I grew up on the west side of Washington State, so I think of our state as being green and wet, ringed with mountains, snug up against the Pacific Ocean.
But once you cross the mountains, things are different. The mountains on the east side aren’t as steep, and the forests of cedars and Douglas firs have been replaced by stands of ponderosa pines. Before long, most of the trees are deciduous and they’re hugging the rivers.
By the time you hit Ellensburg, you know you’re on the dry eastern side of Washington State in the land of deserts and irrigated fields.
This past Holy Week I took a break from writing. My youngest daughter, R, had flown in from Maryland, and I wanted to spend time with her and with T (daughter #2), who lives in Eastern Washington.
R likes to drive, so on our four-hour trip from Seattle to T’s house, I could sit back and enjoy the scenery. Driving through Eastern Washington, you can’t fail to appreciate the importance of water. There are huge fields green with alfalfa, whole hillsides pink with cherry blossoms, vineyards and apple orchards and fields of hops preparing to bud. All of it dependent on irrigation.
When the irrigation stops, all you see is sagebrush and dry grass and tumbleweeds.
Okay. I’m exaggerating. You also see rolling hills, canyons, fascinating rock formations, and rivers: the Snake, the Yakima, the mighty Columbia, among others. And also the Palouse, which we figured was worth a day trip.
Palouse Falls State Park has some spectacular scenery but not many visitors. It provides picnic tables, hiking trails, and a great subject for photography. My daughters and I took advantage of all three.
Trails above the falls:
Top of the falls and a rock formation that looks like some kind of magical castle:
Looking down the canyon:
More trails and picture taking:
Cute wispy bushes:
Have you taken any road trips lately?
Wonderfully atmospheric photos, Nicki and I love the sound of the roundtrip with your daughters! I felt a sense of vertigo looking down the canyon! 😀
Looking down the canyon, I didn’t feel a sense of vertigo, but I did stay away from the edge. A couple of days ago, I read a sad newspaper article. Three men decided to go swimming at the bottom of the falls. I don’t know what possessed them. The water, recently melted mountain snow, must have pounded down on them with a terrific force. Two of them got out alive. The body of the third man hasn’t yet been found.
Oh god, that is terrible…I think those two men who managed to get out alive are incredibly lucky. The ferocity of such waterfalls is indescribable and we visit a huge waterfall just into Norway … in summer a calm cascade, in Spring, deafening with the magnitude of water, some still frozen.
In modern times, we rightly celebrate nature and adventurousness. But some people, accustomed to city life, don’t realize how dangerous the natural environment can be. Every year in the summertime we have a tragic number of drownings and other accidents in rivers, lakes, and the ocean. It’s hard to believe anyone would try to swim under such a large pounding waterfall as this in springtime. I’m sorry this adventure had such a tragic outcome for one man.
When my family and I lived in the SF Bay area, we drove our daughter to the college of her choice: Gonzaga Univ in Spokane WA. It was a looonnnngg drive, and we didn’t get to stop at any neat hiking places like you show here. But the terrain surprised us. Eastern WA is unknown by so many. Thanks for taking me on this terrific trip with you and your daughters.
I adore your lovely phrase, “snug up against the Pacific Ocean.” No other words, strung together quite so beautifully, captures the eloquence of nature. And suddenly, the travel bug you so lovingly describe, starts nipping at my heels.
Thanks, Gretchen. Now that the weather is starting to get better, the trees are greening and the flowers blooming, it’s a good time to get the travel bug.
These family breaks are so great, right, Nicki? And I agree with you on the diversity of a state. Yours is quite gorgeous, I must say. Glad you enjoyed natural beauty and family time. The best,
It would be nice to have my kids live closer, but I really can’t complain. Despite the distances, we do spend quite a bit of time together. And visiting them, gives me an excuse to see other parts of the country.
Thanks for the tour, Nicki. I’ve been on the Washington coast, but never on the eastern side of the state. It is totally different from what I thought it would be. The canyon and the falls look lovely.
It isn’t the prettiest time of year with spring just getting started. The fields and orchards and vineyards are beautiful in the late summer and fall. It’s definitely different than the scenery on the coast.
Wow. I had no idea that Washington had those “grand canyon-looking” places! I love the differences or geographical diversity in Oregon so I’d imagine Washington has the same or a similar make up.Love US road trips. Miss them dearly!
Our car culture is extravagant, but it is so much fun to just get in the car and just drive somewhere. I hate driving in a busy city, fighting the traffic, and hunting for a parking place. But there are so many wonderful, out-of-the way places that can be reached on an easy road trip.
Great place for a hike.
Glad you got to visit with R & T.
Our last road trip was in January ~ through the Everglades and up Route A1A.
It’s unlikely that any of us will see the whole country in any detail, but we can share our road trips with each other. I’ve never been to the Everglades, but I do remember the gators that showed up on your blog.
I love all the photos Nicki. As many times as I’ve driven over the mountains to the eastern side of our state, I’m always struck by the change in landscape. It’s Amazing! Thanks for the visual reminder.
It’s a long drive to visit my daughter, so there are many beautiful and interesting spots I just drive past in a blur. Some time I’d like to walk through the orchards and take some pictures. Coming back this time, I saw whole hillsides pink with blossoms. They were too far away to see clearly, but I assume they were cherry blossoms.
It looked like every bit the scenic road trip, Nicki. Lovely that most of the rolling fields were green and nice. So true water is important but it’s not something we stop and think about until it’s gone. These are some lovely photos, and the waterfall and canyons look majestic. I haven’t taken that many road trips of late. The last one I did was last year to the rural towns of Australia. The scenery always changes faster than you think, even in the space of an hour. These days too many things keeping me occupied to take flight but there will be a right time, I know it 🙂
I’m betting Australians know all about wet and dry places. Do you have much irrigation in Australia? The big turning point for Eastern Washington was the building of the Grand Coulee Dam. It was constructed between 1933 and 1942 and provided a lot of hydroelectric power and irrigation for much of the dry land east of the mountains.
There’s a time to work and a time to play. Your time to wander around and see the sights will come some day.
We have abundance of rural land in Australia, a lot of which are not tended too. There are a number of farms around each state, but I do think we aren’t leading the way in irrigation. From what I’ve heard, I think parts of Asia do it so much better than us (think the abundance of rice plantations over there).
I do hope at some point I get to wander around. Given the way things are going in my life right now, definitely not the right time at all.
Spectacular scenery. Our road trips are mostly gentle rambles around our New Forest
Judging by your gentle rambles, I guess that England has a beautiful, colorful, and varied landscape.
It does really, I think, Nicki.
It reminds me of Utah and that part of the country. There is beauty in everything.
One of the fascinating things about Eastern Washington is its geology. It’s right out there in the open with no forests to hide it. Much of the landscape was formed by catastrophic ice age floods when ice dams on Lake Missoula melted or broke through.
So nice to see this post, Nicki. I haven’t been on any road trips since Christmas. But I’m glad you took us along on your trip. I learned something about Washington State today! Such beautiful scenery!
I wouldn’t have known nearly as much about the eastern side of our state if my daughter hadn’t moved there. It’s fun to see new sights without having to take a plane or fight traffic and crowds.
Family responsibilities keep me close to home these days, but your post was a nice escape. Beautiful photos, Nicki.
I’m glad you liked the photos, Jill. It’s an unusual and interesting spot that doesn’t get many visitors.