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Mount Logan
Canada's Highest



Joined: 04 Jan 2005
Posts: 870 | TRs | Pics
Location: Seattle, WA
Mount Logan
Canada's Highest
PostThu Mar 10, 2005 10:43 pm 
While this may technically be a "trip report," I'm posting it in the History section since it has less to do with hiking and more to do with exploring areas of historic interest. Last weekend my brother, my dog Lexie, and I went on a 2-day exploration of the Grand Coulee area. We headed out on Friday night and stopped to camp in Frenchman Coulee near the Gorge Amphitheater. Saturday morning we continued on to Steamboat Rock State Park at Banks Lake and, inspired by trip reports here on NWhikers, walked up to the homestead site in Northrup Canyon. After watching several eagles, we returned to the car and stopped for refreshments in Electric City. We then explored some of the back roads among the vast farms on the plateau east of Banks Lake and south of the Columbia (Lake Roosevelt). We ended up driving down Neil Canyon and found a completely solitary spot to camp overlooking the river. Sunday morning we returned to the plateau and spent the day exploring back roads and abandoned homesteads all the way down to Coulee City at the south end of Banks Lake. My brother found a 1919 penny at one of the homestead sites with his metal detector! up.gif After enjoying shakes and beefalo burgers at DK's in Ephrata, we hightailed it back to the west side. I dropped off my brother at his house and got home in time to get a good night's sleep for work on Monday! Here are some pics:
Basalt columns in Frenchman Coulee
Basalt columns in Frenchman Coulee
Lexie and rock formations in Northrup Canyon
Lexie and rock formations in Northrup Canyon
Remains of a car in Northrup Canyon
Remains of a car in Northrup Canyon
Northrup homestead
Northrup homestead
Northrup homestead
Northrup homestead
Northrup homestead
Northrup homestead
Northrup Canyon
Northrup Canyon
Lexie and me sleeping under the stars
Lexie and me sleeping under the stars
Dawn breaking over the Columbia River
Dawn breaking over the Columbia River
Taking in the early morning view
Taking in the early morning view
Wellhouse
Wellhouse
Farmhouse
Farmhouse
Another old farm
Another old farm
Crazy brother
Crazy brother
House and windmill
House and windmill
Looks like the Serengeti!
Looks like the Serengeti!
Yet another homestead
Yet another homestead

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Newt
Short Timer



Joined: 21 Dec 2001
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Location: Down the road and around the corner
Newt
Short Timer
PostFri Mar 11, 2005 8:21 am 
Cool on the homesteads. I always enjoy running across them. Gives you a chance to wonder how they live and under what conditions. Often wonder why they were abandoned or a new place wasn't built there. Neat on the penny too. I visited one many years ago and found two glass pill bottles with pre 1923 dimes it them. In a wood cook stove of all places. In a cranny that I had no reason to put my hand into. Thanks

It's pretty safe to say that if we take all of man kinds accumulated knowledge, we still don't know everything. So, I hope you understand why I don't believe you know everything. But then again, maybe you do.
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hyak.net
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Joined: 18 Dec 2003
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Location: Hyak, WA
hyak.net
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PostFri Mar 11, 2005 9:20 am 
Abandoned Homesteads
Prior to kids, my wife and I used to stop at abandoned homesteads and look around. Traveling between WA and UT through Oregon and Idaho we would run across a few of them. I would find it interesting to see what items were left behind. Try to figure out when it was last occupied from newspapers or magazines and such. I also found it strange that people would just abandon homes and let them fall apart. My favorite one is in Oregon. A house build of stones and seperate garage with a windmill behind and its sits about 100' from the highway. Its still looks the same as it did 15 years ago the first time I wandered through it. Nice pictures you posted!

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Quark
Niece of Alvy Moore



Joined: 15 May 2003
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Quark
Niece of Alvy Moore
PostFri Mar 11, 2005 1:45 pm 
neat-o stuff! There are also remains of homesteads down in Big Bend National Park area. Talk about the middle of nowhere! We figured that folks homesteaded there because they were just too tired to turn around and go back. Back then travel was so difficult that once you're in, you're in. However, the preface in Pitzer's book, "Grand Coulee, Harnessing the Dream" it is mentioned that Central Washington had had several unusually wet and lush years in the late 1800's that sucked in some homesteaders. They apparently left, pre-dam.

