I decided that it would be fun to add some photos of my state of Washington, from our recent road trip to Idaho.  Both ways, we drove down Highway 823, the Yakima Canyon Road, a more scenic route than the Interstate.  The hills rise on both sides of the canyon, framing the sinuous, wide, shallow Yakima River.  The fall colors were quite evident all along the canyon.

Can you see a “face” in the hills above the river?

The river is quite shallow, and looked very low for this time of year.  Our state has had a considerable drought this summer, and everything suffered from a lack of rain.

For some reason, I am fond of this particular kind of terrain, found all over the Yakima region.  On the way home, we were treated to a nice view of the extensive agriculture in the Yakima Valley.  The region has its own AVA (American Viticultural Area), and is dotted with wineries, more opening every year.  Yakima is also a major producer of the hops that flavor your beer.

The clouds almost make that hill in the distance look like a volcano!  The green carpet is orchards and vineyards.

The dark green is wine grapes.  Our farmers grown both red and white wine grapes.

There are orchards on one side of the road, and vineyards on the other.

These are new, young apple trees.  See the apples on the ground?

The Yakima area is one of our favorites, and it’s only a few hours drive from home.  We are lucky to live in a state with such a wide variety of climates and agriculture.

Finally, in Ellensburg, I saw this vacant piece of land with all sorts of visual interest. Fall colors, live and dead trees, grasses, all lend a feeling of changing seasons and stages of life.  And all the photos above, except one, were shot from the window of a moving car.