Nature is painting for us, day after day, pictures of infinite beauty.

On this day — April 22, 2020 — we celebrate 50 years of Earth Day.

And the tempo with which we interact with Mother Earth speaks to our own sense of how we like to interface with the earth as we know it. Some love a fast pace — cycling though byways, hiking national parks, zip lining through forests and preserves. But earth at a slower pace appeals to many as a time to take long walks, look more closely at a leaf, or drive through sparsely populated areas appreciating the landscape.

From 2015- 2017, I worked full time providing professional development for schools in various parts of the U. S. One day, after working with a group of teachers in Lewiston, Idaho, and mentioning that I love to travel, one of the participants approached me with a recommendation I’ll never forget: “Before you fly home, you should drive through the Palouse. It’s a region known for producing wheat, canola, lentils, mustard and other grains — one of the largest in the U. S. You’ll be out there, almost alone, driving through some of the prettiest country anywhere.”

So, I took that teacher’s advice and drove through the Palouse in the area around Moscow, Idaho, but also through parts that stretched into Washington. And not just once did I make that drive — but every time I visited the region. I felt it the first time: the fast pace of working with teachers during the day eased considerably as I drove through acres of farmland dotted with occasional barns and houses and harvesting machines. I looked more intently at the landscape. I felt content as I drove. And I was happy to be alone with this beauty.

Occasionally I would pull off the highway onto a farmer’s access road to take pictures of men operating combines or the movement of wheat as the wind blew through the fields or barns with tin roofs glinting in afternoon sun. The slower tempo renewed my love of the earth in its plainest, simplest forms.

With its vast undulating landscape, the Palouse offered me a reprieve from the rush of work days and a chance to recapture the calm that comes with being at one with the earth. I’m eternally grateful to that teacher who took the time to tell me about his world, the world of the Palouse.

Happy Earth Day 2020!

Rusha Sams

This post is one of a series of one-word prompts for April 2020 called Discover Prompts by WordPress. Enjoy!

Stillness along the Lewis 7 Clark Trail.

But on this day in 2013, we stopped along the Lewis and Clark Trail, Highway 12, for a brief moment . . . just to take in the quiet.  Stillness can be golden.

For more photos on Ailsa’s Travel theme: Stillness from her blog Where’s My Backpack, click here.

Vast wheat fields in the Palouse.

A lone green-roofed barn dots the landscape of the Palouse.

A menacing sky adds drama to the fields of the Palouse.

For more landscapes, be sure to check out this week’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Landscape.  

For more entries in the WordPress Weekly Photo Challenge: Angular, click here.

Shadows formed by clouds overhead and the direction of the sunset creep slowly across The Palouse.

The newness of a wind farm on The Palouse contrasts with an aging, long-standing structure.

Shadows reach forth changing colors on green fields, but a new yellow field of canola forms a contrast all its own.

Backlighting from a puffy-clouded sky casts a dark shadow on the landscape in the foreground.

For more entries in this week’s Weekly Photo Challenge: Contrasts, click here.

For more posts on the Inland Northwest in all its beauty, check out our page at the top of this blog:  Inland Northwest.

Pastoral setting on the Palouse

So, it was with delight that we picked up a brochure from the Pullman Chamber of Commerce in Pullman, Washington, entitled Photographing the Palouse. ( See it online here.) Four photographers — noted for their love of the Palouse and their unique styles — contributed tips for maximizing anyone’s photographic adventure.  Many of the tips, however, can be adapted for use in other situations where landscape is the subject matter. (Note: Verifying websites listed in the brochure proved unsuccessful.  Only the one listed for Alison Meyer is still available.)

Here are some of our favorite “best ideas” from Photographing the Palouse.

Photography Tips:

1.  From Alan Caddey: teacher, workshop presenter, judge, and internationally renown photographer

Keep the horizon line in the upper or lower one-third of the photograph.  If the line is in the middle, your photo will look chopped in half.  So, either go with two-thirds sky or two-thirds land.

