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ridgewalker
Mountains and Rivers



Joined: 19 Aug 2003
Posts: 223 | TRs | Pics
Location: North Bend
ridgewalker
Mountains and Rivers
PostWed Jan 28, 2004 7:12 pm 
The Grand Coulee! A long canyon extending from the Dam that bears it's name on the Columbia down and out to the Pothole Lakes of Central Washington. It is a cut, scouerd by the forces of the raging waters of suddened floods, caused by the floating of an ice dam on the Columbia River. Many views along it's route pay respect to the power brought upon the land. It is a clear sample of the catastophism hypothesis of geology, that would make James Hutton and George Lylle turn over in their grave. It is here that you can feel evidence of other forces glaciers have other then our normal cutting of U valleys and Jagged Matterhorn like peaks. This being a Geology weekend. It was one of our prime destinations, the other destinations being Frenchman's Coulee in the Vantage area and Dry Falls on the route between the two. Arriving in the parking lot of the Steamboat Rock State Park, there are a few different places to end up. The one that we started from is the far parking lot. Moving back along the talus fields to the trail that ascends through a dip. By looking at the rock shape on the edge of the canyon on either side, Jake and I concluded that this is some sort of syncline in the basaltic rock. The syncline lead to a place were the water could collect, and through the frost action, break down the rock here. It made for an excellent route up the basaltic talus, rather then the hexagonal columns that made up the rest of the rock. Climbing higher on this short hike, we could see above the 1500 to 2000 foot high Coulee walls. The winds and the fridged temperatures gave the person the feel as though they were there, in the middle of the ice ages, surrounded by mist that could have been the flooding waters. As we reached the top, the sun was setting. Views of 4 mule tail deer could be seen watching our every move. Down the canyon was the most powerful view, as it faded out of our southern view. Many people pass of the likes of the Grand Coulee and Channelled Scabblands of Central Washington for the summer days. But I would say that the silence and raw arctic feel of these places in the winter has an effect that seems more powerful and humbing to the soul. The views are enough to understand why this was a sacred site, as traders of the Covillie Indians made there way from North Washington to Wenachee and Yakima.

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Quark
Niece of Alvy Moore



Joined: 15 May 2003
Posts: 14152 | TRs | Pics
Quark
Niece of Alvy Moore
PostWed Jan 28, 2004 10:41 pm 
RR: Do you have any more information regarding the sacred aspects of Steamboat Rock? What is it's real name? What is the legend, and what ceremonies/traditions were carried out by the Colvilles? I was at Steamboat Rock a few winters ago - humongous icicles were hanging off the coulee walls all along Hwy 17. On top of the Rock was a thin layer of snow. Surrounding many of the sage bushes were tiny footprints of rodents who, I surmised, were chasing and playing, because the footprints went round and round and round the bush before heading off to another bush, where the prints again went round and round and round that one, and so on. Tons of deer, too! There are big ole' granite boulders the size of small buildings on the floor of Northrup Cyn. I can't remember if they're erratic, or if they're lenses torn out of the local basalt and left behind, but it's strange to see them amongst the basalt. The Grand Coulee is an amazing place. Winter is perfect - the snakes aren't out yet. Spring is wonderful as well - the red-osier branches in the wet areas are a brilliant scarlet color.

"...Other than that, the post was more or less accurate." Bernardo, NW Hikers' Bureau Chief of Reporting
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ridgewalker
Mountains and Rivers



Joined: 19 Aug 2003
Posts: 223 | TRs | Pics
Location: North Bend
ridgewalker
Mountains and Rivers
PostFri Jan 30, 2004 5:22 pm 
Collville Indains & Steamboat Rock
The references that I am using is the description of Thompson's journey down the Columbia from Rocky Mountain House near Banff. He had observed and talked to indains around this area about the Grand Coulee Cutoff for the river. I will look into more information on this. -- Ridgewalker

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