Thursday August 25, Sprague Lake, WA

Have had a great day, meandering through the roads “less travelled” in the wheat fields of the Palousse. Harvest is in full swing, with combines working everywhere and grain carrying trucks busy on the roads. And finally there are some puffy white clouds breaking up the clear blue skies!

Soon after leaving camp this morning we travelled through the new Snake River Wind Project where 150 turbines are currently being built…they will provide enough energy for over 100,000 houses.

Crossed over the Snake River again at Central Ferry where there were two large grain complexes and trucks everywhere. From here they distribute the wheat either by barge on the river or by train. As we drove the 20 miles north towards Colfax, 25 truck units passed us heading for the river. This is peak season.

And everywhere the rolling hills are yellow with wheat or the straw after harvest. Spoke to a truckie at the gas station and he suggested we drive up the Steptoe Butte, a real steep little hill in the middle of the Palousse. The road circled the butte about 3 times as we wound up to the top, the view was amazing with 360 degrees vistas, and everywhere you looked there were wheat fields, making a real patchwork golden carpet.

Met a very pleasant lady at the top of the butte from Nevada, her husband was on a week long photography workshop with 24 students based in Pullman, photographing the wheat harvest in the area. Although Sue wasn’t part of the workshop she was driving around to some of the locations they had been too. Evidently they had been here for a sunset shoot, can just imagine how magnificent it would look.

We meandered along the back roads and finally came out of the wheat growing area as we arrived in Sprague, a very small country town. Temperatures were once again in the mid 30’s. Stopped for the day at a small campground on the edge of Sprague Lake with quite a pleasant outlook.