Route 27: From Here to There, and Vice Versa

GARFIELD -- Buried within the brief section of Route 27 that connects Garfield and Palouse is a mystery: For some reason, the road sign from Garfield lists the distance to Palouse as 8 miles, while the sign from Palouse declares the distance to Garfield as 10 miles. Whatever the distance, the road is a scenic paradise. Beyond the rolling hills encompassing thousands of acres of cultivated land are railroad tracks, the meandering Palouse River, rock formations, trees, barns, and grazing cattle. As if that wasn’t enough, the changing seasons bring their own magic to a vista that rightfully qualifies as “breathtaking.”

I first encountered Route 27 when I moved to Garfield in 2017. Having spent my entire life as a city dweller on the other side of the country, I was unprepared for the sheer vastness of the area. Without the 24/7 distractions of noise, traffic, multi-story buildings, and people rushing between work and home to which I was accustomed, the land claimed center stage. And rightfully so. In my mind’s eye, I can still see the fields readied for spring planting. They looked like gigantic bolts of fabric had been unfurled over the hills, quietly waiting for the seeds to be sown that would, once again, bring forth crops to feed a significant portion of the world’s population.

Eventually, traveling along Route 27 settled into a routine that lacked surprises. Or so I thought. One Sunday, my husband, Blake and I were driving into Palouse when I saw something that, even to my untrained eye, seemed odd: A herd of cattle was strolling from their grazing area up a nearby hill. As we rounded the corner, we realized that a gate must have been left open (duh!) and saw earlier escapees were settled in their owner’s front yard and were, as cattle are want to do, nonchalantly munching on the lawn. Unsure of the protocol for such an unusual occurrence, I called 911 and reported the event.

Happily, none of the cattle were harmed and they were returned to their grazing area. Now a self-appointed cattle locator, every time we travel by the house, I make it a point to check the front yard, verify that all is well, and recall a once in a lifetime event that is worthy of the title.