Banks Lake: Two Weekends of Fun in a Row!!

“I would rather wake up in the middle of nowhere than in any city on earth.” .....Steve McQueen

Steamboat Rock is a massive "island" of a basalt rock floating on the shore of Banks Lake. The rock is a remnant of the Great Missoula Floods. It is nearly surrounded by the waters diverted by the Grand Coulee Dam to form Banks Lake. The top of the rock is a broad, flat mesa offering stunning views across the scab lands of coulee country. Banks Lake offers fantastic kayaking opportunities, especially in the off-season without the company of boaters and other noxious watercraft. One year, we even saw a mother bear and 2 cubs in nearby Northrup Canyon.... and a Rattlesnake. Strange to see both in the same area. There is even a couple of old homesteads and the remnants of them can still be found for the more adventurous.

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Weekend 1: Camp/Paddle Trip (April 15-17)

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This particular weekend, we met up with our friends, Jim and Carol. Or affectionately known as "Skeeter" Jim and "Caribou" Carol (Names given to them from our travels in the northern B.C. country).

The weather was breezy and a bit on the cool side. That didn't stop us from enjoying a great paddle up through the rocky islands and inviting beaches.  We vow to return and partake in some fine beach camping in the future.

Johann, Lori and Carol before the paddle began.

Jim and his fine boat

Johann at his best, in his element.

Paddling around the rocky islands makes for a fine day.

Lunch break... picture time... Nice warm sandy beach, protected from the ever present winds.

Caribou Carol in her new boat.

Looksha Lori looking good in her Looksha watercraft.

Sandy beach and some head winds.

Tiki Island? We're a little far north folks....

Banks lake makes for a great time for everyone. Hiking, paddling and the stunning geology can keep the curious intrigued for hours.

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Weekend 2: Motorcycle Trip (April 22-23)

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Having been denied a bike ride over to Banks Lake the weekend prior due to snow and rain, I took the GS/A 1200 (Affectionately named "Gretchen") out for a more personal trip. Also to check on a used BMW Dakar G650GS in Ellensburg for Lori.

The weather was spectacular, the night was cold and it had a bite to it that kept me from sleeping well. The following morning was sunny as I took off to hike the looming giant above me known as Steamboat Rock.   

View from the top of Steamboat Rock.

Dramatic cliffs and towering basalt columns.

I could have stayed here all day and been quite happy. It was warm and quiet, save for the occasional hawk screeching over head.

Looking out at the ice scoured rock islands that we paddled the week before.

The islands and rocky cliffs shown here were nice for viewing birds of prey and kayaking the week before.

These shots show the primitive boat-in camp grounds.

The sandy beaches and the warm spring weather were very inviting.

I spent 3 hours hiking on the top of Steamboat rock peering over rocky ledges and examining the basalt cliff columns in wonder.

This is the top of the mesa. Sheer cliffs drop off straight to the water below. Look closely, one can see the hiking trail which circumnavigates the top of Steamboat Rock.

Another shot looking back towards the campground.

Although, Steamboat rock is a made up of basalt and lava (spewed more than 500 feet thick), one can see glacial erratics formed elsewhere on the top. These granite rocks came from as far away as Montana as they were encased in glacial ice.

Across the mesa, one can see a cave carved into the basalt from the incredible floods. Above that, is prairie land up until base of the cascades (snow covered Mt's in the distance).

There are a couple of herds of deer living on top of Steam Boat rock. Since this is a park and are not hunted they exhibit little fear of people. I happened to come across one of the herds quietly lounging in the shade.

See the herd scamper away from me on the mesa?

As I made my way across the center of the mesa, I discovered that the deer still must encounter a natural enemy from time to time. I suspect this deer met its demise from a cougar. Possibly a rattlesnake bite, not sure if that would be enough to kill a deer. However, rattlesnakes are prevalent in the area and a prudent hiker will be on the lookout for them.

My motorbike camp just below Steamboat Rock. The day was warm, but the temperatures plummeted to near freezing at night. I was a bit chilly. I had lots of visitors coming by to chat with me, mainly they were interested in Gretchen with her big twin cylinder engine and sexy good looks.

Leaving Banks Lake, I stopped to take a long look back.

Steamboat Rock is the farthest mesa in the back. Awesome motorcycle country. Warm inviting roads just begging for two wheels. Shortly before I took off from here, a "herd" of Harley riders (~25) of them passed by. I followed them to Coulee City where we parted ways.

I continued to Ephrata and on to I-90 and crossed the Columbia river at Vantage.

I made a quick stop at Ginkgo Petrified forest. Yep, before the Cascades formed, this was a lush forest. Lava flows buried the trees and the massive glacial flooding unearthed them.

I ran into this beast. Luckily I was able to make a quick getaway on my bike.

Seriously, I hopped off my bike and took these pictures before the Dinosaur made a snack of Gretchen.

OK, so it was a static display and a tourist trap. Look at all those ancient petrified trees laying about.

I made a stop a the newly opened Puget Energy visitor center.

They told me that I couldn't park my bike here.

The visitor center is located at a drafty 3500 feet of elevation (one of the windiest spots in WA State). Off in the distance, the snow covered foothills of the Cascades could be seen.

This is one of the wind turbine blades. It is a single airfoil. It is huge. I read that the foundation for each wind turbine extends 30 feet into the earthen basalt and is anchored by 250 yards of concrete.

These wind turbines look like something out of the future. It was an eerie feeling to stand next to these giants. They look very ominous and reminded me of the obelisks in Kubrick's Space Odyssey. 

