Welcome to the picture-perfect Palouse, my home since 1979. First-time visitors to the Palouse region describe our undulating Palouse landscapes as peaceful, tranquil, unlike any other place they’ve seen. If you would truly understand the beauty of the Palouse, you must visit the Palouse, drive its paved roads and dirt roads (some 2000 miles’ worth, and … More The Picture-Perfect Palouse
During the strange spring and summer of 2020, dominated by the novel coronavirus pandemic and the ensuing economic and social chaos, photography has provided a wonderful way to escape temporarily, the oppression of the times. Here in the Palouse, photographers are blessed with endless opportunities to observe and capture the beauty that surrounds us. For … More The Strange Spring and Summer of 2020
The month of June begins a period of dramatic transition in the appearance of the Palouse landscape, that will continue until harvest time in August. The winter wheat that was planted in the fall, enrobing our rolling hills in shades of Kelly green throughout the winter and spring, is flowering in pale yellow hues; next … More June Colors in Palouse Country
At around this time 24 years ago, our local radio stations were putting together the tenth annual Summer Survival Guide, our summertime compendium of regional attractions, recreational opportunities, local folks’ recipes, a daily calendar of events, and other resources. For this particular year’s edition, I’d invited the talented Tri-Cities-based photographer, John Clement, whose work I … More (A Blast from the Past) Tips, Techniques, and Trips from Palouse Photographer John Clement
They dot our Palouse landscape, colorful ornaments set in relief against a backdrop of green, brown, and blond, identifying the farms to which they belong. Some stand as ancient witnesses to the first Palouse settlers, whose horse-drawn plows were the first to break up the fertile ground surrounding their new homesteads. Others, maintained and preserved … More Barns of the Palouse
Crop dusters. It’s always a treat to see these aerial artists at work, especially up close. Another good reason to carry your camera whenever you’re driving through the Palouse in springtime.
The Palouse is a photographer’s paradise. Each year thousands of amateur and professional photographers visit our region to capture its beauty through their lenses. On nearly everyone’s short list is a drive to the top of iconic Steptoe Butte. It’s not uncommon to see numerous vehicles pulled over at various vantage points on the way up, … More Photographing the Palouse
“CAUTION: PRIMITIVE ROAD” When you see one of these warning signs in your travels through the Palouse, better take that “Caution” seriously. The road will look something like the ones pictured above and below: dry Palouse clay dirt, often rutted and not infrequently littered with chunks of basalt large enough to tear up the bottom of … More Driving the Back Roads of Whitman County
The Palouse is so naturally photogenic, anyone with a camera can capture many beautiful landscapes, rustic barns, old homesteads, funky old trucks, and picture-perfect postcard scenes with relative ease. A drive down any of its backroads affords endless opportunities for stopping and shooting. But the fact is, photographers love tinkering with their images. Some are … More Photoshopping the Palouse
Palouse farmers are stewards of some of the richest farmlands on earth. Despite nearly a century of soil loss due to the erosion and runoff that accompanied hillside farming, resulting in the loss of some 40% of Palouse topsoil, Palouse farms are still some of the most productive in the world. Palouse farmers embracing conservation … More Palouse Farmlands and Farmers
The U.S. Forest Service calls the St. Joe River in North Idaho “…a special place. Its lower reaches at an altitude of 2,128 feet make it the highest navigable river in the world. On this working river, tug boats pull rafts or ‘brailes’ of logs to lumber mills in St. Maries and Coeur d’Alene. The tugs are … More One Fine Morning on the St. Joe
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