Palouse Region, Southeastern Washington

We spent some time last month in the rolling hills and wheat fields of the Palouse Region of Southeastern Washington. We drove from Walla Walla on State Road 12 through Dayton, Pomeroy, to Lewiston. Then, north, up a steep grade overlooking Lewiston, on State Road 195 to Pullman, then Colfax.

She prefers and likes being the pilot driver, I am a very content passenger and occasional navigator.  She safely pilots our 2018 Ford Escape, Titanium, on a 2.5 liter engine, at 30 mpg.  We quietly rolled across the Palouse in beautiful summer warm weather and clear skies.  Brown wheat fields in four directions.  No irrigation systems visible in most cases.  

Since I was not driving that fine day, I slowly smoked a gram of potent sativa cannabis during the many hours of quiet staring out the car window and occasional map reading.  Mind tripping potent pot for road tripping trips.  I am sure that cannabis is grown in the heavily irrigated Yakima Valley, and indoors anywhere in Washington where cannabis for recreational use has been legal since 2012, and 25% of every purchase of pot is taxed.  The Palouse appears to be primarily wheat and beans, and largely not irrigated.  A primary rule is "where is the water, and how much can you use." Therefore, you could grow marihuana in the Palouse with drip irrigation methods.  

We stopped at a rest stop in the Palouse.  Stretched our legs and bodies.  Used the vault pit toilet.  We enjoyed looking at the immense fields of wheat.  I held and closely studied some wheat plants.  

Wheat food products have kept me alive for 75 years.  

"The Palouse is the most serene and pastoral of the seven wonders of Washington State. It is a region in south eastern Washington characterized by gentle rolling hills covered with wheat fields. The hills were formed over tens of thousands of years from wind blown dust and silt, called "loess", from dry regions to the south west. Seen from the summit of 3,612 foot high Steptoe Butte, they look like giant sand dunes because they were formed in much the same way. In the spring they are lush shades of green when the wheat and barley are young, and in the summer they are dry shades of brown when the crops are ready for harvest. The Palouse hills are not only a landscape unique in the world, but they are beautiful to behold, making them my favorite of the seven wonders of Washington State."

The Palouse