2.  From Kevin Nibur:  photojournalist with Moscow-Pullman Daily News and The Spokesman-Review; transplant from California

Although May and June may be the months with the most dramatic light, the weather can be problematic, especially if you’re on a tight photographic schedule.  Best seasons at the Palouse:  late spring and early summer.  But winter after fields are powdered with snow can also provide a prime opportunity for picture-taking.

Early morning light casts shadows on the Palouse in Moscow, Idaho

3. From Alison Meyer: professional photographer in North Idaho with prints displayed in public and private collections around the world. http://www.alisonmeyerphotography.com

Consider taking several pictures of the same landscape but change the camera’s lens and/or perspective.  In one picture, you can focus on a close-up shot with the landscape in the background.  In another, a long lens of 100 mm or more can offer a more “painterly, abstract” image from a greater distance. (Great example from her website here.)

A barn with white fencing in foreground invites interesting angles and lens changes

4.  From Alan Caddey:

Minimize the number of main subjects.  By decluttering the picture, you allow the eye to focus.  Also, think in terms of “odd” numbers — 1, 3, 5 rather than “even” numbers, especially of subjects that are similar in size and shape causing the eye to struggle to “find a place to rest.”

5.  Capture the magic light.  Almost all favored early morning or late afternoon times to take advantage of the best light.  Recommended:  half an hour before sunrise or sunset and up to one hour after sunrise/sunset.

Location tip:

A location tip from Doug Davidson (award-winning photographer from Moscow, Idaho, whose photos have been published in calendars, magazines, and visitor’s guides) led us on a search that merited the sweetest barn picture we took:

A Palouse excursion I always enjoy is taking Highway 95 south about 5 miles from Moscow, ID and turning left onto Eid Road.  In less than a minute, you’ll experience picturesque rolling hills with a classic salt barn in a little draw.

A red salt barn just outside Moscow, Idaho

A Google search (photograph the Palouse) will turn up other sources.  We like the websites of Jack Graham and Gary Hamburg who offer tips, excursions, and photography for sale.  We purchased several photos by Alison Meyer at Artisans at the Barn in Uniontown, Washington.

May your photographs always remind you of the best wherever you travel!

For more information:

Alison Meyer Photography: http://www.alisonmeyerphotography.com/

Graham, Jack. “The complete guide to photographing the Palouse region of Eastern Washington.” Retrieved from http://jackgrahamphoto.files.wordpress.com/2013/05/the-palouse-the-complete-guide.pdf

“Photographing the Palouse”  Brochure by the Pullman Chamber of Commerce. http://www.pullmanchamber.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Photo-Brochure1.pdf

The Palouse Guy: Photography by Gary Hamburg: http://thepalouseguy.com/

To see all the posts from the Inland Northwest, be sure to click the page entitled Inland Northwest at the top of this blog.

Green rolling hills of the Palouse with a planting of yellow canola

The Palouse is almost spiritual.  You can ride for miles among the rolling hills carpeted with the greatest expanse of wheat and grains in the U. S., taking note of a horizon that seems to move fluidly toward clear blue skies of puffy clouds.  Or you may be awed with the expanse of sky — gray ceilings filled with impending storminess.

Palouse sky

Sometimes you wonder why anyone would live here with farmhouses so far apart.  We drove for miles before we sighted men on harvesters or sheep grazing behind tattered barns.  It didn’t matter.  We were drawn to the quiet and the mesmerizing flow of the topography. We crested hills only to spill into valleys of flowing farms and colorful crops — a place for solace, production, and scenic beauty like no other place in America.

