Several years ago we discovered a spot on Steamboat Rock where we could look down on a bald eagle's nest. There were two babies in the nest and so we had an enjoyable lunch spot to enjoy the coming and going of the parents! We did not observe the babies being fed this time, but there was a fish in the nest. After wandering for a few hours on the rock, taking bitterroot (spelled it right this time!)pictures we returned later in the afternoon to again enjoy watching the activity in the nest! There weren't as many flowers as we see early in spring, but the bitterroot were everywhere! You had to walk carefully to not step on them!

I drove out Sunday the 12th (my birthday, 47th) on Rt 2 for the scenery, and was not disappointed. 100 times better than dreadfully boring I-90 (but takes way more time). The best part was past Wenatchee, from Orondo to Coulee City. Canyons, coulees, high desert, snow-covered farmland, rolling hills surrounded by higher rolling hills, it's like a whole 'nother planet. Surreal is a word that comes to mind. Plus smooth roads with no traffic, high speed limits, mind-boggling panoramas, and plenty of places to play with the dog, my lone companion for this trip. Well, eventually we arrived at the Dry Falls/Sun Lakes area, took a few pics, and headed over to the trailhead for the day's (short) hike: Lenore Lake caves. They are nice, but when you get right down to it they are just holes in the cliffs. Worth the hike if you happen to be nearby, just not a life-altering experience. There was a nice view down the valley from an overlook point along the trail where we watched the sun set from. Then we went north to about 5 miles past Steamboat Rock state park, to a small WDFW area adjancent to Osborn Bay lake, where we camped in the car for free (since we had our WDFW V.U.P.).

On Monday, we awoke to some fresh snow on the ground, maybe an inch, plus some biting wind and cold, so we drove into Grand Coulee for some hot coffee at the Safeway, then over to Steamboat Rock for the day's hike to the top of the rock. Due to the park's completely deserted status, plus nice irrigated lawns perfect for playing with a yellow dog, I decided to spring for the $16 and camp there, ignoring the signs that said I had to pay $22 for an electric site even if I didn't use the electricity, on the grounds that they had arbitrarily closed off the only sites that had no electricity. Since I was out the $5 parking fee in any case, I felt the extra $11 was justified by the picnic table, bathrooms, lawns, nearness to the hike's trailhead, etc.

The hike up Steamboat Rock was surprisingly hard. The elevation gain seemed like more than 600 ft, and the trail is very rocky, loose rock at that, and super steep in places, with some exposure should one take a tumble. But then we were up, and it's mighty nice up there. There were views in all directions, Banks Lake below, wildlife like various birds, plenty of cool desert plants, just a good place to be. We explored the various plateaus, starting with the south plateau, then moving over to the north/west plateau. We stayed up there until the setting sun turned a cold wind into an unbearable knife-like agony of frigidity. But on the way down we found a sheltered spot to watch the last of the sunset from.

Monday night were treated to a repeat of the super-bright moonlight we had the night before that I forgot to mention. It made for a pretty special night time walk with Daisy. On Tuesday, I decided to do some more car exploring into new territory for me, so we drove from Grand Coulee to Wilbur and then south towards Odessa, where we visited the Odessa Craters. They are very strange geological features, nice to walk to and interesting to see, but are very minor attractions on the scale of things. But I recommend them if you happen to be out that way anyway, kind of like Lenore Caves.

But the driving out that way is spectacular. I just love the instantaneous transitions between green irrigated farmland and the dry desert country. From Odessa, we went west on Hwy 28 to Ephrata rather than go south to get on the freeway. It was truly great driving, 20 miles or more passing between each car coming the other way. But eventually we got on the freeway so we could get home in a reasonable amount of time, and fought the boring traffic over snowcrummy pass. We had great weather, saw some marvelous things, stayed pretty warm sleeping in the car despite the wind and cold, and got back safe and sound. The end.