Day 11: Columbia Plateau |
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Our
camp site shows some nice salt crusts in the grass and we spend some time
this morning weighing the pro's and con's of irrigation and large dams. Then
we drive along Banks Lake to Dry falls overlook, site of a tremendous
waterfall at the end of the last ice age. At Dry falls we learn about the
Blue Lakes Rhino. The rhino dies during the eruption of the Columbia
basalts, was encased in lava and now forms a rhino-shaped cave high up in a
basalt cliff. For the next few hours we are scrambling across rocky
ledges and finally come within feet of the cave, which does not look very
spectacular. Blue Lake is much more inviting and on the way back we
check out the water. In the afternoon we visit Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park, at the Columbia near Wanapum Gap, before we head back west again. We spend a noisy, crowded night in Lake Easton State Park, where Martin has the honor of entertaining us with the last campfire talk of our trip. |
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| packing the van | ||
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| Basalt cliffs along Banks lake | Dry Falls | |
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| jeff overlooking Dry Falls | Sun Lakes State Park | deer in Sun Lakes State park |
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| on our hike to see the Blue Lake Rhino cave | ||
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| Columbia basalts at Blue Lake | ||
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| relaxing after the hike to the Blue Lake Rhino | basalt cliff with the Blue Lake Rhino cave | |
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| pillow basalts and petrified wood | ||
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| Columbia river at Wanapum dam. | ||
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| cooking dinner at lake Easton | the last campfire talk | |
| previous page | next page | |
| back home | back to course list | back to WA start |