It's been some time since I put anything on here but life has been keeping me pretty busy with some big changes. I am no long in the Air Force, giving the civilian life a shot. I did managed to find a job working on cell phone towers which has kept me extremely busy. I had been working a ton of over time but now the hours are a little more normal. My wife and I just moved into an apartment with a back yard. If your anything like me this sounds kind of strange but it exists and we are living there. The reason for this is so we could get our dog Apollo back from my parents house. Everything is in shambles and we still don't have all our stuff from Utah yet.
Enough about moving and life lets get to the fun stuff. I have been in South East Washington for a couple months now and have been doing a lot of researching trying to find some places to do what I love the most photography, biking, fishing, and hiking. I have found no shortage of any of this. Just in the area there are many rivers to choose from as far as fishing is concerned. There is the Columbia, Snake, Yakima, and Walla Walla rivers. I have also ventured out to Grand Coulee Dam, Dry Falls and the scab lands which is very much worth the drip. The Grand Coulee Dam is worth the trip by it's self. During the summer months there is a laser show on the river side of the dam which is produced by opening the spillways to let rushing water over the top of the dam creating a great white movie screen that is roughly half a mile wide. On the movie screen the laser portray the history and reason behind the Columbia River and the dams we have put to control it.
Dry Falls which is also fairly close to Grand Coulee is an area where an ancient water falls where. This falls dwarfed Niagara falls in every aspect but was only flowing during the great floods of the last ice age. Now it is an amazing cliff with pools of water down below fallowed by a large coulee (canyon). There is a visitor center near the viewing area of the falls that is right along highway 17. In there you can find out about the history behind the falls and the natives that inhabited the area. If you love fishing and water activities there are several lakes, boat launches, and camp grounds that are what a feel a little expensive at $14 a night for a primitive campsite. There are other areas for RVs that are much more expensive and the amenities go up to even having free WIFI access. There are several hiking opportunities in the area while I was up there I did not have the time to go through many but I did take the time to do a short hike up up a hill side to ancient caves (wholes in the cliffs)where the natives took shelter. This was also just off of highway 17.
Another trip I took was to Palouse Falls, this area is a state park North East of Pasco Washington. The great news about this state park is there are no fees. While I was there I saw two very impressive water falls. The first which is the biggest is right in the parking area. This falls is 200ft tall and is pretty impressive to see in the middle of a dessert. The viewing area for this falls is right off the main parking lot and is accessible by wheelchair. The second falls can be seen by walking North about a quarter mile on a dirt path.from there you can see the smaller but in my opinion just as impressive water falls which are very photogenic once you get down into the canyon. This is possible by walking North another quarter mile and walking through a narrow down hill trail to the railroad tracks. Continue along the railroad track about 50 yards and another trail starts the goes down into the canyon. The trail is a little difficult so be sure to wear good shoes, I would suggest nothing open toed, however my wife wore Chaco sandals and they seemed to fair just fine. Once you are down there there are several pools of water that are great for swimming, many flat rocks to lay out on in the sun if that is your thing. The falls are the most photogenic during early morning and evening with a slow exposure and a tripod. I was not able to stay long enough to get amazing pictures but I did manage to get a few before we left.
As far as fishing in the area of Tri-Cities, the Clumbia looks to be the closest best option. salmon, sturgeon, and steal head trout are among the many fish that you can catch in this area. I have not gotten the chance to do any fishing since all my fishing gear is still in storage but believe me, it will be one of the first things I try when I get all of that stuff back.
Directions to Grand Coulee Dam from Pasco WA.:
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1. Head south on N 8th Ave toward W Marie St 85 ft
2. Take the 1st left onto W Marie St 0.3 mi
3. Take the 3rd left onto N 4th Ave 0.7 mi
4. Turn left to merge onto I-182 E 0.5 mi
5. Take exit 14 to merge onto US-395 N/N Oregon St toward Spokane 23.5 mi
6. Take the WA-17 N exit toward Mesa/Moses Lake 0.4 mi
7. Turn left at WA-17 N/Pepiot Rd 44.4 mi
8. Turn right to stay on WA-17 N 15.8 mi
9. Slight right to stay on WA-17 N 29.0 mi
10. Turn right at US-2 E 4.3 mi
11. Continue onto Coulee Blvd/State 155 N/Washington 155 N/Washington 155 N (signs for Grand Coulee Dam) 27.2 mi
12. Turn right at Grand Coulee Dam 0.4 mi
Directions to Palouse Falls state Park:
View Larger Map
1. Head south on N 8th Ave toward W Marie St 85 ft
2. Take the 1st left onto W Marie St 0.3 mi
3. Take the 3rd left onto N 4th Ave 0.7 mi
4. Turn left to merge onto I-182 E 0.5 mi
5. Take exit 14 to merge onto US-395 N/N Oregon St toward Spokane 32.5 mi
6. Take the WA-260 exit toward Connell/Kahlotus 0.4 mi
7. Turn right at WA-260 E 23.9 mi
8. Turn right at WA-261 S 8.7 mi
9. Turn left at Palouse Falls Rd 2.4 mi
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