Road Trip to Eastern Washington

By the time you read this blog posting, the family and I will be on the road - heading to San Jose, California for the big BlogHer 2014 conference.  Since I didn't want to leave you hanging, I thought I would post a few pictures from the road trip the family took to eastern Washington.

We went to eastern Washington because I had a workshop to present, so it was work related.  The kind of nice part was the workshop was being presented in an area the family is quite familiar with since Dawn and I were born and raised there.  So, along the way, I snapped a few photos to share with you.

Even though eastern Washington is relatively land-locked, there are two major rivers that run through the valley in which the twin towns I grew up in are located.  River boats such as this one are a common site, as tourists fill these boats and cruise along those rivers to take in the big skies and treeless hillsides.

I tried to get closer to the shoreline where the river boat was, but I ran smack into this sign.  Yes, rattle snakes are a common part in the area; however, I feel very fortunate that I only saw two in my lifetime.

Only common sight... deer.  However, deer are typically only seen during the early morning hours are at dusk.  It was around lunch time when I snapped these three having a drink from the Clearwater River.

But what eastern Washington is quickly making a name for itself from are these giant wind turbines that are scattered from Vantage to the border of Idaho.  Since central and eastern Washington get a tremendous amount of wind, these machines make good use of the natural resource as an alternative energy source.

As I mentioned earlier... Big skies.

And big bridges.  This is a railway bridge that cross the river, and it was always a marker for my sister and I that we were nearing Lion's Ferry.  That was the rest point for us when we were kids and were traveling to central Washington to visit my grandparents.

Because it really is quite open in eastern Washington, the storms are tremendous.  Big clapping thunder and plenty of lightning shows.

And many of the old markers of where homesteads existed.  This old grain house sits on land that is now farmed by a newer farm (if you count the 1950s as new).  I have no idea how old this grain house is, but I loved the look of it sitting into the hillside.

It was a great trip (and successful workshop).  Plenty of summer storms to keep the heat's edge off, while a lot of opportunities to visit old haunts and wallow in nostalgia for a while.

Hope your Tuesday is a full of adventure.  I'll be sure to keep you all posted on my adventures at BlogHer 2014.