[Spotly]

The three of us (Kirsten, Teri and me) had our permits approved to climb Mt. St. Helens for Friday but as the day got closer, the state still hadn't decided to open the mountain yet so we decided to head over to Banks Lake area to do some hiking instead.We left Spokane at 5am to avoid the heat of the day. We arrived at the Steamboat Rock State Park campground 2 hours later and quickly set up camp just in time for the rain. Once we got set up, we drove a few miles back to the Northrup Canyon trailhead. As soon as we got out of the car, the skeeters were on us! Like the rain, they refused to let up for most of the hike. The fist few miles of trail are on an old road and avoiding any snakes was pretty easy to do by "letting" the girls lead. as the trail got closer to the old homestead site, the scenery alternated between huge basalt cliffs and terrific granite formations. Looks like some exceptional climbing/bouldering could be had in canyon. As we came up to the cabins, the girls found a sluggish rattler trying to scurry off into the grass. We couldn't see the whole thing but judging by the diameter, it was a good sized snake. Beyond the cabins, the trail turns to single-track and wanders between and around large hunks of granite and basalt before eventually arriving at the lake. We found a tree that allowed us to have lunch out of the rain and enjoyed the views of the flowers and the antics of all the birds. After lunch, we headed to an overlook that provided a great view back down the canyon. Thoroughly soaked, we headed back to the trailhead. Back at camp, we watched a storm roll in and decided to ride it out at La Presa, which Rick La Belle says is possibly the best Mexican Restaurant in the state - it was very good and the portions were huge. (Pictures)

[Quark]

Ha! Exciting to see another La Presa restaurant fan. I've blabbed about it on this site, hoping to get everyone on the bandwagon. I like it so much that one rainy day I called Putz in Boots and said, "Hey, I got a hairbrained idea. I got a hankering for some good Mexican grub, but the onliest problem is, is that it's in Grand Coulee." To which she replied, "What's so hairbrained about that?" So we went.

[Quark]

I really like the 4th photo, of the "puzzle-rock," or "Jenga rock." Jenga is a game where you have this big block of blocks, and you pull out as many as you can without it toppling over. The blob of rock in your photo is such a rock - sometimes you can pull those piece out, and put 'em back in, just like a puzzle. I really like the photos - they're peaceful-looking. And what a snake!

[GeoHiker]

Too bad you had such sucky weather. Great report and pics. Did you see the rattler about 100 yards from the old homestead? When I was there last month I saw 4 in a 100ft. section. Hard to get a size on your snake pic, but one I saw was massive!.....About as round as a pop can and about 5 ft. long. Yours looks to have at least 9 rings. I don't advocate messing with the wildlife, but I'm surprised the State Park hasn't sent someone in there to relocate a few of those snakes. The guy at the store in Electric City laughed when I told him about the snakes I saw. He said people come in all the time talking about that area. Day I hiked in it was 80 and not a cloud in the sky. I see the grass has grown quite a bit. That's one place I want to get back to in the next few weeks. Not a skeeter was seen when I was there, but the lake was full of rising fish. I see some risers in your bluff pic. That's one of my favorite hikes this year. La Presa is in the town of Grand Coulee? I don't remember seeing it, but I wasn't paying much attention to restaurants. I'll have to add that to my list.

[Spotly]

Hey Quark, it's good to know there are others out there who are impulsive too. I liked the food but not sure if I'd drive all the way there just for that - throw in a route or two on the local granite and I'm in though! Geohiker, I don't think it's actually part of Grand Coulee. The turn-off is pretty close to there though, just a bit south on highway 155, look for a Union 76 station at the turnoff to Spokane (highway 174 I think). Follow 174 for a mile or so and the good food beckons on the left side.

[wbs]

Spotly wrote: