- 4,822
- Concord, CA
- kylehnat
When we have a warm, sunny Saturday around here, the name of the game is to get as much sun as you can, in a vain attempt to store it for the winter. People do this in many ways. A lot of folks do the "cool" thing, and head to the beach. I hate hanging around people, and our beaches suck, so I did the opposite and headed for the desert instead 
.
Two months ago, I gorged myself for the first time. I couldn't possibly show you the whole thing, because the Columbia River is 1,200 miles long. That would take a long time to drive. Fortunately, I have enough time on my hands to drive hundreds of miles to bring it to you piece-by-piece. I also haven't done one of these photo albums in Eastern Washington yet, so it was a perfect chance to do both.
The trip today was a two-and-a-half hour drive from Olympia to Vantage, which is pretty much smack-dab in the middle of the state.
To mountains yonder, noble steed!
Even in mid-July, there is still snow left on top. Al Gore forgot to mention that.
Eastern Washington is completely different than Western Washington. It's dry, it's hot, and it's beautiful. People are usually surprised when they cross the Cascades for the first time. Turns out, mountains are pretty good at sucking all the rain out of the sky.
Where'd all the trees go?
South of Vantage, on the Columbia, is Wanapum State Park and campground. People must like being out in the middle of nowhere, because the place was packed. It was stinking hot away from the water, but that's not going to stop this guy from taking some pictures. Dead batteries did, however
. I guess if you let rechargables sit for three months, they aren't going to be in tip-top shape.
A quick stop at a gas station in town for 4 AA batteries set me back $8. Joke's on them, though. I spit in the squeegee water on my way out.
Some shots from the side of the road:
I wasn't going to include the "hey, look how cool my car is!" shot this time, but I liked the fact that there was a speed limit sign in the background, so it made the final cut.
Just across the river from Vantage are two scenic views, one on each side of I-90. The one on the eastbound side takes you up a hill. High = good.
The sliver of green at the top of this hill doesn't look natural. And it's not, so the math works out on this one. Anything that's green in Eastern Washington is either 1)a road sign, or 2)constantly being watered through irrigation. Grass doesn't really like four months of 100-degree heat with no rain, so you have to give it a little help.
On the other side of I-90 is an absolute gem of a viewpoint. If you're ever driving through, you need to pull over and check it out.
Enjoy 8-megapixels of water!
You might have noticed that I like to photograph plants. There are several reasons for this. First, I have an abnormal sexual condition that....wait, nevermind. I like taking pictures of plants, because they don't move, don't have red-eye, and don't complain that you made them look fat in that one picture. They also have an incredible complexity that's worth a closer look. Fortunately, the rattlesnakes left me alone while I was crawling around on the ground.
I also like to take pictures of powerlines, but that's because I'm a dork
.
Ahhhhh...another Saturday well spent...
.Two months ago, I gorged myself for the first time. I couldn't possibly show you the whole thing, because the Columbia River is 1,200 miles long. That would take a long time to drive. Fortunately, I have enough time on my hands to drive hundreds of miles to bring it to you piece-by-piece. I also haven't done one of these photo albums in Eastern Washington yet, so it was a perfect chance to do both.
The trip today was a two-and-a-half hour drive from Olympia to Vantage, which is pretty much smack-dab in the middle of the state.
To mountains yonder, noble steed!
Even in mid-July, there is still snow left on top. Al Gore forgot to mention that.
Eastern Washington is completely different than Western Washington. It's dry, it's hot, and it's beautiful. People are usually surprised when they cross the Cascades for the first time. Turns out, mountains are pretty good at sucking all the rain out of the sky.
Where'd all the trees go?
South of Vantage, on the Columbia, is Wanapum State Park and campground. People must like being out in the middle of nowhere, because the place was packed. It was stinking hot away from the water, but that's not going to stop this guy from taking some pictures. Dead batteries did, however
. I guess if you let rechargables sit for three months, they aren't going to be in tip-top shape.
A quick stop at a gas station in town for 4 AA batteries set me back $8. Joke's on them, though. I spit in the squeegee water on my way out.
Some shots from the side of the road:
I wasn't going to include the "hey, look how cool my car is!" shot this time, but I liked the fact that there was a speed limit sign in the background, so it made the final cut
. 
Just across the river from Vantage are two scenic views, one on each side of I-90. The one on the eastbound side takes you up a hill. High = good.
The sliver of green at the top of this hill doesn't look natural. And it's not, so the math works out on this one. Anything that's green in Eastern Washington is either 1)a road sign, or 2)constantly being watered through irrigation. Grass doesn't really like four months of 100-degree heat with no rain, so you have to give it a little help.
On the other side of I-90 is an absolute gem of a viewpoint. If you're ever driving through, you need to pull over and check it out.
Enjoy 8-megapixels of water!
You might have noticed that I like to photograph plants. There are several reasons for this. First, I have an abnormal sexual condition that....wait, nevermind. I like taking pictures of plants, because they don't move, don't have red-eye, and don't complain that you made them look fat in that one picture. They also have an incredible complexity that's worth a closer look. Fortunately, the rattlesnakes left me alone while I was crawling around on the ground.
I also like to take pictures of powerlines, but that's because I'm a dork
.
Ahhhhh...another Saturday well spent...
)
. Oh well--something to do later this summer 
