Moses Lake & Othello, Washington

The trip from Spokane to Othello was quite a surprise in that the terrain went from pretty green rolling hills, much like our home in NC, to desolate flat barren land that would make you think you were in the desert. I've never seen such a transition in terrain in such a short distance. About all we saw growing in the area was sagebrush and tumbleweeds, until getting to the area that is widely irrigated and is very fertile. This section of eastern Washington is widely known as the Columbia Valley or locally called the Columbia Basin or Plateau. This area is very dry and only receives 6 to 9 inches of rainfall annually. The region typically has a low humidity,  fertile soil and cool evening temperatures that make ideal growing conditions for many fruits and vegetables. The only missing ingredient is water which was introduced in the area in the last 60 or so years by the impoundment of the Columbia River at the Grand Coulee Dam, 70 miles to the north. The history of the Grand Coulee Dam is very interesting and intriguing and will be the subject of the next blog. The area around Moses Lake and Othello is very agriculture oriented with very large quantities of vegetables and many varieties of fruit. There are very large processing and packaging facilities here to prepare and ship the products to markets. In addition, we have seen large dairy farms with thousands of acres planted in grass, alfalfa and grains to produce feed for the livestock. There is a very large population of hispanic and migrant workers in the area.

I was told Washington has basically two totally different climates that are divided by the Sierra Mountains. The area east of the Sierra's is where we are. The area west of Seattle is the western side of the Sierra's, and is green with lots of vegetation with ample rainfall. That area will be our next destination.  

The park we are currently at is actually halfway between Moses Lake and Othello and is named Sundesert RV Park. This is a senior park with all residents or guests being required to be at least 55 years of age, which was no problem for our group of merry travelers! This park is very nice with lush green grass and beautiful willow trees. The park accepts Passport America, which is a discount RV membership group, and for $13/night is a great bargain.

Interstate 90 Between Spokane and Moses Lake. Dry barren land with no trees or vegetation.

Hard to believe that 20 miles east of this shot, the terrain was lush and green.

Large load of hay

The bales are  much larger than we're accustomed to seeing and are loaded and stacked by machines. I would estimate these bales to being the same size as a bale of cotton.

Recently mowed field. Notice the irrigation system, which are widepread throughout the area.

Processing and packaging facilities in Othello, Wa.

Noticed this McDonald's truck being loaded. I assumed it was french fries as potatoes are widespread in the area.

Storage buildings used to store potatoes and onions.

Onions were stored in these.

Beautiful Willow Trees in our park

Our site # 28

Pretty sunset at our campground.