Day 3: Pacific Time

Eastern Washington was by far the most desolate landscape I passed through. It was impossibly drier than any place I could imagine in America outside of the southwest. The yellow landscape rolled on for miles unbroken by any trees while dust devils sprouted and stalled all around--four or five within sight at any one moment. Eventually I passed into better irrigated fields. This picture was taken right at the border of yellow and green:

The Columbia River Basin is so dry because it lies in the rain shadow of the Cascade Range, which separates Seattle from the rest of Washington. Cutting through the high mountains is Snoqualmie Pass, which summits at over 3,000 feet above sea level. The ride down to the ocean takes only a few beautiful, steep miles of road. It was a great welcome to town to be surrounded by lifted off-road vehicles loaded down with all types of awesome outdoors gear: kayaks, float tubes for fly fishing, and mountain bikes. I'm in the right place.