"...Other than that, the post was more or less accurate." Bernardo, NW Hikers' Bureau Chief of Reporting
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Jeepasaurusrex
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Joined: 05 Oct 2004
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Location: Arlington, WA
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PostFri Mar 11, 2005 5:31 pm 
While out hunting over by Curlew, I came across an old abandoned log cabin. The "road" leading to it had since been over grown with trees, some 2' in diameter. It was a wierd feeling to be walking thru the woods, come around a tree, and suddenly your looking at an old cabin. Structure wise, it was still in pretty good shape, but the inside was bare, a few wood items, but not much else. An old wood cook stove was in the kitchen area. I bet it wouldnt take much to get the place liveble again. Now if I could only remember where I was at that day... toothless.gif

"I would like to see things from your point of view, but I cannot get my head that far up my butt"
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Snowshoe Hare
Defunct lagomorph



Joined: 03 Dec 2004
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Snowshoe Hare
Defunct lagomorph
PostFri Mar 11, 2005 8:45 pm 
Logan, did ya notice what I thought was a cool feature- how the farmer/rancher incorporated many of the large boulders in the canyon near the old car into pens for livestock? Pretty resourceful. That canyon bottom with all the tall grasses has got to be tick and rattler central too. I roamed around thru head-high grasses, but in winter- I'd never consider doing that now. paranoid.gif Nice report and photos.

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Mount Logan
Canada's Highest



Joined: 04 Jan 2005
Posts: 870 | TRs | Pics
Location: Seattle, WA
Mount Logan
Canada's Highest
PostSat Mar 12, 2005 12:59 am 
Yeah, I noticed that too! Along with the solid rock and boulder perimeters, they also had built stone-wall fences in several spots--both by the old car and across the meadow from the house. Indeed, that tall grass looks like tick heaven, and you can bet that I was sweating it! Too early for rattlers though. Our only tick sighting was at our campsite on the Columbia/Lake Roosevelt near Neil Canyon, upstream from Grand Coulee Dam. Spotted that little sucker on the floor of the tent in the morning... paranoid.gif

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salish
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salish
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PostMon Mar 14, 2005 9:54 am 
Logan - we were very close to one another this weekend. I stayed Thursday night and most of Friday just off Silica Road, at the small pothole about 1/4mi north of I-90, and hiked down to the Vantage Seeps. We came to a huge canyon (which I cannot find a name for) which is south of Frenchman Coulee, and above Babcock Bench. I'm attaching some photos of this canyon, as well as some photos of a "lodge" I found in the area. I cannot figure out if this stone dwelling is ancient, or from recorded history. I may send the photo to the UW and see if anyone can tell me the story. Wonderful area and not one tick. It was really warm for early March and there were only a couple of tiny patches of snow way up in the Colockum, which is so strange this time of year. We spent Friday night and Saturday NW of Ancient Lakes. Lot's of people in that area this weekend. Cliff
LodgeLake
LodgeLake
LodgeLake2
LodgeLake2

My short-term memory is not as sharp as it used to be. Also, my short-term memory's not as sharp as it used to be.
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Mount Logan
Canada's Highest



Joined: 04 Jan 2005
Posts: 870 | TRs | Pics
Location: Seattle, WA
Mount Logan
Canada's Highest
PostMon Mar 14, 2005 1:15 pm 
Very cool, Salish!

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Woland
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Woland
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PostSat Apr 23, 2005 9:23 pm 
I'm really curious. Where is the lake? I've not hiked between dusty and the feathers-is it between the two? Z

Those who long for exaultation look upwards-but I look downwards-for I am the exalted. Z
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Allison
Feckless Swooner



Joined: 17 Dec 2001
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Location: putting on my Nikes before the comet comes
Allison
Feckless Swooner
PostSat Apr 23, 2005 11:12 pm 
Hey, why is my car in those pictures? rant.gif

www.allisonoutside.com follow me on Twitter! @AllisonLWoods
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