Taking dear daughter home for Spring Break, we crossed the Vantage Bridge which spans the Columbia River and is part of I-90. This bridge was built in 1962 and is the second Vantage Bridge. The first bridge was constructed in 1927, but had to be replaced when the water level rose due to the new Wanapum Dam. It spans Kittitas and Grant Counties.
Royal City, a small town in Grant County, WA was founded in 1956 and incorporated in 1962. I stopped at the grocery store there on my way to WSU to pick up a soda and advil. The clerk was extra nice and I noticed that when he moved on to the next customer he switched to Spanish. That makes sense since per Wikipedia, the town’s population is almost 89% is Hispanic. Going through the town I found a few smaller grocery stores, a convenience store, an auto parts store, a feed store, a post office, library and other services that would support a town of slightly over 2,000 people. The town and the surrounding area is primarily agricultural including apples, cherries, peaches, timothy and alfalfa hay, melons, potatoes, onions, wine grapes, pears, mint and corn.