2014-09-18 &19-Belleview and Walla Walla, WA

On Thursday night, Andy and Marci hosted a delicious dinner at their beautiful home in Belleview and on Friday Sam, Andy, Marci, Georgia and Tom drove across the state from Belleview to Walla Walla, home of Whitman College, where Stu is a senior and star soccer player. Washington's topographical variety as we drove from the northwest of the state to the southeast corner was stunning. The far west of the state receives far more precipitation and therefore is green and lush, where the Cascade Mountains are blanketed with forests while the state's central and eastern regions are dry, almost arid. From west to east, Washington's status as an agricultural powerhouse was evident. Apple orchards, vineyards, seemingly endless wheat fields and livestock farms punctuated the state's vast open spaces, in some areas hilly, in others mountainous, in others broad and flat, drained by the mighty Columbia River and its tributaries.Washington is a leading lumber producer. Its rugged surface is rich in stands of Douglas fir, hemlock, ponderosa and white pine, spruce, larch, and cedar. The state is the biggest producer of apples, hops, pears, red raspberries, spearmint oil, and sweet cherries, and ranks high in the production of apricots, asparagus, dry edible peas, grapes, lentils, peppermint oil, and potatoes. Livestock and livestock products also make important contributions to total farm revenue. The southeast has fully emerged as one of the nations leading producers of quality wines, where vineyards and wineries have multiplied. Walla Walla, in the center of the wine producing region, is a lovely and prosperous town with numerous grand homes from the late 1800s and early 1900s. The bucolic Whitman College campus, with its mix of classic old Georgian buildings and interesting modern structures, is a gem that complements the charming old neighborhoods that surround it.