Day 9: Portland to Spokane — Five Stops, One Stonehenge, and a Whole Lot of Goosebumps

2026 Rally4Vets America Grand Tour

Some days you drive to get somewhere. Other days, the drive is somewhere. Today was emphatically the second kind. We headed east out of Portland toward Spokane and turned a travel day into a five-stop history bonanza across two states.  And every single one was a knockout. Buckle up, this is a big one.

Stop 1: An American Stonehenge (No, Really)

First up, perched on a bluff over the Columbia River, we found a full-size replica of Stonehenge. In Washington. We did a double-take, too.

But here’s the part that stopped us cold: this isn’t a roadside gimmick. The Maryhill Stonehenge is the first World War I memorial in the entire United States, dedicated on July 4, 1918, while the war was still raging, to the soldiers of Klickitat County who gave their lives. It was built by a Quaker road-builder named Sam Hill, who’d been told (incorrectly, as it turns out) that the original Stonehenge was a site of human sacrifice. He decided to build his own as a hard-edged statement: that young men were still being sacrificed to the “incredible folly” of war. Fourteen names from one rural county are carved into those concrete pillars. A peace monument disguised as a wonder of the ancient world. We’ve seen a lot on this trip. We hadn’t seen anything like this.

Stop 2: The Pendleton Air Museum

Next, we rolled into Pendleton, Oregon, and stepped into a military museum that punches way above its weight. Walls full of WWII aircraft art, uniforms, models hanging from the rafters, a Doolittle Raiders tribute, and display cases of artifacts. The kind of place lovingly built by people who refuse to let the stories fade. We could’ve spent all day. (We bought our first batch of  Operator Coffee (veteran-owned) while we were at it.

The Doolittle Raiders, who bombed Tokyo on April 18, 1942, during the early days of WWII, were initially stationed at Pendleton Airfield.  Read about this mission at the following link: Doolittle Raid  If you’re ever passing through Pendleton, do not skip this one.

Stop 3: A Gold Star Families Memorial in Walla Walla

Then we crossed into Walla Walla to stand at a Gold Star Families Memorial Monument — a tribute to the families and relatives who sacrificed a loved one for our freedom. This is the part of the cost that doesn’t get talked about enough: behind every fallen service member is a family that carries that loss for the rest of their lives. The Gold Star monument exists to ensure that sacrifice is recognized. We stood there quietly for a while. Some stops are for grinning. This one was for remembering.

Stop 4: Palouse Falls Drops the Mic

And then Washington decided to show off. Palouse Falls roars nearly 200 feet straight down into a canyon carved by Ice Age floods, throwing up a rainbow in the mist like it was doing it on purpose. It’s the official state waterfall of Washington, and standing at the overlook with that rainbow arcing across the gorge, we just about lost it. Nature, undefeated. We have now seen a lot of waterfalls on this trip, and this one still made us whoop out loud.

Stop 5: Steptoe Butte and the Whole Wide Palouse

We capped the day climbing Steptoe Butte, a quartzite knob that pokes up 1,000 feet above the rolling Palouse farmland and gives a 360-degree view that goes practically forever; green and gold wheat fields rolling away like a rumpled quilt, one bright yellow canola field glowing in the middle of it all.

And there’s a quiet American story up there, too: a man named Virgil McCroskey, a pharmacist, spent years working to preserve this land and, in 1946, donated 120 acres “for the enjoyment of all people forever and ever.” We keep meeting these folks on this trip, the ones who decided the best thing they had should belong to everybody. We never get tired of it.

Snack Attack

Honestly? With five stops and two states on the schedule, today’s Snack Attack happened at the Stonehenge memorial. It was a tough choice, but the outcome was  . . . pretty tasty.  Check out our videos for the day’s winner!

Pulling into Spokane

We rolled into Spokane tired, happy, and a little awestruck. Five stops, every one a must-see, all of them circling the same truth that keeps finding us on this trip: this country was built and defended by people who gave more than we can ever repay.  We are humbled and grateful to spend our days driving from one reminder to the next.

Thanks to the team at the Spokane Valley Chipotle,

What an amazing day. America, you keep showing off, and we are here for every mile of it.

Thank You, America

This is my fifth time driving across the US and I’m always amazed and inspired by the people I meet and the history of our country.  We can only imagine what we will accomplish in the next 250 years.  I’m honored to be part of America’s history.

The Rally4Vets 2026 America Grand Tour isn’t a road trip. It’s a moving act of remembrance; a celebration of the country and the people who created it.