Quick 4 day road trip!

This short road trip was to make an obligatory stop in Spokane to see Mother. But we had other missions: Palouse Falls State Park and Grand Coulee Dam.

On Sunday the 21st we left Boise about noon, after church, and drove to Walla Walla. Stayed at a fleabag Super 8 (which was fine!) and had a nice dinner The Brik.

Monday we continued north on rt 12 to Tucannon, turned left to Starbuck (!) and on to Palouse Falls State Park. This park is very cool! A picturesque waterfall with impressive canyon views. Limited hiking along the canyon rim but beautiful!  Then drove on to Spokane and met Mother and Andy and Helen for dinner at her place. There are several fires in the area so the smoke is pretty thick.

On Tuesday we headed west on Rt 2 and up to Coulee Dam. Visitor center was very interesting. The dam was built in the 1930s, subsequently expanded, and now has three separate generating stations. the main purpose of the complex is to provide irrigation water for central Washington; power generation is secondary, followed by flood control. We took a very informative tour into one of the generator stations and drove across the top of the dam (in the bus!). As you can imagine, security is strict. Once again, we realize how much we owe to Franklin Roosevelt.

Many, many acres of wheat around here! Harvest is finished, it seems very quiet!

Water from Grand Coulee is pumped uphill into Banks Lake. From there its distributed southward for irrigation through canals, siphons and tunnels......The Columbia Basin Irrigation Project.

After Coulee Dam we headed south along a series of lakes and reservoirs, including a stop at a neat place called Dry Falls, with an unexpected ice cream stand. Ended up in Moses lake at a Fleabag hotel, Shiloh Inn. Dinner next door at Bob's Diner. Its all good!

Wednesday, heading home, always looking for "scenic routes"!  From Moses Lake we went west on I-90 for a ways, through George  (George, WA..get it?). As we again approached the Columbia we stopped at a great overlook and saw just a peek of the Wild Horse Monument up on the ridge. On down to Vantage, where I-90 crosses the river. We went straight south on Rt 243, through Wanapum Village, Mattawa and Desert Isles. Incredible fruit orchards in this area! Apples, vineyards, unidentifiable fruit trees. At Desert Aire and the Priest Rapids Dam, we stopped at the Wanapum Indian Cultural Center. Its brand new and tells the story of the Wanapum Tribe who has been driven off their land by the dams and the US Military and Dept of Energy at Hanford. There are only 70 members of the tribe left.  It was a very depressing visit, actually!

We then continued south and connected up with the I-84 at Benton City. Decent meal at the truck stop at the Oregon border and on home.

Total trip 1,065 miles.

Bridge and Park at Lyons Ferry on rt 261

Dry Falls Overlook

Wild Horse Mounment