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Photographing the Palouse
I've read through a lot of the reports on the Forum and also tourism sites and still a bit unsure of the best time to photograph in the Palouse. Realize "best time" is very subjective, but if I only have a week, would like to hope for the best. Seems like late May is the time when most is all green. This will probably sound dumb, but is "all green" what I want for interesting photos?
Any further suggestions of when or where to go would be greatly appreciated. Usually think of the Palouse being in Washington, but understand it extends into Idaho. Good photo ops there? Gardyloo: Tried to view your photos from an older post, but they're no longer available. Any chance you could repost them? |
Yeah, sorry, I changed my web host and a lot of the pictures got un-linked.
A week is actually plenty of time, and - just my opinion - sometime in the spring is best. Late May - some years - might be a bit late; if you could make the trip in the first half of May I think you'd probably have good photography weather. But it's also beautiful in the fall, when the green of the wheat grass is replaced by gold. But spring is the "standard" time to visit. The Palouse is a big area and depending on who's doing the describing, it can contain not only the rolling hills covered by wheat, but also a fair amount of arid rangeland in the Palouse and Snake River drainages. Is Palouse Falls itself actually in "the Palouse?" How about the Walla Walla area vineyards? Yes or no depending on who's talking. For photographers, just spending a few days driving around SE Washington - from Steptoe Butte to Palouse Falls, historic country towns like Pomeroy or Dayton - and even down to Walla Walla, or - for an absolutely stunning two days, which I'll be doing (for the first time with a decent camera) next spring - do a side trip to Joseph, Oregon in the drop-dead gorgeous Wallowa Mountains in extreme NE Oregon. Here's an imaginary road map, starting in Seattle and ending in Portland, although of course you could start and end in Spokane, Walla Walla or any town with air service. But do note this is just a sampling of the places to go; the real joy is just to wander around. https://goo.gl/maps/XMwaeMJWXnR2 Pictures: Wild Horses monument, above I-90 at Vantage - http://gardyloo.us/wp-content/upload...130409_43a.jpg Palouse Falls - http://gardyloo.us/wp-content/upload...30409_300a.jpg Views from Steptoe Butte - http://gardyloo.us/wp-content/upload...30409_207a.jpg http://gardyloo.us/wp-content/upload...30409_237a.jpg http://gardyloo.us/wp-content/upload...30409_190a.jpg http://gardyloo.us/wp-content/upload...130409_78a.jpg Roadside views - http://gardyloo.us/wp-content/upload...30409_148a.jpg http://gardyloo.us/wp-content/upload...30409_279a.jpg Wallowa Lake and Joseph (not my pictures) - http://wallowalandtrust.org/images/f...-werdinger.jpg http://josephoregon.com/images/slide...r_main_rec.jpg https://c1.staticflickr.com/2/1542/2...75e8cee2_b.jpg |
Thanks for re-posting your photos, Gardyloo. Very nice. And also for the suggested itinerary. When were your photos taken? Looks like possibly a March date on them, but it could mean something else.
We have visited WA/OR many times--2 of our favorite states, especially when we were doing longer hikes. So think we'll concentrate just on the eastern part this time and maybe get into Idaho a bit more instead of starting/ending further west. I did a tentative route. Up for lots of revision before next spring, but have to start somewhere. Probably fly in and out of Spokane>Palouse>maybe into ID>Walla Walla (only got as far east as Prosser on our wine route a few years ago) From there, maybe head into Joseph area of OR although we did love our visit to Stehekin via Chelan quite a few years ago, so that's up for discussion. Will probably have a base somewhere for 3-4 days and go out from there. Palouse? Colfax? Pullman? Or somewhere else? Someone had mentioned a B&B on a ranch that had possibilities--maybe in Union? But DH is quite allergic to horses, so don't want to set up a bad situation. Tend to like staying with locals or having own condo/cottage rather than all chain hotels. We usually find that the longer we stay in an area, the more we find to do and just love to discover local places (if we can't be hiking.) Any more suggestions appreciated. |
<i>When were your photos taken? Looks like possibly a March date on them, but it could mean something else.</i>
No the date is due to me migrating the website in March. The pictures were taken in the second week of April a couple of years ago; it was probably a week or two too early. There isn't a great deal of accommodation in the area. You can stay in Pullman or Moscow but motels there are surprisingly expensive due to the two universities (WSU and U of Idaho.) I like Dayton, which has a pretty and historic downtown area. You could also stay in Walla Walla, which has a full range of accommodation as well as being a terrific little town. |
Just read an article in the NY Times about the Wallowa Valley/Mt area and it sounds interesting. Has anyone been to Joseph?
On this trip we just plan to wanderer about 2 weeks looking for unique spots. Any suggestions for those hard to find spots that are special? |
<i>Has anyone been to Joseph?</i>
Years ago, and no camera with me. It's gorgeous. Incidentally, the farm in the photo I posted - https://c1.staticflickr.com/2/1542/2...75e8cee2_b.jpg - was owned by Walter Brennan, who lived in Joseph for a long time, and also built a comfy motel - http://www.indianlodgemotel.com/ |
I spent a long weekend in Joseph many years ago. It's a nice place - lots to do horseback riding, fishing, etc. We stayed in a lovely old log lodge right on the lake - I don't recall the name of it.
I spent a lot of years in that part of the country, as I got three degrees from Washington State University. I remember there was a Japanese photographer who moved to Pullman to do a photo series of the hills superimposed on nudes. It was lovely work. |
BRW, I always thought that the "scab lands" were dramatic scenery. Take a look at Steptoe Butte, for instance.
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What do you mean by scab lands?
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The scablands are dry channels created by the greatest of prehistoric floods, the Missoula (or Spokane) floods - see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missoula_Floods . A great swath of land, from beyond the Canadian border through Grand Coulee and all the way down to the Columbia was eroded over a short period of time (in geological terms) during the retreat of the ice at the end of the Ice Age.
Palouse Falls are an example of scabland scenery - it's much more rugged and stark than the rolling hills of the Palouse per se. There are a great many pothole lakes and low outcrops and buttes throughout the scablands. Palouse Falls area - http://gardyloo.us/wp-content/upload...30409_300a.jpg http://gardyloo.us/wp-content/upload...30409_323a.jpg http://gardyloo.us/wp-content/upload...30409_346a.jpg 50 miles or so northwest from the falls - http://gardyloo.us/wp-content/upload...30409_69Ha.jpg |
Very dramatic scenery indeed. Excited to visit.
Can we drive to Palouse Falls or is a hike required? BTW Gardyloo, especially beautiful photo of barn as well as others, too |
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Many years ago I drove through the Palouse in autumn. I gasped at the sight of the golden wheat swaying in the wind on those hills. Absolutely beautiful.
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