Driving from LA to Texas on I40, it was barren wasteland through Arizona, then quasi desert until Oklahoma. Driving north to south from Las Vegas to Sacramento CA, it was wasteland the entire way. Not having seen the northwest, but hearing that they do have vegetation, then I can only assume that's the part of the west to which you refer.
Can't figure why we fought the Apache's for those deserts.
Gotta get those glasses changed. Must have been looking for the wrong thing.
I once looked at property but did not buy it, even though the price was right, because it didn't look good enough to raise corn and soybeans on. Several years later a hotel/resort went up on the property.