To and From

Here are some pictures on my way to and from Kahlotus:













Farm

Star School--the only one-room schoolhouse left in Washington State











Lower Monumental Dam--Snake River. 810 Megawatts. Completion of the dam flooded the Marmes Rockshelter, which at the time had the oldest known human remains in the United States (about 10,000 years old).

Kahlotus

Kahlotus is a very small town (pop. 214 at the 2000 Census) located in Franklin County, Washington. According to Wikepedia, Kahlotus is an Indian word for "hole in the ground." I, however, am doubtful. I think this is an example of someone getting into Wikepedia and changing things for a joke.

Kahlotus has seen more populous times--when I was in high school, more than 30 years ago, its population was 365. One for every day of the year, as my high school history teacher used to joke. When I was a sophomore, I was the equipment manager for the freshman basketball team. We traveled to Kahlotus for a game, and I swear all 365 people were in attendance, crammed into their tiny gym. Kahlotus won by four points. It was our only loss of the year. Our coach (the same one who made the lame joke about the population) got kicked out with four seconds left, protesting something I can't even remember.
Sometime in the late 70's the town spruced itself up by putting up frontier town-like facades on all the main street buildings. 30+ years later, the facades are still there but could use some more sprucing. Hopefully better times will return; it's really kind of a pleasant, if isolated, place for a little town.

Memorial Day 2009

This is the Henri Chapelle cemetery in Belgium. There are 7992 American soldiers buried here. As Memorial Day winds down, don't forget what the holiday is for.

It's been a while since I've been able to get out and take pictures. My apologies to the four people who've actually read this blog and who, I am sure, have been anxiously checking at least every other day for new and exciting posts.

Today I had some spare time, and the weather was awfully nice, so I headed off to the little town of Benton City. It's actually a bit larger (2624 at the last census) than what I originally intended this blog to cover, but it's nearby and hey, I haven't exactly been prolific with posts. Benton City sits along the Yakima River, and the low-lying areas flood every year about this time. I had a pretty decent hamburger and fries at Wolfie's Drive-In. Stop by next time you are in town.

The bridge into Benton City, off of I-82. Wikipedia claims this bridge is on the National Register of Historic Places. I'm not sure why; it's not a particularly interesting bridge design.

Main Street

Benton City Cemetery. Nobody living within city limits can be buried here.

Whitstran is an unincorporated wide spot in the road about 25 miles away from Benton City, and accessible only by a somewhat windy two-lane road. There is no access to the interstate which probably is why I've never been there although I have lived within 50 miles of it all my life. The town consists of a few houses, an elementary school, a grocery store, an abandoned gas station (I should have taken a picture of that, sorry), and some agricultural buildings.

I bought a Coke and a candy bar here.

Grain elevator in Whitstran.