MOSES LAKE - Gig Harbor resident Shawn Wendling drove more than three hours to Moses Lake to have Valentine's Day dinner at Moses Pointe.

But she didn't come all that way to meet a significant other, or to try one of the restaurant's featured dishes. Instead, Wendling said she drove about three and a half hours so she could finally meet soap opera star Jess Walton.

Walton plays character Jill Foster Abbot on "The Young and the Restless." Wendling said she has been a fan of the show for decades, and considers Jill her favorite character.

"I've been wanting to come out here before, during previous years," she said. "But this is the first year I've actually been able to make the drive."

Walton said she has been coming to Moses Lake for about three or four years and enjoys spending her Valentine's Day talking about the show with area residents.

Walton spent a few hours visiting diners at Moses Pointe Thursday evening.

"I love the people here in Moses Lake, they're wonderful," said Walton.

Walton said she likes coming out on Valentine's Day because it also makes for a nice getaway for her and her husband.

"We love being out here on the lake," she said. Walton said the couple also use the trip as a chance to visit with Moses Pointe General Manager Larry Pierce, a longtime friend of theirs.

Walton is working with the show's producers to bring her character back into the story line. Although Walton typically filmed scenes on a weekly basis, she said she took a leave of absence from the show about a year ago.

Walton said she spent the time moving into a new home in Sisters, Ore. and preparing for her new grandson.

While on leave, the show's new producer called Walton and asked if she could come back to California to film, she said.

"She called me and said we would love to have you come back because the fans love you," she said. "So we're trying to work all of that out."