Steptoe Butte is the place to shoot in the Palouse. While there are quite a number of great subjects to shoot there, the ones you remember most are from the butte. The butte rises 3,000 feet above some of the richest farmland in the world. The top of the butte gives a 360° view of the rolling mounds and undulations that are especially enhanced when the sun is low, either at sunrise or near sunset. Sunrise is my favorite time to shoot there, but there is a price to pay. You have to get up early in May and June (the prime time to visit) as sunrise is around 5am. Factor in the time to drive to the butte and get setup and you are probably setting the alarm for 3:30am. But it is worth it.
Spring finds the Palouse covered with all shades of green unlike the harvest when everything is gold (think "amber waves of grain"). The morning that I shot this photo, I was able to capture both colors. The sun bathed the landscape is a golden that lasted for about 15 minutes before the green began to overpower. Just another morning in the Palouse. I can't wait to visit there again later next week to experience it all over again while co-hosting a Jeff Clow photo tour.