We traveled east on U.S. Hwy 12 this morning from Walla Walla, stopping to take photos in the historic downtowns of Waitsburg and Dayton (county seat of Columbia County). Both are farming communities located in the heart of the Palouse, a region in southeastern Washington with fertile loess soils. Loess is very fine soil with a consistency like talcum and is formed of windblown deposits. It holds moisture well, so dryland wheat can be successfully grown here despite the low precipitation.
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| Downtown Waitsburg, WA |
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| Columbia County Courthouse, Dayton, WA |
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| Loess soils about 5 miles north of Dayton, WA |
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| Garfield County Courthouse, Pomeroy, WA |
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| At Alpowa Pass summit (elev. 2785 feet). |
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| Panorama of Snake River along U.S. Hwy 12 west of Clarkston, WA |
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| Hillside C above Clarkston, WA |
We continued east as far as Lewiston, Idaho, crossing the Snake River just before entering the city. From there we turned north, staying on U.S. Hwy 95 all the way to Sandpoint, ID, a tourist town on the western shore of Lake Pend Oreille.
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| Marina on Lake Pend Oreille at Sandpoint, ID |
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| Sandpoint, ID |
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| City Beach at Sandpoint, ID |
That panoramic shot of the Snake River is nice!
ReplyDeleteGreat shot of the loess soil pattern, Steve!
ReplyDeleteHey, we were in Sandpointe last Thursday night. Cute town.
ReplyDelete