Columbia National Wildlife Refuge - Crab Creek — Friday, Feb. 13, 2009

Central Washington > Potholes Region

What am I going to do?! I’m supposed to lead a Winter Walk for the Cascadians today and everywhere I look on the weather map the weather is terrible: mostly cloudy, 20% chance of rain & snow, temperatures around home in the lower 30s, in the upper 30s farther east. Thoroughly uninspiring! But wait! What’s this? On the 1 km satellite photo most of Grant & Franklin counties are under clear skies. Who knows how long it will last, but off we head for the Crab Creek Wildlife Area. It’s dark and cold at the Ryegrass Rest Area, but as we descend towards the Columbia, off in the distance we can see the Saddle Mts in the sun, and we arrive at the parking area under blue skies and puffy white clouds. I’m sorry now I wore my wool pants. We follow the old road over to the Milwaukee Railroad bed, walk west a quarter-mile or so, and then head out across the coulee. We haven’t gone far when we spot a herd of 8 – 10 deer making their way up the cliffs ahead of us. We wind our way around the small buttes, pillars, and old channels left by the Missoula floods, heading for the cliff on the north side of the coulee. Once there we climb a steep talus slope to the top and find a perfect spot for lunch. The views across the coulee to the Saddle Mts are spectacular, even though it does cloud up some. Dennis takes his obligatory nap, but then it gets a little cool under the clouds, so we start back. We descend the cliff where the deer came up and slowly make our way back across the coulee. The sun comes out again and the gold, amber, & russet tones of the grasses and cattails is beautiful. Finally we’re back at the cars and heading home, happy as clams (or is it coyotes over here) after another great day in the shrub-steppe.