The NW Regional 2026 Tour was another success. Thanks to Greg Linden. We had eight vintage autos with twenty-three attendees.
This year, the 2026 NW Dodge Brothers Tour was based in Kennewick, Washington. The tour visited attractions in the Tri-Cities ~ Kennewick, Pasco and Richland, plus a trip to nearby Prosser. The tour was hosted by Greg Linden on Thursday, September 10 through Saturday, September 12.
Participants in the tour included:
Howard & Irene and Warren & Karen Bergh in their 1930 Dodge DA Victoria
Wayne Burley in his 1923 Dodge Coupe
Mike & Berta French in their 1929 Graham Brothers 1 ¼ ton truck
Joe & Doreen Gomes in their 1930 Dodge Sedan
Gil, Odetta, Mike & Jerimayh Linden in their 1918 Dodge Touring
Greg Linden in his 1931 Chrysler CD8 4-Door Sedan
Jim & Sharon McClain in their 1922 Dodge Touring
Larry & Alvala Watts and Larry’s sister Bev and Husband Mike Thrasher in their 1929 Dodge Sedan
Mike & Betsy Dolphin their modern Dodge
Don Thompson in the trouble truck
The first day we traveled from Kennewick to Pasco over the cable bridge and east along the Columbia River through beautiful residential neighborhoods and parks. We then went through the Sacajawea Park Interpretive Center, which is located at the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers. The Lewis & Clark Discovery Expedition camped at that location. Heading back to Kennewick, we drove by the third largest crane in the world, owned by Lampson Crane. The crane has a 3,000-ton capacity and a 500-foot boom and is presently being refurbished to be sent to Japan for use in placing nuclear power reactors. The crane was originally constructed for the Fukushima reactor, but has been sitting for 15 years, due to the reactor being flooded by a tsunami. Returning to Kennewick and driving along the Columbia River, we stopped at the location where the “Kennewick Man” was found on the river’s edge. After lunch, we attended The Reach Museum, which documents the history of the Handford Site and surrounding area.
Day two of our tour again included driving along the Columbia River through Columbia Park, along the Yakima River over to Richland. In north Richland, we visited the USS Triton Sail Park. The USS 586 Triton Submarine is the only submarine to be constructed with two nuclear reactors. It was commissioned in 1960, 447 feet long, with a beam of 37 feet and was the first submarine to circumnavigate the earth underwater. It accomplished this feat in 60 days at an average speed of 18 knots (21 MPH). The “sail” of the vessel is above ground, and visitors are able to enter the sail and climb down a ladder to the control deck. The sail is 75 feet long and 20 feet high. After a return to motel, we attended our banquet at the Country Gentlemen and had our business meeting.
The third day was our “driver’s day” with a 35-mile trip along the Yakima River toward Prosser. While avoiding freeway driving and going through Benton City, we arrived at Benton City at 10 am and ran directly into an ongoing parade. The lady pointed to her watch, like we were late and I responded that we were on a car tour and did not know about the parade, but were wondering if we could join in? She waved us in and called ahead to the announcer & the NW Dodge Brothers Club was announced to the audience. After our fun parade, we continued to Prosser for lunch and a tour of the Prosser Historical Museum. After a quick trip to Chukar Cherries, we returned to Kennewick to end the tour.
Fun was had by all.