our country's highway system and it's just outside the city. You don't always have to go far to find something new and different.

Our chocolate lab after our jog, loving the trail and loving the exercise

Things To Know:

• To find the Yellowstone Trail: Turn left off of Redmond Way (Highway 202) going toward Fall City onto NE 196 NE Ave. (or Red Brick Rd.) the trail will connect you to NE Union Hill Rd.
• There is one small historical landmark sign that you might miss if you aren't looking for it, right after the road turns into a brick road
• You can drive, ride your bike, walk, or jog on the trail
• The brick road portion of the trail is one-mile long

Bring your dog and go enjoy the historic Yellowstone Trail

Not many people know the Yellowstone Trail exists--go make it your own!

Head on out Around Puget Sound...and Beyond

Wineries & Tasting Rooms -- Desmodus Vena Winery -- Woodinville, WA

Woodinville Wines -- Desmodus Vena 

    If you haven’t heard, wine is a big deal in Woodinville.  Maybe there are some natural spirits floating down the Sammamish River that have drawn more than 100 wineries and tasting rooms to set up shop in Woodinville, Washington.  At any rate, all these wineries share the same passion for crafting superb wine. 

    In our first wine article we will be covering a small family grown winery founded by two friends, Michael and Pasha, the Desmodus Vena Winery www.desmodusvena.com.  We've known Michael for many years after taking classes at the University of Washington together.  He and Pasha have been making wine since 2004, and boy, do they work hard to bring you the best possible product. They run a small "home-grown" operation in the cellar of Micheal's family's house.  You can reserve a bottle of their finest here.

Grape Crushing
    Michael and Pasha invited us to join them for their annual fall grape crushing event and lend a hand in the first steps of wine the making process.  For anyone who hasn't done any grape crushing before, we aren't talking the take your shoes off and start stomping kind of grape crushing--there are much more efficient and cleaner ways of going about the it these days (thankfully)...

Sorting good grapes from bad ones so the best can be crushed for wine

    All of the grapes that are used in their wines come from Riverbend Vineyard in the Wahluke Slope along the Columbia River in Washington State.  After the grapes arrived we hand sorted them to remove dead grapes and leafy debris from grape bunches, leaving only the juiciest ones.
    Once grapes were sorted we delivered them by the bucketful to the stem removal and crushing machine where the grapes became a juicy mash.  This is where the wine crafters took over.

The grape crushing event happened over Halloween weekend, so Micheal is running the grape crushing machine while styling part of his vampire costume

How to Make Wine

    Next, the newly created grape mash was added to one of several fermentation tubs where it was mixed with fermentation additives and kept at specific temperatures throughout the fermentation process.

Big tubs of crushed grapes getting mixed before being allowed to ferment 

    After the initial fermentation process the wine is then syphoned out into smaller 5-gallon carboy containers where the next fermentation process can be closely monitored. 

Grape juice being fermenting in the cellar (Photo courtesy of Desmodus Vena)

    When the time comes, Michael and Pasha employ all their trade secrets and let the wine age to perfection so they can bottle their finished product.

Michael and Pasha bringing you another year's worth of amazing wine (Photo courtesy of Desmodus Vena)

We'll Be Back

    We had an incredible time participating in the future of Desmodus Vena. We ate great food, enjoyed wonderful company, and tasted their 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon--which was fabulous. We are excited to come back next year to crush more grapes, and you can too.  This is a low-key and fun event. One of the guests remarked while we were there, "There aren't many things like this these days that bring people together over a harvest-time tradition. I like that wine is still one of those things."

Desmodus Vena truly knows how to make wonderful wine (Photo courtesy of Desmodus Vena)

Things To Know

• To learn more about Desmodus Vena or subscribe to their wine club email: info@desmodusvena.com
• Once part of their wine club you will get all the updates on exciting events like their grape crushing event
• Desmodus Vena is a small home-grown company that strives for excellence. 

To reserve a bottle visit: http://desmodusvena.com

There's nothing quite like GOOD wine!

Head on out Around Puget Sound...and Beyond