The Lilac City - June 29, 2021

 Of course we arrived in Spokane at the beginning of the Historic Heat Wave. What are you gonna do?

You’re going to get up really early and do your walks before it gets too hot. So we did get up very early, and it was already really hot. The worst of both worlds. But it just kept getting hotter as the day went on, so every minute counted.

South Hill Parks

For our first walk, on June 29, we chose the South Hill Parks walk in Spokane. Because we started in the parking lot and not in the grocery store, we missed the first turn and walked about 1 km in the wrong direction before realizing it. Then 1 km back to the turn. And the sun was getting higher.

The correct turn involved crossing a very busy street at a point where there was no light or crosswalk. We entered a spectacular neighborhood full of gorgeous, but not over-the-top, houses. The streets were wide and the houses were far apart, and each house was different. I could have taken a photo of each one, but it was too hot too fuss with lots of photos. Here are just a few:

Pleasant Craftsman style house

Ken was very impressed by the workmanship that went into this Little Free Library. Many of the LFL’s here contained food and books, or just food.

Another Craftsman lovely

We headed to Manito Park, at the edge of this neighborhood. It was a 90-acre park, botanical garden, conservatory, arboretum, and more. It was designed by the Olmstead Brothers in 1913.

Duncan Gardens, in Manito Park. Conservatory in background.

After walking through the Duncan Gardens and the Rose Garden, we found the directions too difficult to follow, and we missed seeing the Japanese Garden, the Lilac Gardens, and the Mirror Pond. We later learned from a local that the Japanese Gardens were being remodeled and were closed. That was very disappointing because we love Japanese gardens and I was really looking forward to seeing this one.

On the way back to the start point we passed through another section of the South Hill neighborhood. By this time it was getting quite hot and all that mattered was getting back to the supermarket where we started. However, I couldn’t resist stopping to take a photo of this charming display in somebody’s front yard.

For the Record

Later in the day we drove out to a mall. It was brutally hot. Here is the proof:

Historic Heat Wave

Volkswalk Rating

Walk Route: B-

Points deducted for dangerous crossing of 29th Avenue at beginning

Walk Instructions: F

• Got lost at step 1 because we exited the parking lot at the corner, rather than the center. 
• Step 2 was dangerous and unacceptable. You should never be instructed to cross a busy street like 29th Avenue unless you are crossing at a traffic light or crosswalk.
• Got lost at step 8. Very vague directions. Finally found the Rose Garden. 
• Step 10, “Cross” the Rose Garden. This was totally confusing. “Cross” suggests going through something to the other the side, so we walked to the far end of the Rose Garden. We could not see the  Rose Garden on our map. The bright sunlight washed out the colors. 
• No luck at all with steps 11 and 12. We never found Nishinomiya Road. This made it impossible for us to find 13 and 14. Somehow we stumbled back onto the route at around 15.  Please provide more detailed directions for steps 10-14 so that someone who has never visited this park would be able to follow the directions.
• It is our understanding that the Japanese Gardens have been closed for over a year. A detour really should have been provided.
• Please consider providing a small, readable, labeled, inset map of the park.
• It would have been helpful to be told which side of the street to walk on in the neighborhoods. We found ourselves constantly switching sides when the sidewalk vanished or when we had to turn.
• It is always helpful to have the number of blocks between turns specified. It would have prevented our having to walk for 10 or 15 minutes past our turn in the blistering heat.
• It is always appreciated when each kilometer is indicated in the instructions, so you can gauge your progress.