Pomeroy, WA

So last weekend, err.. the weekend before last, I went down to catch the action at the Olympus Rally in Pomeroy, Washington. Contrary to my initial assumption, Pomeroy is not, in fact, in the middle of nowhere. On the contrary, it is on the edge of nowhere. One must first drive through nowhere in order to get to Pomeroy. On the way down there I passed through a couple of snow flurries including some accumulation at Alpowa Summit leaving me wondering if Rally America was going to have a third snow rally of the season. Usually, Sno*Drift in Houston, Michigan is the only "winter" rally, but this year 100 Acre Wood in southern Missourah, also had a couple of inches of snow.

...Anyway, on to the pictures.

The rich kids were there of course.

Extreme motorsports Wunderkind, Travis Pastrana.
Fellow Motocrosser, Kenny Bartram.

DC Shoe Magnate, Ken block.

Canadian rally heartthrob ACP.

Last year's teenage 2-wheel drive champion, Kyle Sarasin

In addition, Subaru was there with its latest version of the STi

This was the 08's debut in rally form in the Production GT class. Apparently, they were still working out a few bugs so it probably won't appear in the open class until next year.

However, the Open Class did include a beautiful 2004 VW R32. Sadly it didn't perform too well, but that naturally aspirated V6 sounded sweet compared to the anti-lag turbos on those Subarus and Mitsubishis! If you're not familiar with what I'm talking about, The VW at full throttle sounds like the bloodcurdling shriek of a mountain lion while the typical turbo rice burner hisses, sputters and yowls like a pair of feral cats in a burlap sack.

There were some sweet 2-wheel drives in attendance as well:

This old Volvo beat the pants off the SRT-4 Neons and Ford Foci in Class 5, taking both regional contests, and smoking several 4WD open class rigs as well in almost every stage.
This team has the right idea, the multi-color livery makes repairs faster and cheaper, eliminating all that pesky repainting between meets.

I'm not a big Honda fan, but I've always liked the look of the RSX.

And as the former owner of a B210, and having driven a late model Tsuru around the Sierra Madre del Oeste in Sinaloa, Mexico a few years ago, I had to admire this old SE-R.

This old RX-7 is apparently a fixture in northwest rallies, and it's nice to see another rear-wheel drive in the mix. The 4WD 323 next to it, while a classic, was severely outclassed by the modern competition.

I was hoping to see this old roadster bringing up the rear, but it was just for show.

I don't know of a a more ideal location for a rally race than the rolling hills of the Palouse. The combination of open vistas, lush rolling hills, winding roads, and clear skies remind me why I left the god-forsaken tundra of the upper midwest.

Look! There's a Phil & Ted's Stroller, just like mine!

But the real reason I was so gung-ho to get down to Pomeroy was to get some shots of its incredibly well-preserved architecture.

While many rural county seats have beautiful old courthouses, few are in such a pristine condition as this one. Note the distinct lack of mid-century modern, or worse, hideous faux-historical post-modern additions to this old girl. I guess that's the advantage of maintaining the same population for over a hundred years.



But what really blows me away are these ornate storefronts along Highway 12. I'd love to find out who the masons were and if they have any heirs still in the trade.

Finally, I'm glad I don't have to heat or maintain this old farmhouse, but it displays an elegant simplicity lacking even in the most "functional" of modern works... even if the proportions of the porch are all wrong.