Landscape of the Palouse

Located south of Spokane, Washington, the Palouse extends through eastern Washington, western Idaho, and parts of eastern Oregon with about 3,000 square miles of crops planted in swirling patterns. With questionable derivation, the name “Palouse” may have evolved from the French word pelouse meaning “lawn,” but to us, the land means so much more.  The Palouse is productive, “greening up” in the spring, pushing out grains and legumes in summer, then yielding to the harvest in its golden state.  The fields and their holdings remind us of Robert Frost’s “Nothing Gold Can Stay”: Nature’s first green is gold/ Her hardest hue to hold. And even though it was our third trip, we were seeing spring for the first time. If you ask which view we prefer — autumn harvest, winter snow, or spring green — we won’t be able to tell you.  In this odd land of silt dunes formed during the Ice Age, all seasons greet you differently but in ways you won’t forget.

Colors touch each other as curved fields offer complementary form and function.

Occasionally, a barn or abandoned building or farmhouse interrupted the landscape, and we grabbed our cameras in an effort to capture life as it is on the Palouse — sometimes vibrant, sometimes fading as time takes its toll in its own unhurried way. Spring has a newness about it as colors touch colors: the pure green of wheat, lime green of garbanzo, and brilliant yellows of canola. A symphony of new growth.

We make note of animals, too — an occasional magpie on a fence or big-horned sheep in a field or an Arabian horse carrying a solitary rider home for the night. The sighting of an Appaloosa reminds us of who was here before — Palouse Indians who lent their name to the beautiful spotted creatures we point to on the landscape.

You can see the Palouse driving I-95 between Coeur d’Alene to Moscow, Idaho, but we prefer the not-so-beaten path. We begin in Lewiston, Idaho, and drive north on Hwy. 195 through Uniontown, Colton, and Pullman. Then we head up Hwy. 27 to Palouse, west to Colfax on Hwy. 272, and north to Rosalia on 195.  Besides enjoying the coffee shops and vintage goods in the small towns, you can walk a forest path at Kamiak Butte near Palouse or take the winding road to the top of Steptoe Butte off 195 near Steptoe. No two trips are the same. Varied crop plantings and ever-changing shadows at sunrise and sunset create new pictures with each journey.

In “Natural Wonders: Singing the Praises of the Palouse,” Eric Sorensen, a Seattle Times science reporter, let Utah native and organic farmer MaryJane Butters share her thoughts on living in the Palouse, a place she’s made her own: “Landscape has a personality, it has a weight that you feel about it, and it affects your behavior even. . . The Palouse is very pastoral to me. It makes you want to have a milk cow.  It makes you want to grow food.”

Perfect spring day on the Palouse

And for us who are only passing through — it makes us want to come again.  At any season.

For more information:

Maps of the Palouse Scenic Byway: http://www.palousescenicbyway.org/maps/

Sorensen, Eric. “Natural Wonders: Singing the Praises of the Palouse.” Seattle Times. Retrieved from http://www.maryjanesfarm.org/about/articlesawards/palouse100702.asp

MaryJanesFarm website: http://www.maryjanesfarm.com/About/

For a previous post on the Palouse entitled The Palouse, Amber Waves of Grain, click here.

To see more of our posts on the Inland Northwest, click the Inland Northwest page at the top of this blog.

View from Lake Coeur d’Alene Scenic Byway

A stop at an Idaho tourist information rest area near Post Falls, Idaho, changed the course of our day. We thought we’d go into Coeur d’Alene, walk around the lake, eat at the resort, and take in the beauty of this city of blue waters.  But the lady at the tourist information center brought out a map and showed us Idaho 97, a route called the Coeur d’Alene Scenic Byway. She promised it would not only take us south toward Moscow, our destination, but would afford us spectacular views. How right she was!

Located in Idaho’s panhandle, Lake Coeur d’Alene is a glacier-formed lake spanning 25 miles with 135 miles of shoreline. Clear waters, access to beaches, and wildlife such as bald eagles and birds of prey make it a destination for many.  The curvy drive begged us to slow down and enjoy the springtime scenery — wide expanses of water, stately homes with beckoning docks, tall evergreens, full-blooming lilacs on bushes reaching roofline heights, and an occasional store like Hutton’s General Store offering travelers and locals a good sandwich and bottle of pop. Photo ops presented themselves at every turn, so we’re sharing with you what we stopped for along the way.  It’s a drive to put on your must-see list!

