Photographer: Stu Witmer
Summary Author: Stu Witmer
Average precipitation for Washington State is about 45 inches. The Cascade Mountains cut the state in half longitudinally leaving most of the rain to the west with well over 100 inches of the wet stuff falling along the coast every year. The mountains pull down even more and generate a notable rain shadow to the east leaving the central part of the state is left with less than 10 inches a year. Nevertheless, the dry part of the state produces most of the apples and pears in the U.S. along with tons of wheat, potatoes, hay, cherries and grapes among other crops. Fertile soil and irrigation from the Columbia River, such as the Frenchman Hills Waterway in the top photo, allow this to happen. The scrublands of the Desert Habitat Management Area, less than a mile and a half away from the Waterway, preserve the land as it was before the Columbia Basin Irrigation Project.
Photo details: Top - Camera Model: Nikon Coolpix 5700; Focal Length: 8.9mm; Aperture: f/8; Exposure Time: 1/250 sec. Inset - Same except: Focal Length: 34.7mm; Aperture: f/7.7: Software: Photoshop 7 for Windows.
