Pullman is a college town surrounded by wheat, and it carries the confidence of both. Washington State University, founded in 1890, sits on the hill above the town, with its red-brick buildings, clock tower and sports stadium, and the whole place hums with students for most of the year and falls quiet in the summer. The town sits among the rolling Palouse hills, with fields of wheat, peas and lentils curving away on all sides, and the smell of cut grass, dust and diesel drifts in on the wind.
The college is the town's big institution, and one of its better-known products is cheese. The university creamery makes a sharp, aged cheddar in tins called Cougar Gold, which is sold by mail order and has a loyal following across the country. The college mascot is the cougar, and the town takes its football seriously. The nearby town of Moscow, Idaho, lies a few miles away across the state line, home to a rival university, and the two towns share a cheerful rivalry and a regional airport. The Palouse region also produces most of the nation's dry peas and lentils, and farmers can be seen working enormous combines on the hillsides in late summer.
The riding around Pullman is a gentle, rolling affair. The roads run over the hills in long, easy bends, with wheat fields on both sides and views of the swelling land, and traffic is light outside university events. In spring, the hills are bright green, and in July and August the fields turn gold and the dust rises behind tractors. Wind can be strong on the ridgelines, and winters are cold and snowy, with ice on the back roads, so check the weather. Watch for farm vehicles, particularly during harvest, and for deer at dusk.
As a stop, Pullman is excellent. It has more than thirty thousand residents, with petrol stations, supermarkets, cafés, bakeries, brewpubs and cheap, hearty restaurants aimed at students, so it is easy to find fuel, a good meal and a warm bed. The main street has a pleasant, old-fashioned feel, and the creamery shop on campus is worth a visit if you like cheese.
After a long day in the saddle, a coffee in a student café and a look at the hills from the campus is hard to beat.