Spokane photos (high school, to live in, military)

[WendyK]

Went to the Lilac Armed Forces Torchlight Parade yesterday and took some pictures of the river, (which is absolutely amazing this time of year), the people and parts of the parade. There were over 200 entries including multiple military branches - active & veterans, high school bands from many parts of Washington, lighted floats, beautiful horses. The streets were crowded with thousands of parade watchers. There is a picture here of an old military vehicle that had its engine die so men jumped in and started pushing it through the streets. There was a family in front of us that had kids who held up their red, white & blue balloons every time a military parade entry marched by. You can see how many people stop in awe to watch the river rapids. It was a great day in Spokane!

[st33lcas3]

Have you taken a Gondola ride over the falls yet? It's best when the river is running strong like it is in the pics.

[WendyK]

I've only ridden the gondola once and it was a few years back...that's something I should probably do again soon while the water is running so swiftly. Thanks for the reminder!

[Deena160]

Awesome! Thanks, Wendy. What a great weather for it, too!!! :~) D

[nunusguy]

Be challenging to swim in that river wouldn't it ? Especially upstream.

[Deena160]

Not for the faint of heart...
:~) D

[st33lcas3]

Originally Posted by WendyK

I've only ridden the gondola once and it was a few years back...that's something I should probably do again soon while the water is running so swiftly. Thanks for the reminder!

OK Wendy, I saw a KHQ news report about the Falls running strong right now. I've never seen them so strong myself. If I was up there I'd take a couple of gondola rides.

It's up to you now.

Take your camera and get some shots while you in the mist please.

[chiaroscuro]

Originally Posted by WendyK

There were over 200 entries including multiple military branches - active & veterans, high school bands from many parts of Washington, lighted floats, beautiful horses. The streets were crowded with thousands of parade watchers.

Actually, the lilac parade is one of the few reasons I'm sometimes embarassed to live in Spokane. It really gives you that 'podunk' small town feel, as there are vehicles in the parade that really don't have a purpose or meaning (like a utility vehicle with a boom, who cares?). It's almost like we struggle to find enough cool floats to warant an actual parade, so anything goes. A float about surfing, and yet we are pretty far from any ocean?

I like Bloomsday and Hoopfest, I think they are fairly professional setups that represent Spokane well. The Lilac Parade is something entirely different, it's rather cringe-worthy. We are the second largest city in Washington, we should have something just a teensy bit more cohesive than "Well, just round up every unique vehicle in spokane and drive it down the street!"

And really, who wants to watch Elk lodge members cruise by in a van. A few of the floats are mildly interesting, but the only reason to actually go to the lilac parade is just to hang out downtown with people. I'll save my days off for hoopfest and the fourth of July

[WendyK]

Okay, St33l - since I had the day off, my daughter and I went downtown to ride on the gondola over the falls (along with quite a few other people!). We walked over on the lower pedestrian bridge and were amazed at how wet we got from the spray! People were standing in certain spots just to get soaked - it was crazy!
We had a nice ride with some visitors from Texas and Florida. One of the ladies was out for her second ride - she said she really liked looking out at the water and scenery.
My daughter took the pictures - you can see on the last one that the gondolas were getting hit pretty well by the spray! Thanks for the advice to go for a ride.

[Deena160]

Your pics are awesome! What a ride. Wish I had time (and a good reason like having already sold my house...) to jump in the car and come on over for the experience. Oh, well, another time perhaps. :~) D