Northwest Explorer Field Notes: Pullman
One of Our latest Northwest Explorer trips took us to Pullman, where we were filming three episodes: one exploring the Palouse and its scenic drives, one about the Pullman-Moscow Regional Airport and one at the National Lentil Festival.
And we started pretty much the second we landed.
Usually there's at least some buffer between traveling and being on camera. This time, I had to pack knowing that when I stepped off the plane in Pullman, I needed to be ready to shoot.
Fortunately, the airport itself was our first assignment. We got a tour, filmed around the terminal and then headed into Pullman.
Our first real stop was lunch at Paradise Creek Brewery, which has exactly the kind of atmosphere I want from a college-town pub. It's in Pullman's former post office, with this big open dining room that almost feels like it could have been a library in another life.
There was also an inflatable duck in a bikini wearing a lifesaver, which obviously made the camera roll.
From there, we headed out into the Palouse to get some of our scenic material. It was extremely hot, which created very strong motivation on my part to nail every stand-up as quickly as possible.
That night we wandered into The Black Cypress for drinks and immediately decided we needed to come back. It ended up being my favorite restaurant of the trip. The atmosphere felt a little more grown-up and tucked away from the louder college-town energy, and I had a spicy tequila cocktail that I am still thinking about.
Saturday was Lentil Fest.
We started with the parade, where I walked an entire shot in front of the procession before my producer Mark realized he hadn't actually hit record.
So I walked it again.
Television.
The festival itself was huge. Marching bands, cheerleaders, football players, families, vendors, live music, mascots and what felt like the entire town packed together to celebrate one tiny legume.
There was also the truly gigantic lentil chili operation. Watching batch after batch go into a 600-gallon bowl is exactly the kind of strangely specific local tradition I love getting to experience through Northwest Explorer.
We spent most of the day filming around the festival while simultaneously watching thunderstorms threaten the area. Pullman mostly escaped the weather, aside from a little drizzle, and we got what we needed.
I also left with Lentil Fest socks, which I have worn an unreasonable number of times since returning home.
Food-wise, outside of The Black Cypress, another favorite was Nayarit Mexican Restaurant. And one thing I liked about Pullman generally was getting to bounce between these very different versions of the area: college pubs, restaurants, a giant community festival and then, not very far away, complete quiet.
That contrast really hit me when we headed out to Wawawai County Park.
The landscape immediately reminded me of growing up in Eastern Washington and going fishing with my dad. My dad was the kind of person who would voluntarily get up at the butt crack of dawn on a weekend, get the family together, pack a cooler and drive us an hour or more to some fishing hole he had found.
As an adult who considers sleeping late and eventually emerging for brunch a perfectly respectable weekend itinerary, I understand his choices differently now.
He gave us memories out in the world.
There are places all over Washington that still bring those memories back to me, and this trip kept doing that in unexpected ways.
We had a lot of time before our flight home, so we crossed over into Moscow and wandered through a few antique and vintage stores.
In one of them I found a copy of Norman Brown's After the Storm on CD.
Norman Brown is quintessential dad music to me. Those songs were part of the soundtrack of my childhood.
And because my car's Bluetooth currently doesn't work, I've recently started listening to CDs again.
So naturally, I bought it.
I came home from a work trip to Pullman with three Northwest Explorer episodes in the can, Lentil Fest socks in my suitcase and one of the soundtracks of my childhood sitting in my car.
Not exactly what I expected when I boarded the plane Friday morning.
But that's becoming one of my favorite things about making this show. I get to explore Washington professionally now while constantly bumping into places, people and little fragments of a STATE I've known my entire life.
