East to Tri-Cities

The stretch of Highway 14 between Maryhill [1] and McNary Dam [2] is some of the most sparsely populated country in Washington. Dry grassy hills provide grazing land for cattle, and a few scattered old farmsteads are slowly returning to the land. The land is bisected by tall power lines marching like misshapen insects over the landscape.

There’s not much traffic here, so tune in to the Spanish-language radio station, KDNA (FM 91.9) for music. Two bucolic settlements—Roosevelt and Paterson—are the only signs of human life on this side of the Columbia.