On the other side of the Cascades, the geography changes from evergreen forest and marshland to basalt rock and sagebrush desert, cut by the Columbia. Wherever irrigation water reaches the land, crops grow in this fertile soil.

On the Washington side, around the wide spot in the road known as Patterson, fields of hay, grape and wheat seem to run on forever. Around Umatilla, Oregon, think grain fields.

The river, though broken by several Bonneville Power Administration dams, provides myriad nesting grounds for local and migrant geese. Goose hunting is easier on the eastern side of the Cascades: Hunters don't have to contend with the goose-identification permit system because duskies don't fly here.

Here are some of the better known public lands on the "dry side."

UMATILLA NATIONAL WILDLIFE REFUGE
Created in 1969 to mitigate the loss of wildlife habitat caused by construction of John Day Lock and Dam, this refuge spans 25,347 acres on both sides of the Columbia in northeast Oregon and southeast Washington. It includes open water, shallow marshes, backwater sloughs, croplands, islands and shrub-steppe uplands. In short, it's got all the prime nesting and feeding features that geese love. Located on the Pacific Flyway, the Refuge is visited by 30,000 Canada geese each year.

On the Oregon side, there are the Boardman and McCormack units. Boardman is open daily at 5 a.m. It also has the 200-yard spacing requirement and a 25-shell limit.

McCormack is open on Wednesdays, Saturdays, Sundays and Thanksgiving Day. Hunters check in and out, park in designated areas and shoot from designated blinds. McCormack offers a season-long advance reservation system. For season updates, call (541) 922-HUNT.