Yakima Junk Yard: Photograph by Will Tenney

Yakima Junk Yard

Just south of Toppenish on US Route 97 through the Yakima Reservation in south central Washington, we came across an amazing junk yard filled with the well-preserved bodies of hundreds of old cars and trucks from the 20s, 30s, and 40s. The dry high desert air of central Washington has kept the metal from completely rusting away, keeping the old bodies in a state of near mummification. They are only sleeping and will arise soon, I’m sure. Snow-covered Hembre Mountain seen in the distance through the incredibly clean air gave the landscape a dream-like quality.