Much of eastern Washington is dry. Total precipitation is as low as 6 to 7 inches in the driest parts. However, winter is not necessarily sunny in these dry areas. The bowl-like shape of the Columbia Basin traps cold air that tends to stagnate as a blanket of chilly fog. The result can be days no sun.
Over the past week the fog was spotty as I meandered about on my various ventures. The temperatures were cold enough to brighten the landscape with the fog freezing on the plants.
No distant views on this stretch of the trip
Flocked trees at Verneta
The Columbia River is warm compared to the air and adds to the fog near Priest Rapids
The fog thinned near Mattawa and the orchard/vineyard windbreak trees provided a nice winter show
The fog was limited to the lower Columbia Basin on this day and I broke free of the fog at Sentinel Gap
Much warmer and bright north of the gap at a familiar line of trees along the river downstream of the old rail bridge. I wrote a report on this tree stand a while back. The evergreens are junipers. They as well as the other river front trees have become progressively thicker since. The tree stand is not "natural", but is the result of alteration of the flow regime on the river. The big yearly floods of the past are no more and hence the riparian areas are not as dynamic as there were in the past allowing trees to become established along the river side. The development of these riparian forest zones has created new ecosystems along the Columbia River.
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