Coulee
DETAILS
When — May 31st 2O22
Where — Spokane, WA - Leavenworth, WA
Mileage — 231 miles
Compliments on my motorcycle - 2
Grand coulee and steamboat rock
Day nine of the Double Nickel trip was sunny with temperatures in the low 70s. Amazingly I stayed dry the whole day. The goal was to travel 211 miles today with visits to the Grand Coulee dam and then climb Steamboat Rock in Electric City, WA Washington. The day would wrap up with a ride down US route 2 to Leavenworth, WA.
What is a coulee? By definition a coulee is a deep revine. In Washington they have the grand coulee which is the result of a 400 foot high ice age flood when ice damns broke near the now Canadian border. The floods carved the amazing ravines and buttes into the land. The Grand Coulee damn was built between 1933 and 1942 in the midst of these massive ravines,. This massive undertaking was government works project that would provide hydro power and water to potential farm land that was too arid. I sent out to ride through and climb on these coulees.
The beautiful day made the ride smooth and easy, as I followed along US 2 to the Grand Coulee Dam. I get off on a side ride above Roosevelt Lake just to take a look at the terrain. Very dry, arid, and desert like conditions. I arrived at the dam took some quick pictures and then went to the visitor center. The museum is well done. Grand Coulee Dam is the eighth wonder of the world and it’s one of the largest electric producing hydro generators in North America. It’s just a remarkable story of the people and the technology that was used to build this dam in the 30s and into the 40s. Through a depression and World War II. After the short visit, I motored down to the Steamboat State Park
Washington has some very impressive state parks, and this one is one of them. It’s a very large park with camping, a large lake, and a massive basalt butte known as Steamboat Rock. My plan was to do the round-trip 2.6 mile hike to the top and get a good look at the terrain. This hike was going to be a challenge, so I made a video to document the reslts. After I completed the hike I then had about 100 miles left to Leavenworth where I would stay the night.
Tomorrow ends leg two as a roll into Seattle and check into the Airbnb for some rest and relaxation with Steph who will join me on the 2nd.
