April 30 - Kennewick, Oregon to Missoula, Montana - found this seed pod in Kennewick

London Plane Tree seed pod

Inside seed pod

leaf

London Plane tree

Left Kennewick partly cloudy, windy 13 C - mile after mile of vineyards and apple orchards, as well as grasses, grains and asparagus.  land is prairie but they are irrigating it with the large irrigation sprinklers - the water is coming from?  aquafers perhaps - Lombardi poplars are used as wind breaks for the vineyards and orchards - tumbleweed and sage brush as well as prairie grasses  are seen where ever there is no irrigation - even saw someone who was irrigating his pasture for the cattle.

Driving into cool rainy weather - about 80 miles outside Spokane just grain farming - started to snow as I took these photos

Sprague Lake Washington

Getting away from prairie as we climb up hills - conifers covering hiils, 10 C and windy - sleeting a bit - down hill into Spokane which is surrounded by mountains.  Get through Spokane then into Couer D'Alene, Idaho - climbing up into mountains - 5 C - sleet now snow - mountains here are not like the Sierra Nevada - not as steep, not snow covered, quite a few small communities - mining (silver, lead and gold) and lumbering - and farms along I-90 - have seen historic buildings dating back to gold rush times and lots of old fashioned mine heads that are still in use.  3 C and snowing just outside Mullen, Idaho - snow on trees and beside road - looks like winter - can't see much for falling snow - temp dropping as we climb  0 C then at 4860 feet we hit -1 C!!!!  Going down the snow stops and the temp warms up to 3 C.  Make it to Missoula, check into hotel take a photo from window then we watch the snow clouds move in and it snows - we have accumulation - good thing all Canadians carry a snow brush in their vehicles year round :)