Harvest time always makes me think of the fields and farmers and the good earth which produces the crops which we enjoy. On our Labor Day camping trip, we drove 5 hours northeast to the Washington Palouse. [The Palouse is a region of the northwestern United States, encompassing parts of eastern Washington, northern Idaho and, in some definitions, extending south into northeast Oregon. It is a major wheat-producing agricultural area. Situated about 160 miles (250 kilometers) north of the Oregon Trail, the region experienced rapid growth in the late 19th century, for a brief time surpassing the population of the Puget Sound region of Washington.[1]
The origin of the name "Palouse" is unclear. One theory is that the name of the Palus tribe (spelled in early accounts variously Palus, Palloatpallah, Pelusha, et al.) was converted by French-Canadian fur traders to the more familiar French word pelouse, meaning "land with short and thick grass" or "lawn." Over time, the spelling changed to Palouse.[2] Another theory is that the name was in the first place a French word, describing the area which was then applied to the indigenous people inhabiting it.
Traditionally, the Palouse region was defined as the fertile hills and prairies north of the Snake River, which separated it from Walla Walla Country, and north of the Clearwater River, which separated it from the Camas Prairie, extending north along the Washington and Idaho border, south of Spokane, centered on the Palouse River. This region underwent a settlement and wheat-growing boom during the 1880s, part of a larger process of growing wheat in southeast Washington, originally pioneered in the Walla Walla Country south of the Snake River.[3]] Wikipedia
If you read that definition, you will know that we drove through glorious golden hills of wheat and rich brown earth being groomed for the next season. I wanted to celebrate the glories of fall and harvest by putting the pictures into a mosaic like some of my learned blogging friends do, but I haven’t known how to do a mosaic.
Lately, my dear husband has become interested in my blogging technique and has installed a new system which “will make every thing much easier”. So, I am trying to learn new tricks once again. Hmmm.
The purple peak in the distant deepest orange sky is Mt Hood, and the river is the mighty Columbia.
Oh, beautiful for spacious skies,
for amber waves of grain,
for purple mountains’ majesties
above the fruited plain,
America! America!
God shed his grace on thee
and crown thy good with brotherhood
from sea to shining sea.
P.S. I shall try a photo mosaic when my darling technical support person comes home from work!
After we enjoyed the Office Covered Bridge (we don't know why it is called Office Bridge), we proceeded east to the main highway north/south through central Oregon, Highway 97. On the way, we passed lots of lovely mossy trees and rode along the blue green waters of the river. The sun was shining and the leaves were beginning to turn gold and orange.
We turned onto Highway 97 and drove a short ways, enjoying the farm lands, when we came to a stop in traffic due to an accident ahead. Trucks and campers and cars were lined up as far as we could see. After sitting in the car for a while, expecting to move again momentarily, we began to wonder what was going on. People were getting out of their cars and passing what information they had; truckers advised us to turn around if we could. The highway had been closed already for 2.5 hours and the tow trucks hadn't arrived yet. [ I have since learned that 2 motorcyclists, 49 years old, were returning to Reno from visiting friends in Washington and were hit when a 69 year-old man in an oncoming SUV pulled out to pass a semi truck, killing the two motorcyclists and injuring the man's wife severely. A very sad story.]
Although it seemed counter intuitive, we turned around and headed back to the turn off to Crater Lake. It was the only other road that could get us out of there. Much of the year, the road at the north end of Crater Lake is closed due to snow, but now at the end of summer it was open and so beautiful! My husband, though long an Oregonian, had never seen Crater Lake, so it was a fulfillment of a wish for him, albeit not a timely one.
As we crested the top of the drive, suddenly we saw the remarkable blue lake beside us. It was rimmed in rock which glowed in the late afternoon sun. It appeared to be stage lighting! My husband pulled over into a viewpoint and we immediately took pictures. The wind was very cold and strong at the top!
Crater Lake was formed when the volcano Mt. Mazama blew up thousands of years ago. The 8000-9000 foot high caldera is partially filled with water, roughly 1,958 feet, making it the deepest lake in the United States. The lake reaches 5 to 6 miles across. It is known for its remarkable deep blue color, clarity, and water purity. The island in the lake is Wizard Island, a platform caused by subsequent lava eruptions. The area is now a national park.
As we left the park and the alpine trees and high winds, pellets of snow began to hit our windshield. It won't be long until winter, we thought. Not here. 
So we drove down the highway, heading southeast toward Reno once again, and connected up with Hwy 97 south of the accident, south of Chiloquin. 
The road was free of cars so we knew the highway was still closed further back. We drove on into the night, reaching Reno and our hotel at 11:30 PM. 
I still have one more ‘golden link” in my chain to share with you next time!
