PNW Memories

Flour Bluff, Texas

It is time to pass on some pictures from my time in Washington State. Many folks from my travels ask about the rain and gloom of living in Washington. The only part of Washington that most folks have any concept of is the Seattle area and the Olympic peninsula. On the peninsula is the HOH rain forest. When my feet took me into it, my mind did flashbacks to my time in Viet Nam. That part of the state is what most folks down this way think the whole state is like. NOPE not even close. The Pacific Northwest is varied in many ways. Tonight we will look at three spots in Washington that may change your mind about that state.

A little outside of Yakima is the Tieton River valley. In the valley it is trees and grasses and trails that are wonderful to hike. On the plateau above the valley is arid grass lands and rugged territory. Herds of elk and mountain goats (or sheep, I forget which) abound. There were several hikes done in that valley with everyone of them being very pleasant. This is one picture of the valley and a trail along the Tieton River.

On over into the volcanic area near the town of Vantage is a whole different landscape. The volcanic desert is prevalent in this area. There are loads of nooks and crannies to explore. A lifetime could be spent in this area without getting to see all the places to visit. There is lots of public land in Washington to explore. Most of it is interesting or very interesting. Surprisingly a lot of it is very wild and you are on your own when hiking. In the area of this picture there are lots of rock climbers. That is a big sport up there.
Then for another interesting area you go south to the area of Goldendale and find some very nice forests. They are not too dense and wonderful hikes can be had in that area. In the winter the snow is popular for lots of folks to go play in. Snow is not my game, but the scenery was very nice all year long. This was taken on a weekend trip to the area. It is extremely pleasant to wander around in the winter, but camping will be for others.
About ½ of Washington to the south east is very arid. As you get up toward Spokane, the forests slowly take over until they get fairly thick as you approach Canada. During my five and a half years there, lots of trips out and around to enjoy the area were taken. Everyone of them was an adventure. A regret is that OFMAdventures was not yet in existence. Most of my pictures from that time frame were sent to my few relatives and then removed from my computer to make room for more.

The PNW is a wonderful place to get out and try to have tooooo much fun. TheOFM