Steamboat Rock

Two weeks ago today we set sail with the SS Rolinco and went to Steamboat Rock State Park on the shores of Banks Lake.  Crayton and Beth went with us.  Banks Lake is a reservoir that holds water pumped from the Grand Coulee Dam, that is used to irrigate the Columbia Basin.  It's a fascinating project.... the dam, the lake, the irrigation, built during the depression to provide jobs that transformed a huge portion of Washington state in to productive farm ground.  Of course, with every major change in nature, there is controversy, and with this, controversy abounds.  But, if you can set that aside for just a moment, and marvel at the enormity of this project, and the vision, ingenuity and manpower that made this all happen, you stand in awe.  Then you can come back to the controversy!

This is Steamboat Rock with the campground at the base.

The arrow leaf balsam root was out in full glory.

Our camp bouquet.

In addition to the Grand Coulee Dam history, there is the history of how the coulee was formed in the first place.  It's a long story, which I won't recount, but the short version is The Great Missoula Flood. It is responsible for forming our Eastern Washington landscape.  During the flood, Steamboat Rock was under water!

We hiked to the top one morning and were rewarded with a spectacular view of part of the coulee.  It was a 1.5 mile hike, with an 800 foot elevation gain.  Not a hard hike, but somewhat treacherous footing in places.  The dogs didn't have any trouble with constantly engaged 4-wheel drive!

Steamboat Rock with a carpet of arrow leaf balsam root.  

Just getting started....full of energy!

Landscape after the Great Missoula Flood

Baxter!

Some interesting rock formations.

The Great Missoula flood not only washed away land, but deposited these huge rocks, called Erratics.  

This is where we are headed.

Wild flowers abound.

On top, looking down on a portion of Banks Lake.

Looking down the coulee.

This intrepid plant was defying the odds.

There was a trail over to the other end of the rock, so we decided to take that to see what we could see.

Here's our tour guide!

The wild flowers were in full bloom.  

These are rock roses, or bitter root.  The natives used to dig the root for food.

Looking up the coulee.

Even with 4-wheel drive, Baxter was all done in after the hike!

After a rest in the park, and some ice on a sore knee or two (!) we piled in to Crayton and Beth's jeep and drove the few short miles to Grand Coulee Dam.   We read our way through the visitors center and then caught a tour of the pumping station.  We have all done this before, but it's amazing how much more you learn, or information that was learned and forgotten.

The Grand Coulee Dam!  All the gates were closed down for maintenance, so no water is coming over.

We drove up to this spectacular view point.  It gives you some perspective of the enormity of this project.