I love crossing over the pass into central Washington. It’s rugged, rolling, open, sun-drenched, plateaued, and utterly epic. Miles and miles of grand views of apple orchards, vineyards, canyons, and geologic curiosities. The Columbia River has carved its way through the land, leaving plateaus and striated rock similar to what we see in the Southwest. The heft of this giant river is reassuring in this time of climate change, when so much feels impermanent, changeable, random.

Last week we did a quick road trip with the dogs to Winthrop and back, taking the southern route with a detour across the Columbia for more source photos. Here are a few pics from the trip.