Road signs

Mossback in gathering no moss on the dryside.

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Knute Berger

Knute Berger Feb 6, 2018

Feb 6, 2018

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          <article>
            <header>
              <hgroup>
                <h1>Road signs</h1>
                <h2><p>Mossback in gathering no moss on the dryside.</p></h2>
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               <p>By <a href="/author/knute-berger-crosscut-com/">Knute Berger</a></p> 
              <p><time datetime="2025-02-04T05:00:00-08:00">Feb 6, 2018</time></p>
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            <p>Mossback in gathering no moss on the dryside.</p><p><b>I'm on the road again</b> in the Great Nearby, exploring some back roads while tracking down a couple of stories.</p><p>I came across this greeting on a hand-painted sign mounted on what looked like an empty building in the town of Kahlotus, which is in Franklin County, southeast of Moses Lake, southwest of Washtucna, and north of Walla Walla, not far from the Snake River. The name Kahlotus is an Indian word that apparently translates as "hole in the ground."</p><p><b>Kahlotus Population:</b>    225 over-taxed people  2 Republicans  1 1/2 Democrats  40 dogs, all strays  68 cats, most with kittens  9 horses  1 mule  8 cows  1 contented bull  several coyotes, all rabid  33 rattlesnakes  1 old goat  No resident lawyers or politicians, thank God  Enjoy your visit and come again</p>
          </article>

Mossback in gathering no moss on the dryside.

I'm on the road again in the Great Nearby, exploring some back roads while tracking down a couple of stories.

I came across this greeting on a hand-painted sign mounted on what looked like an empty building in the town of Kahlotus, which is in Franklin County, southeast of Moses Lake, southwest of Washtucna, and north of Walla Walla, not far from the Snake River. The name Kahlotus is an Indian word that apparently translates as "hole in the ground."

Kahlotus Population: 225 over-taxed people 2 Republicans 1 1/2 Democrats 40 dogs, all strays 68 cats, most with kittens 9 horses 1 mule 8 cows 1 contented bull several coyotes, all rabid 33 rattlesnakes 1 old goat No resident lawyers or politicians, thank God Enjoy your visit and come again

By Knute Berger

Knute “Mossback” Berger is an editor-at-large and host of "Mossback’s Northwest" at Cascade PBS. He writes about politics and regional heritage.