Takin' to the Backroads

I'm back from a bit of decompression, having traversed some of the little remaining indefatigably politically red-toned area left in the US of A. In this case that would be Idaho (though, truthfully, the eastern portion of the Other Washington is probably not truly politically distinguishable from the land of Taters). We did get some questions about our travel plans. Heat, drought, and fire-hazards turned out to be more important in the way of issues than the hostility. Actually there was little if any of the latter. Doubtless I could have stirred some up with a flag patch on my ass or something, but this was not about that.

This was about obscure backwaters and byways. As little multi-lane as possible (a challenge these days, of course).

In my exuberance over out-of-the-way I assembled this list of the more obscure communities we passed through, some with scarcely a notice on our part!

Thorp – Kittitas – Vantage – Beverly – Schawana – Smyrna – Anson – Othello
Koren – Washtucna – Starbuck – Dodge – Houser – Pataha – Alpowa
Lapwai – Sweetwater – Jacques – Culdesac – Ferdinand – White Bird
Riggins – Crouch – Sunbeam – Challis – Sula – Lolo – Evaro – Ravalli
Dixon – Parma – Paradise – Noxon – East Hope – Hope – Talache
Cocolalla – Athol – De Smet – Potlatch – Ringo – Palouse – Dusty
Long – Dumas – Dixie – Touchet – Reese – Wallula – Attalia – Zillah
Toppenish – Selah

I haven't come up with a rhyme-scheme, never mind a tune for that little refrain, but even as a simple mantra it seems to me those names work some wonders in terms of invoking some of the historical influences in the Pacific NW and the basic principle of dodging destination resorts (I was only partly successful at that). But those burg-names work a charm on me.

In the meantime, I'm very glad to hear that investigations, hearings, subpoenas, et al are even more the talk of the town than they were when last I plugged into the InterTubes. We'll doubtless be back on topics of that sort soon.