For more information, go to Visit Idaho at http://www.visitidaho.org/attraction/lakes-rivers/lake-coeur-dalene/

Barbacoa Grill

276 Bobwhite Ct.; www.barbacoa-boise.com

Go for the art, stay for the fabulous food, but arrive before sundown to catch the view from the windows.  Chef Enrique Martinez orchestrates dazzling cuisine in this artsy, eclectic, over-the-top gallery/dining room/museum of a restaurant. From the tableside-prepared guacamole to the sweet corn bisque to the Certified Angus Beef, you’ll think you won’t have room for the creations they call dessert, but force yourself!  It’s all good, and the evening will be way too short to take in the art (even in the bathrooms!) AND the gourmet dining experience.

Bardenay Restaurant & Distillery

610 Grove Street; www.bardenay.com

A distillery in a restaurant?  You got it!  On April 25, 2000, Bardenay’s served the first cocktail made in a U. S. restaurant with spirits distilled on site at its Historic Basque Block location — and still does!  Even the name Bardenay was a term loosely used by sailors for the word cocktail.  Watch distilling right near your table, and then sip away as you order from the creative menu with something for everyone.  Pair a chicken, beef, salmon, or shrimp satay (grilled skewer) with soup or salad, and with a Bardenay London Dry. Won’t find this dinner anywhere else.

Bar Gernika

202 S. Capitol Blvd.; www.bargernika.com

Standing on the corner of the Basque Block of downtown Boise, Bar Gernika has served authentic Basque food, wine, and desserts for almost 20 years.  In the tiny L-shaped space,  folks gather in tiny groups or power up computers or, like us, hang out at the bar and chat with the bartender. You can even watch ’em cook those legendary fries — crisp, flavorful hand-cut Idaho spuds — that you don’t want to pass up.  But then what do you do about the Basque food?  It’s what you came for.  So you order a Double Solomo Sandwich of piled-high marinated pork loin and pimientos and a side order of melt-in-your-mouth Croquetas,  (little balls of butter, chicken, onion, and milk) deep fried and golden.  And if it’s Saturday, you hope you get there before the beef tongue sells out so you can really get into that Basque thing in Boise.  Yep.  Boise.

Boise Fry Company

111 Broadway, Suite 111; www.boisefrycompany.com

We’ve written about this one, but what’s good bears repeating.  This fry place that serves burgers on the side takes Idaho’s best crops of the day, posts them on chalkboards, tells you how they’ll be prepared, and you choose.  If you want a side-order burger, they’ve got ’em:  free range, grass-fed beef or bison burgers or veggie burgers made with black beans and high protein quinoa.  Head over to the Seasoning Station for any combination of sea salts (flavored or unflavored), and then squirt some toppings like chipotle aioli or malt vinegar or seasoned sauce into little white cups and have at it.  It ain’t fancy — bar stools and shared spaces — but it is some good.  If you think a pile of fries can be a meal — and we do! — get there.  Burgers optional.

Cucina di Paolo

1504 Vista Avenue; www.cucinadipaolo.com

Look for the washer woman on Vista Avenue (Click here for more info.) as she scrub-a-dub-dubs, and you’ve found this intimate, seasonally decorated little gem of a shop owned by the gregarious and talented husband/wife team of Paul and Mary Jean Wegner.  Known for their take-out gourmet lasagnas (12 or more kinds) and chicken pot pies, the Wegners prepare on Sunday and Monday and then open for in-house dining or take-home orders Tuesday through Saturday.  Entrees and sides change daily, so check the board for what’s in, but you’ll definitely eat well on Chicken Fiori (chicken breast stuffed with proscuitto, spinach, and mozarella served over noodles) or Chipotle Meatloaf with Potatoes au Gratin or Chicken Penne Gorgonzola.  Whatever you do is really a don’t:  don’t skip dessert.  Get Paul to wax poetic on the virtues of peach pie made with hand-picked peaches from a farm in Emmett or peanut butter pie drizzled with chocolate or fresh rhubarb pie.  And that’s just shelf number one!

