Eastern and Central Washington is rather arid and only slightly hilly. My first impression upon arrival in the Tri-Cities (Pasco/Richland/Kennewick, in order of my appearance, not necessarily in order of significance) was of a Midwestern town with business clustered along the highways rather than the rivers (or railroads, of which several pass through). The dryness of the air may be responsible for the frequent discharges of static electricity, from car door to key, or finger to metal desk. The lack of trees (or leaves on those that are here) and hills make the sky seem larger and there are frequently colorful sunrises and sunsets. The Columbia River is the main geographical feature, with Pasco on the northeast, Richland to the west, and Kennewick to the south. The Yakima River comes in from the west through Richland and the Snake River also joins in just downstream of Pasco. Boats and jet-skis routinely leave their wakes on weekends and there are other areas for fishing. Richland appears to be a larger version of El Cerrito in terms of its houses and shopping, most of which is on the George Washington Way ("G-way" to locals, like "MLK" to Berkeley-Oakland) corridor. The exclusive homes are along the river rather than in the hills. Most of the river frontage is taken up by parks. The biggest differences are that El Cerrito is just a stop along I-80 whereas Richland is the end of the line before entering the Hanford complex. Kennewick is similar to one of the over-the-hills East Bay cities like Pleasanton or Livermore; no tall buildings, an old downtown and old bungalows from the pre-Hanford days mixed in with suburban homes, some with horse acreage, and mixed retail. It also has some golf courses and good parks, and is the home of the mall and indoor arena. West Kennewick and South Richland blend together with the only distinction being that Richland is considered to be the better school district. Pasco is more like a Central Valley town such as Stockton or Modesto; lots of trucks driving through and a large agricultural presence. There is also a large Mexican community in Pasco. It contains the primary airport, serviced by twin-turboprop United Express and Horizon flights (mostly to Seattle and Portland), and some small jetliner flights to Salt Lake City on Delta. The winters are cold with occasional snow and the summers often see 100+ degree temperatures. Despite being a desert area, all the irrigation has created some humidity. In late winter there were strong winds that fired tumbleweeds across the highways and lifted roof shingles like Candlestick hot dog wrappers. Gilbert had a tune for this period: Oh give me a home Home, home on the plain
Where the tumbleweeds roam
And the geese and the jackrabbits play
Where seldom is seen
A car that is clean
‘Cause the wind and the dust made them that way
Where the wind can drive you insane
Where seldom is heard
A big boom from Hanford
And the skies are all cloudy and gray.