I ran into an old friend and colleague at a forum that was organized for the introduction of the Sun Tribune to the Othello community.

Adams County Economic Development Director Stephen McFadden and I worked together for Flint Publishing in the Yakima Valley. He moved on first, taking over the newspaper at Ritzville.

Stephen and I chatted about our lives since them. He left me surprised with some local information. There are about 20,000 in the county.

The whole county?

“Yes, the whole county,” he said.

Othello, with fewer than 8,000 people, is the largest city. Ritzville is the county seat because it was established earlier than Othello, he said.

So I started exploring the community and the county, same as I did with Royal City and Mattawa.

There is nothing bad about 20,000 people. It’s just that I thought Grant County, with 80,000 people, was about as small as a country could be. I was raised in Yakima County, where there are now a quarter of a million people.

In addition to exploring, I did a little research. Some of you know this stuff. Some of you may not.

Adams is not the least-populated county in Washginton There are eight smaller. Garfield had 2,226 people at last count.

Adams is a busy county. There are 1,234,561 acres of land, and 1,098,975 are used in some form of agriculture.

There are two cities, Othello and Ritzville. There are three towns, Hatton, Washtucna and Lind. There are seven unincorporated communities. And there are two ghost towns. Can’t forget those.

I love driving around. I find beauty in pine tree mountains and sagebrush deserts. What I enjoy most is seeing what man has done.

Washington is the 14th most productive agricultural state. Nearly all green, Adams County is a big part of that.

My first exploratory drive was to Pasco the first week, turning left from Highway 24 at Sage Hill Road. It was a picturesque drive.

Except for a little of north Pasco, the drive was green all of the way. I was simply amazed at what has happened since I was a kid.

I saw the old radar station on Sage Hill. What’s left, that is.

I had lunch there in 1966 when my Air Force Band of the Pacific Northwest was trekking to the Walla Walla County Fair from McChord AFB in Tacoma by way of Larson AFB in Moses Lake.

I took my second exploratory jaunt last week, pointing my car east on Cunningham Road. Soon I could see what appeared to be a huge grain center off to my left. I couldn’t wait to get there.

I turned left on Booker Road and learned there is a huge industrial complex out there.

I am excited. Coming to Othello is only going to make the Sun Tribune better. There are many stories to be told. Most of the county lives around here.