A Drive in the Rain

It's easy to do this time of year...go for a drive in the rain. If you're lucky, it will clear before you get back inside and you'll get a glimpse of a rainbow against the darkened sky. This shot was taken on a back-road in Milton-Freewater, amongst the orchards and farmhouses. I love driving in the countryside in each of the seasons for special reasons:

Spring: Everything is turning green and everything looks new.
Summer: It's much cooler among the fields, orchards and plants than it is in the city surrounded by cement, brick and asphalt!
Fall: The apples, pears, cherries, and plums are ripe and colourful on the trees.
Winter: The stark contrast of the dark, naked fingers of trees and vines against the white snow and grey skies is fun to photograph.

Davis Orchards

If you drive the back-roads of Milton-Freewater you'll pass more orchards than you can count, and it's impossible to figure out which ones belong to which orchard-owner. Davis Orchards is actually owned by the grandparents of a guy I went to elementary school with back in the day, and he actually married the love of his life here, in a clearing amidst the apple trees on a beautiful late summer evening. I pass this lovely entrance to their farm only occasionally, but I always remember that beautiful wedding when I do.

Class in the Orchard

I was driving down a country road east of Milton-Freewater when I spotted this school bus parked at the edge of an orchard. I have no idea why it's there, but it sure caught my attention!

Tour of the Back Roads 1

Welcome to the tour of the back roads! This week we're going to see what the countryside between M-F and WW/CP is like. Make sure you bring a hot drink...it's gonna be a cold drive.

When you leave Milton-Freewater and head north toward College Place and Walla Walla, there is the direct route, which takes approximately 7-10 minutes, and there is the much more interesting route, which can take half an hour to an hour or more, if you do it "right." There are plenty of back roads surrounding the cities in the WWV, and most are very fun and interesting to drive. Since I like taking photos, and my sister does, as well, we decided on Sunday to go for a drive on the back roads with our cameras. Husband drove, and we sat staring out the windows, eager for a good shot at anything, really. Because the roads were a little iffy (the snow and ice made stopping suddenly pretty much impossible), some of our shots were taken while the car was still moving. Such is the case with this photo of a typical WWV orchard in the winter. I'm not sure what these trees grow...perhaps apples, or maybe pears. I suppose this summer we will find out!