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Just outside of Spokane Washington, to the south and southwest, the

geography changes markedly.  The dry red brown scab rock

interspersed with sparse grasses and patches of pine suddenly

changes to seemingly endless rolling hills.  In the spring, these

hills are cloaked in every shade of green imaginable, looking like a

three dimensional, velvet tapestry.  This undulating landscape

stretches 75 miles south to the edge of the Snake River Canyon. 

U.S. highway 195 bisects this region from north to south.  As you

drive this asphalt roller coaster, you find groups of farm buildings

tucked into folds in the landscape, seeking protection from the

prevailing winds.  Many of these are occupied by families who can

trace their ancestry to the earliest non-indigenous settlers of this

region.

The region takes it’s name from the Palouse River, which drains an

area of some 2 million acres of Eastern Washington and Northern

Idaho.  Technically, this region encompasses more than the rolling

hills.  Locally, “the Palouse” refers to the rich agricultural

region where dry land farmers raise wheat, barley, green and dry

peas, canola and lentils.  In fact, the Palouse is known as the

lentil capital of the world and features The National Lentil

Festival in Pullman, Washington. http://www.lentilfest.com/

This month’s featured photograph, “Farming the Palouse” was taken

from the top of Steptoe Butte.  Located some 11 miles northeast of

the town of Colfax, Steptoe Butte is a cone shaped mountain of

quartz.  In the distant past, it was buried by lava flows which

later eroded away to leave this solitary mountain standing nearly

1200 feet above the surrounding hills.  From the top of the butte,

you can see for around 200 miles.  It is a perfect place to get some

perspective on the vastness of the Palouse.

Often I find that my camera is a poor match for the magnificence and

scale of what I am looking at.  Nowhere is this challenge more

pronounced than in the Palouse.  This image works for me because of

the cluster of combines in the lower right corner.  Although these

machines are mammoth up close, they appear tiny in the sea of green

velvet hills and thus offer the viewer some perspective on

humanity’s relationship to the land.

A few other images of the Palouse may be viewed at:

Other Images

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Links to some other interesting Sites

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Here are some links to sites where you can learn more about the Palouse region:

The City of Palouse http://www.palouse.com

Washington State Tourism

http://www.experiencewashington.com/PTG_RegionMain_R5.html

Other Photos of the Palouse

http://www.experiencewashington.com/Photo_Region_R5.html

http://www.strengthinperspective.com/mpcompel/mpgal16/mpgal16.html

Geography of the Palouse (very interesting)

http://www.runway.net/c/palouse/geog.htm

Physical History of the Palouse (quite technical)

http://ceed.wsu.edu/watersheds/Palouse/History/phys_history.htm

Farming the Palouse (very interesting)

http://www.runway.net/c/palouse/farm.htm

Map of the Palouse

http://www.moscowchamber.com/loopmap.htm

Steptoe Butte

http://www.parks.wa.gov/parkpage.asp?selectedpark=Steptoe%20Butte

http://www.spokaneoutdoors.com/stepbutt.htm

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Thank You.