The Inland Empire

Spokane, Washington lies in a large valley dusted with snow. As the center of the agricultural and extraction industries of Eastern Washington, it’s a decent size city, cold as hell in the winter and hot and dry in the summer. A four to five hour drive from Seattle, the Inland Empire could (and probably should) be its own state.

The last time I was in Spokane, I was 20. I have a bit of family there and my aunt was kind enough to drop me off at the same place I came in, the edge of the freeway. I’d gotten into my head, as young men will, that the only way to see America was to hitchhike around it. Evidently she sat parked on the edge of the Interstate crying for some time.

My trip today was short. A bit of work, lunch with part of the family I’d not seen since sticking out my thumb, a tour of some homes that my cousin is doing floor design for, and back in Seattle for a quick dinner.

Here’s something I liked very much about Spokane. While we were eating lunch, I got to hear a few pesky bear stories and one about a cougar that’s been stalking elementary school children. I really miss living in the West.

6 hours in Spokane