Palouse, WA: Mysterious Barn

While driving in the Palouse region, we came upon this mysterious barn.  It was falling apart and had a lot of character.

Palouse, WA: Driving Around

On the road in the Palouse region, we stopped and took some photos of the wheat fields up close.  We also found some interesting machinery that caught my eye.

While driving, we decided to try taking photos of the wheat as the car was moving.  This made some interesting results:

Palouse, WA: Steptoe Butte

Continuing on our journey to Palouse, my friends and I stayed at the Siesta Motel in Colfax.  The bathroom was European-style small, with a shower, pedestal sink, and toilet, with just enough room to move.  The bedroom had a refrigerator, TV, and queen sized bed.  Not a 5-star resort, but pretty good considering it’s one of the most affordable hotels in the area.  The only sketchy part happened when we were leaving the hotel.  One of the guys forgot his cooler in his room so we returned to pick it up.  I needed to use the bathroom so I returned to my room since the motel didn’t have a public bathroom.  I noticed they had removed the towels and wash cloths I had obviously used, but left the ones they thought I hadn’t used.  Yuck.

Our photography target for the weekend was to shoot at Steptoe Butte.  Since the best photos are usually taken at sunrise and sunset, we focused on Steptoe Butte at those times.  One thing we discovered was that the wheat had almost all turned yellow and the farmers were starting to harvest it.  Ideally we would have come a couple weeks sooner, when the wheat was still changing colors.  My goal for the trip was to take some non-stereotypical photos.  I am not typically a landscape photographer, so it was tough for me to find the right

Photos from the Butte:

Pasco, WA

Three of my photography buddies and I went on a road trip to Palouse. The first stop on our trip was Pasco, WA. I was pregnant at the time of the trip, so the guys took a flight out of the Tri-Cities airport there while I explored the area around the airport on foot.

 

The area around the airport had some old abandoned buildings, which provided me with plenty of subjects.

 

I liked the symmetry of these three garage doors.

 

This is one of my favorite photos from the shoot. I love the rust on this knob.

The wood planks on this building caught my eye. I liked the graininess.

 

This looks like a photo of what the airport could have looked like many years ago.

 

These old cans were piled up behind one of the buildings

I liked the way the paint was peeling and the cobwebs had formed. You can also see a reflection of the power lines behind me.

Skagit Valley Tulip Festival

Every year I try to make it back to Skagit Valley for their tulip festival.  This year, however, I waited for good weather that never came.  By the time I made it up there, all of the tulips had been cut.  I took a few shots of the scenery before I left, and this is what I got:

Wallace Falls

Roundtrip: 5.5 miles
Elevation Gain: 1200 ft
Highest Point: 1500 ft

Some friends and I went to Wallace Falls last weekend for a short hike. The first 0.25 miles is a flat wide path which leads to the choice between a pedestrian only path and an old bike-friendly railroad trail. The website above recommends pedestrians take the pedestrian trail on the way to the falls and the railroad trail on the way back. However, it was windy and we were in a hurry to get back so we took the pedestrian trail (which is about a mile shorter).

I really enjoyed this trail. The steep parts don't last too long and there are plenty of sights (streams and waterfalls).

University of Washington Cherry Trees

Every year I try to make it down to the University of Washington to take photos of the cherry trees.  This was the first nice weather we had this year, so I decided to go downtown with a few of my friends and take some photos.  Having my friends along was fun, but I spent less time than usual taking photos and more time enjoying the scenery.  Here are a few of the shots I got.

The prime time to visit UW for cherry trees is March-April, and it probably depends a bit on when Spring starts.  Plan to get there early, because parking is tough and there tend to be many people climbing trees and taking photos.