Thoughts of the Past

Taken up in the hills surrounding the Walla Walla Valley, on a surprisingly blue-skied day in December.

Natural Energy

I've posted many pictures of the windmills in the Walla Walla valley; here is a nice springtime view of them, up close. These are along Highway 12 as you're heading west out of Walla Walla. There are thousands of them covering the hillsides surrounding the valley and they produce quite a bit of renewable energy. They are larger than they look; you'd need about half a dozen adults hooking arms to surround the base of one of these.

Natural Power

Another shot of the many hundreds of windmills on the hills surrounding the Walla Walla Valley. They produce quite a bit of power, and I've been told by an engineer that even though they seem from a distance to be turning at a comfortable pace, the tips of the blades of these windmills are spinning at close to the speed of sound. This is a hazard for birds, as well as not being as efficient as they could be, so the newer windmills spin at a slower rate. Each blade on these windmills is, from my estimates, over 60 feet long. Anyone from this area know the exact length?