Day 129

Power grid

August 2nd, 2010


Day 129



Day 130

The start of a hazy day

August 3rd, 2010


Day 130

There go my dinner plans

August 3rd, 2010


Day 130

A swampy section

August 3rd, 2010


Day 130

Treflection

August 3rd, 2010


Day 130

Muddy meese

August 3rd, 2010



I saw them (the moose) chowing down out in the swamp, too far away for a picture.

Day 131

Morning has broken

August 4th, 2010


Day 131

A non-trail bridge

August 4th, 2010


Day 131

Mantis

August 4th, 2010


Day 131

Down in the cut

August 4th, 2010


Day 131



Day 131

Boat garages

August 4th, 2010



You can see the bridge from the previous picture in the background.



Day 131

My campsite companion

August 4th, 2010



This friendly fellow hung out with me while I was setting up camp on a farm tonight. This was the closest I could get to a still photo.

Day 132

Warshington

August 5th, 2010



I'm in a state that touches the Pacific!

Day 132

Grocery store mural

August 5th, 2010



Tekoa, WA

Day 132

Downtown Tekoa

August 5th, 2010


Day 132

Oh, come on!

August 5th, 2010


Day 132

One field of many

August 5th, 2010


Day 132

Big frickin’ weeds

August 5th, 2010


Day 132




Oakesdale, WA

Day 133

Save the Crow Road!

August 6th, 2010



Without it, I would have had to walk 0.2 extra miles!



Day 133

A whole new world

August 6th, 2010


Day 133

Judy and Gretchen

August 6th, 2010



Out doing a rare-plant survey to help evaluate the environmental impact of new wind turbines, they stopped to say hi and offer me some refreshments, including "cold water" and "hot grapes".





Day 133

WHEEEEEEEEAT

August 6th, 2010


Day 133




When I told Jed what I was doing and why I'd stopped at his house, he went straight to the backyard and fired up the grill, and I spent the rest of a really nice night (no mosquitoes!) with this very friendly family.

From left to right: Jared, Trish, Jed, Maggie, Sara, Kinsey, Rob

Day 133

Except this one

August 6th, 2010



And that other one visible in the background.

Day 133




Word of my trip had spread to the folks at the local grain elevator, and they invited me in for a visit as I passed through Endicott. It's harvest time out here, so farmers were hauling in truckload after truckload of wheat. Special thanks to Val (and her boss, Alex) for lunch and groceries!

From left to right: Janette, Becki, Shauna, Val, Caleb, Missy

Day 133

Bohemian Club

August 6th, 2010


Day 133

Endicott library

August 6th, 2010


Day 133

Awesome mailbox #41

August 6th, 2010



I've seen many tractor mailboxes, but this is the first homemade one.

Day 134

More Washington hospitality

August 7th, 2010



Sally welcomed me in like family from the moment I arrived at her door. When Keith and Jordan got home from hauling wheat, we all had dinner together, which was really nice (I usually arrive after people have already eaten). And, in a bittersweet turn of events, I ended my no-shower streak at 17 days (a misleading statistic: I had a few baths in mountain streams and lakes during those 17 days).

From left to right: Sally, Keith, Jaron, Jordan




I also like the not-to-scale ruler.



Day 134

The Channeled Scablands

August 7th, 2010



More info

Day 134

Can you find BOB?

August 7th, 2010


Day 135

Bonnie and Bob

August 8th, 2010



Bonnie has a beautiful smile and flashes it often, but I somehow managed to catch her not smiling here and didn't notice until it was too late. Sorry, Bonnie! Anyway, I had a delightful evening with these two, highlighted by a perfectly sweet watermelon and a freshly made berry-peach pie.

Day 135



Day 135

Center-pivot irrigation

August 8th, 2010



This is why you see circular (or semicircular, or semisemicircular) fields in aerial photos of this region.

Day 135



Day 135

A new approach

August 8th, 2010


Day 135

Another self-portrait

August 8th, 2010


Day 136



Day 136



Day 136




The blog updates this morning were courtesy of this hill's elevation above its surrounding land. While I was sitting beside the road here, a guy pulled over to talk. He said he stops at this spot if he's driving through and needs to make a phone call. He also said that Mount Rainier would be visible from here (looking in the other direction) if it weren't so hazy.

Day 136

Star Elementary

August 9th, 2010



Kindergarten through sixth grade. The gentleman mentioned in the previous post said somewhere around eight students were enrolled here last year.