Goldy’s Breakfast Bistro

108 S. Capitol Blvd.; www.goldysbreakfastbistro.com

As you may have read in a previous post, finding Goldy’s was happenstance.  As we walked through snowy Boise in search of hot coffee and anything substantial one morning, we asked a well-dressed businessman where to find breakfast.  What ended up being a short recommendation (Goldy’s is the best breakfast in town!) became our morning home for three days of gluttonous start-the-day sustenance.  It’s hard to beat my first order of hash browns and basted eggs or my husband’s three-egg omelette, but when you get the chance to return, you also get to try the specials like a Cajun Omelette or the generously loaded blueberry pancakes.  Swift service, steaming mugs of coffee, and walls lined with awards from Boise Weekly make this restaurant a go-to for morning goodness.  Thanks, Randy and Wanda Martinat, for breakfasts that hold you ’til suppertime and hospitality Boise-style!

If you’ve got a favorite place to dine in Boise, Idaho, leave us a comment.  We hope to get back and try more great places to eat in the City of Trees!

For more on our travels in Idaho and Washington, check out the Page at the top of this post labeled Inland Northwest.

For more information:

Vista Washer Woman: http://ohtheplaceswesee.com/2013/12/04/weekly-photo-challenge-let-there-be-light/

Large keys like this one unlocked cell doors at Old Idaho Penitentiary

It was almost closing time at the Old Idaho Penitentiary when I arrived in Boise after working in Idaho City, but this landmark I’d seen from the Idaho Botanical Gardens next door was on my list of must-see destinations.  One of four Territorial Prisons open in the U. S. today and designated a National Historic Site, the Old Idaho Penitentiary (1870-1973), now opens its campus and buildings to visitors seven days a week.

Setting sun over Old Idaho Penitentiary

When I arrived an hour before closing time on a coldish, early-spring day, I was a lone visitor taking what became a sort of eerie self-guided tour around the campus and inside the buildings.  As I walked from place to place (looking over my shoulders, uneasy about fully exploring open cells), I found myself imagining how life inside these walls must have unfolded day after day.  And coupled with that feeling of loneliness, I also noted the impact of dwindling afternoon light on my mood as I walked among the buildings into open doorways. Slanted rays of afternoon sun formed long shadows, making me wonder what impact the lack of light — as well as the lack of freedom — had on the residents at Old Idaho Penitentiary. Take a walk with me and see for yourself.

Old Idaho Penitentiary — Outside

Old Idaho Penitentiary — Inside Rooms and Hallways

Women’s Ward — Old Idaho Penitentiary

In 1905, male inmates built the wall with its signature tornado-like brickwork on the corners around the old warden’s residence.  In 1920, according to the Walking Tour Guide, the permanent structure contained seven two-person cells, a central day room, kitchen and bathroom facilities. Was I glad I went to Old Idaho Penitentiary?  Yes.  But enjoyment may not be the operative word here.  The only other prison I’ve visited is Alcatraz, and I had the same empty feeling there as I did at Old Idaho Penitentiary.  Reading the displayed accounts of inmates and wardens helped me put real faces and names into place.  But seeing stone and iron-gated exteriors, scarcely-lit interiors, and small, tight rooms made me wonder how prisoners lived day-to-day with so little of what I take for granted.  It’s definitely a tour worth your time if you’re visiting Boise.

For more information and to check on visitation times:

Old Idaho Penitentiary State

2445 Old Penitentiary Road Boise, Idaho 83712 208.334.2844 http://history.idaho.gov/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Old-Idaho-Penitentiary/94920681668

To read more about our travels through Idaho and Washington, click on the Page at the top:  Inland Northwest.  Thanks!