Home on the Range
There_is_something startlingly familiar about the Palouse in eastern Washington. It’s not the landscape (we just said goodbye to the Rockies and it’s unlike anything we have seen thus far on the road), vineyards, or wineries. Rather, it’s familiar because it reminds us of home. Everything about it – the friendliness and warmth most small towns hone, agriculture, back roads to explore, open skies fit for sunrises and sunsets, home cooked meals of meat and potatoes, and so much more – seems to remind us of North Dakota.
Between Spokane and Walla Walla, we traversed rolling stubble fields of harvested wheat on dirt and gravel roads. Rolling along, we had plenty of opportunities to pick apples from abandoned farmsteads, wave to farmers working the land, and chat with country folk after their dogs chased us down. In the small town of Diamond, WA (a town very similar in size to Starkweather), we found shelter from the rain in a family’s garage. At times, I wondered where we were and why we were climbing some of the steepest grades we have seen thus far (on a mud-tracked prairie road, too), yet I felt at home.
As we ride closer to the Oregon coast along the Columbia River in the sage brush-covered desert land of southern Washington and northern Oregon, the Palouse, a gem in the Pacific Northwest, pulls me back. It is a place I won’t soon forget.
David Berg
Bound South
Isaiah Berg
Nathan Berg
Bound South 
At times I catch myself thinking “They’re really doing this?”
So much in our lives has become “virtual,” that I find myself taken back by the actuality of what you are doing and experiencing. You’re not playing video games and killing zombies, you’re out on the roads meeting people and covering miles.
Much love to you! We pray for you every night and you’re on our church’s prayer list.
Dear Berg Brothers: You have captured the real essence of the Palouse Region with these photos. Come back next spring when the wheat and barley crops are green, and waving in the wind. It’s spectacular. Thank you for mentioning Diamond, Washington. We were more than happy to host you for the night in our garage. Take care and safe travels.
Chuck and Pam Guptill
Ah….I so appreciated the wonderful description of Eastern Washington. It, indeed, has its own beauty. Hope the headwinds abate today and you make it to Portland on time. God’s Speed. My prayers for safety. Thanks for stopping to visit with Savannah and me.
Nothing beats a Palouse sunset or Palouse people! I, too, agree with every sentiment about it reminding you of North Dakota. Great photos, so jealous.
When Mom and Marg lived here and I would visit, there was such a sense of being one with the beauty of the area………(I also have that walking in the grain fields of NoDak)……I just love that area and so appreciate your take on it. Praying for your safe trip, especially as you leave the sparser populated areas and moving into the more densely populated ……..there will be alot of “uffda” times I’m sure. People aren’t quite as considerate down here as up there……..so safe trip, and blessings all the way.
We enjoyed dinner with the Berg brothers this evening. What a treat! Thank you so much for including us in your itinerary. We have been following Bound South on line since we learned that they had visited our son’s church in Cantwell, Alaska, back in August. And to think they will be riding through Sandy, Oregon, on Monday–our hometown for almost 40 years. I want your mom to know that you are doing well and are a credit to your parents. 🙂