did i mention

that i love washington? i captured this shot in the hills outside of yakima as i was driving back from the tri-cities, where i spent easter weekend with my parents. what you can't see in this picture is the 25mph winds that just about blew me off of the viewpoint bench i was standing on. . .my Jeep Liberty was transformed into a cardboard box as i battled the winds all the way from the tri-cities to this view point: head wind, now a side wind, whoa! now a head wind, side wind, keep it on the road, erica, head wind, side wind, watch out for that trailer up ahead, phew i am tired and i've only been on the road an hour, head wind, more head wind, more side wind. even worse, i still had snoqualmie pass ahead of me, which managed to turn nasty as i was departing this afternoon. when i pulled off as i headed in the hills towards manastash ridge, sunlight lit up the fast-approaching storm clouds as if i needed my attention brought to the storm i was driving towards. i digress. back to washington and my love for it.

i was driving from eastern washington to western washington, and as usual, was amazed by the transformation from wide open skies, spring-green rolling hills, sage brush, vineyards, orchards and livestock, to pastoral foothills, high mountain desert, and snow. lots of it. i forget that it's still winter on the pass. at sea-level seattle, the rhododendrons, dogwood, and various fruit trees are all full-bloom. but, as i descended back down the other side of the pass towards issaquah, the sun was just beginning to set, and lit the rainy mist and the trees all rosy-pink and glowing. while i regret i couldn't capture such a serendipitous moment on my camera, it will *hopefully* remain emblazoned in my memory.