Farewell Moses Lake

Hello dear readers! I hope all is well! I’m that far behind on my blogging that this post was actually drafted years ago but my blogging disappearance means it never got finished, nor posted.

The inspiration for this post was partially a realisation that I am never going back to Moses Lake! Last time out on the blog I talked about my trip to Ireland in 2021 and it was unfortunately a bit of an underwhelming trip. I just hadn’t loved Ireland and writing about it was a bit of a slog.

One of the things I ended saying in that series is that I couldn’t really see myself returning to Cork. I hadn’t loved Dublin but I think it’s more likely of the two that I will return there someday but Cork? I just can’t see it. I’d need a really good reason to return because I think I’ll be content having only visited once.

You have those destinations. Some places you absolutely see yourself returning to and even if you don’t, you have that feeling that you will at some point. Budapest is a great example, I said 11 years ago that Budapest is a city I’ll definitely go back to and it hasn’t happened yet. My parents have since fallen in love with the city and have talked about going back for a third time and as much as I joke with them about it, I get it. It’s a magical city.

On the flipside you have other destinations you don’t really see yourself returning to, like Cork, where fate might actually decide otherwise. I didn’t really see myself returning to Köln on my first visit either but have actually visited as many as four times now! I’m not opposed to returning either, more time in Köln helped me find a fondness for it.

Moses Lake though? I am not going back and that definiteness just leaves me feeling a little bit sad. It’s one thing to not know but knowing feels different. Why would I ever return? There’s no reasonable or even unreasonable explanation that will see me go back there.

Long term readers will know a little of my Moses Lake history but anyone wanting a recap, start here maybe?

To summarise: my wife is from Washington State and spent many years living in little ol’ Moses Lake. For that reason my visits to Moses Lake have been many and also memorable. I have a lot of fond memories of that little town in Washington. It felt like a bit of a second home in many ways.

However, Haleigh is not a Moses Lake native. She grew up living in Walla Walla, which I’ll write about in my next post, and went to college in Ellensburg. She has family and friends dotted all over the Pacific Northwest but Moses Lake is not such a place.

I personally have nothing tying me to the city anymore. Calling it a city is generous even, it’s tiny and has very little there to justify returning. It’s just another small town in America of which there are many. Realistically it’s not on the way to somewhere that would give us a reason to stop off there. Anywhere we’re likely to visit in Washington would mean taking an unnecessary detour to Moses Lake to pass through it and for what?

To add a little more context, my last visit to Moses Lake was my longest yet! In early 2020 I’d made the decision to go and spend some significant time living with Haleigh and I felt myself starting to plant seeds in Moses Lake and then I had the most abrupt of Covid departures which meant I didn’t even really get a proper goodbye to Moses Lake. Not that I knew at that moment in time that it’d be my last visit but the US border remained closed for so long that by the time I was able to return, Haleigh had moved back home to Walla Walla.

I think the lack of a “goodbye” to Moses Lake is bittersweet so this post is my own little way of doing that. That chapter is closed but a little piece of my heart remains in Moses Lake (“dude, you should probably go back for that!”).

So farewell Moses Lake!

Farewell to cute dates at Rock-Top, Michael’s On The Lake and Porterhouse Steakhouse. All three restaurants were favourites for different reasons and I’ve got good memories of them all, including a freezing first date at Rock Top.

Top travel tip: if you’re the only outside diners in peak dinner hours then it’s probably too cold to be dining outside! Curse those deceptively blue September skies!

Farewell to Mason’s Place coffee shop. Many an afternoon were spent here with a book, drinking tea and Heather and the team always made me feel so welcome. On that final trip I’d even unlocked “regular” status and earned myself a loyalty / rewards card to stamp each visit – typical that it happened during Covid and I didn’t get to reap the benefits of such rewards but I’ll always associate Moses Lake with Mason’s Place. In a state famed for Starbucks, this was always my go-to spot.

Farewell to Midway Pub – another favourite of mine due to its hospitality. My first and second visits were six months apart but I was remembered nonetheless. A nice perk of being an outsider in a small town. My final visit they wanted to ensure they had a beer on tap that I’d enjoy as they phased out my “usual”. I think the ownership has since changed but this was another place that I unlocked “regular” status and was treated so well on every visit.

Farewell to Moses Lake’s charming museum. Free to visit, I’d often swing by and check out the newest exhibition on display. Being a small-town museum, it was usually quiet which was an added bonus as a visitor but definitely worth a quick visit should you find yourselves in Moses Lake!

Farewell to Moses Lake’s small Japanese gardens! I was bitterly disappointed to discover these only open seasonally. It’d be nice if it was open year round but my sole visit was nice enough and is one of the few “attractions” in the city.

Farewell to the Basalt Collective and Squirrel Fight Artisan Brewing. A literal farewell. These were both discoveries on my last visit to Moses Lake but unfortunately neither appear to have survived and both are now closed. Nonetheless, I have fond memories of both and the people I met along the way.

Farewell to the bowling alley and Ten Pin Brewing Company. Bowling and good beer on site? Sign me up! I loved the pin-shaped pint glasses and we had a few fun games of bowling here too!

Farewell to Brews and Tunes! This was a solo outing but in February 2020, Moses Lake hosted its inaugural Brews and Tunes festival and I was just in awe. This was the absolute best of small-town community coming together and I left Moses Lake truly inspired. I’m still in disbelief that festival worked but it did and it really made me appreciate Peterborough more too.

It wasn’t just me either. I keep tabs on a few Moses Lake bits and pieces and discovered a new brewery has since opened downtown that I would love to have visited but the fascinating thing for me is they mentioned that inaugural Brews and Tunes as the inspiration for setting up shop in Moses Lake. How cool is that!? Anyway..

Farewell to downtown Moses Lake. It’s a small downtown area but it has its charm. With little art sculptures and murals dotted around among its local businesses, it’s a place that I’ve enjoyed many a day exploring.

Farewell to Moses Lake. The lake itself. I recall having a lakeside wander on my first visit on a nice summer’s afternoon contemplaying how lovely it’d be to hop right in. I later discovered the lake is toxic so it’s probably best that I didn’t but it’s pretty nonetheless.

Farewell to Solara Apartments. It was never a permanent home for me but a second home for sure and where myself and Haleigh had our first real taste of living together. I had good times in Moses Lake but many of them were spent here – I even proposed in that little apartment!

Farewell Moses Lake! My London roots will always make me feel at home in big cities but I still think about you a lot. Thank you for the good times!

Anyway, hopefully you found this post fun! I can’t see any scenario in which I return to Moses Lake but I still keep watch from afar. I’ve seen some favourites close but other businesses open which suggest Moses Lake continues to thrive.

Brews and Tunes has become an annual festival, more breweries have opened, Crumbl Cookies have arrived in Moses Lake and the city even has its first Indian restaurant! It’s bittersweet knowing I’m unlikely to ever visit some of these places but I still have a lot of love for Moses Lake.

Farewell old friend!

Until next time!

Jason