The entrance to the visitor center was 3.5 miles from the road and gained quit a bit of elevation. There were signs stating the road was primitive and motorcycles should use caution. I had no problem as the road was nicely paved (chipped sealed) all the way to the top. My only complaint.. the posted 20 mph speed limit kept me from having too much fun.

A parting shot of me before I rode alongside the Yakima river into the mountains where I eventually got on the freeway and headed over the snow covered pass to home in Sammamish, WA.

Until next time....

Getting dirty... Snow, Mud and Mtns... Yeah baby..That's the Ticket

"If you think you don't need a helmet, you probably don't." ~ Unknown

Got an opprotunity to take the bike out this week. Once after work for a late evening ride, and today, where we went to the mountains to get some back country training.

This series of reflection pictures were taken about 7:00 p.m. on one of the tributaries of the Snohomish river. Notice the daylight... It's staying light out longer now... Whoo hooooo!  

I dunno, but I think the refection looks better than the actual trees. The refracted light gets filtered, resulting in a more crisp image that brings out the colors.

My bike was parked up from the river by a farm. Some horses were coming by to check it out and got spooked when I came up from the bank. Good thing too that they ran away. Last thing I need to find on my seat is some bite marks from a horse.. else they may find their way to a glue factory or a doggie food processing plant :-)   

Today, I took the bike out towards the undeveloped roads around Mt Rainier Park. This is the road up to Mowich lake. There was a new dusting of snow at the lower elevations. Very pretty. 

I knew the park entrance would be closed... it usually is until late May, however, I was hoping to get to the gate.

As you can see, I only made it about 1/2 way when I encountered some snow. It started out innocent enough, but kept getting thicker as I went up in elevation.

I stopped to setup my tripod to take a picture of myself and it began snowing pretty good.  If you look closely you can see the snowflakes (select pic for larger image).

I road a bit further than this picture shows. It got deep and I got caught in a very deep rut... a trench really. I had one heck of a time turning this big ox of a bike around. I got off it and gave her some throttle while I tried to pushing it forward.... No luck, the big girl kept sinking in the snow. I eventually let it roll backwards and then used the momentum to turn it across the tracks. Even then, it got stuck pretty good. I had to talk nice to the girl and coax her back and forth to widen the track and turn her around.

Thankfully, I didn't drop the bike. We took a breather as we came back down.

It was gorgeous, but, as you can see in the picture, the snow was coming back towards me and I didn't want to get caught in it again.

As it was, I had to ride through some slushy stuff on the road and when I hit the asphalt coming back out of the park it got very, very slippery. Have you ever tried ice skating with one of these big girls... its not fun... especially when she has the weight advantage on you.

All-in-all, it was a great experience. I will get some more time in the dirt with the bike as spring begins to take hold and the roads dry out a bit. A good set of off-road tires wouldn't hurt either.

I got home at 6:00 p.m. Not a bad way to spend you day off.  I now have 9,000 miles on the bike in less than a year of ownership. Time for a new oil change.

Until Next Time....

Paddling is Good for the Soul and Mind (Snoqualmie River Kayak Trip)

"Three-fourths of the Earth's surface is water, and one-fourth is land. It is quite clear that the good Lord intended us to spend triple the amount of time fishing (or paddling [GrizzLee]) as taking care of the lawn". ~Chuck Clark 

This past weekend marked the first days of spring. Having a bit of a break in the weather, my new found paddling friend, Don and I took to Snoqualmie river. We were intent on finishing out trip we had started 3 weeks or so earlier where we started in Fall City and paddled the Snoqualmie River to Duvall. The temperature was much more amenable this time around, hovering around 50 degrees as opposed to nearly freezing temperatures of 27-37 degrees on our last river outing.

As a paddle trip, I can highly recommend this section of the river. We started in Duvall on the Snoqualmie river and ended up in Everett on the Snohomish River. There are many tributaries along the way and a major river, the Skykomish, joined in the fun about a 3rd of the way into our paddle. We saw lots and lots of wildlife, including Bald Eagles, Hawkes, King Fishers, Coyotes, Herons, Ducks, Beavers, etc... The river flows well and makes for a good leisurly pace and is wild enough to make one feel they are experiencing a good bit of wilderness, despite being so close to a large surburban area. The river is big enough to accomodate our sea touring kayaks, whcih gives us speed and comfort.

The Snoqualmie basin is a mecca for bird watchers.

The tree was full of young bald eagles.

They are all peering down on us, as if we were prey.

Don taking a picture of me taking his picture.

Hwy 522 bridge. The Skyhomish river joins the Snoqualmie river just behind me. It becomes the the Snohomish river. Something that I never realized until this day, was that that the Snohomish name is a mix of the Skyk-omish and the Sno-qualmie names joined together... just like the rivers do.

Looking for abeach to have a snack and stretch a bit

At this point, the river spilts into multiple arms. This makes it tough to find the main channel

Awe... a much needed break. Just before this stop, we came across a couple of large beavers who seem to have made a home on the bank, underneath a road.

The Cascades mtns draped in a nice winter coat..

The mtns make for a beautiful backdrop.

As we approach the town of south Snohomish we notice an old railroad trestle.

Look closely and one can see the roundhouse and the big gear that once opened, allowing for much larger boats to pass by.

Speaking of boats.... we came across this boat half suken in the water. Look at the size of that engine!!

All-in-all we paddled nearly 24 miles... a great distance of  paddling by any standards. When we began, we were nearly 300 feet above sea level. The last five miles were beginning to take it's toll on us. We were at sea level and the the tide was coming in. To top it off, a pretty good head wind had developed. We were very happy, to finally to exit at Rotary park near downtown Everett, in a little riverside town called Lowell.

A big thanks to Lori for picking us up and arranging the transportation.

Until next time.....