Monday, January 25, 2010

The Cool Grand Coulee

By the end of January, the winter blahs have usually migrated and fashioned their little birdhouses in my soul for the remainder of the season. This year, however, I haven't experienced any of the typical soul coughing of the pesky Seasonal Affect nesting materials. I believe two major factors have contributed to this blahlessness. First of all, the little boy, El NiƱo-Southern Oscillation, has been brandishing his stick and warding off any frigid invaders as only a little boy knows how to do. We have had a laughable amount of snow, leaving an ironic aftertaste in the mouths of the school officials who decided to stash a week of snow days into the calendar this year. I don't remember another Spokane winter in which the blue skies have come even close to outnumbering the grey.

Secondly, and I think the more influential reason that my Affect is not in Disorder, is the Sherlock Holmes behavior of my husband, who has refused to allow us to be locked in our home, by sniffing out fun family day trips that are far from the rutted paths of routine winter hibernation. This past Saturday, he discovered a remarkable canyon about 100 miles Northwest of Spokane located near Grand Coulee Dam.


The clouds were moody today and changed their disposition multiple times
We invited along the Jones family because, in regards to adventure, they are equally as appreciative

There were so many luring rock piles, abandoned houses, cliffs, barbed wire fences, ice patches, and catapult worthy stones that we could barely keep up with darting and potentially life-threatening excitement of the three younger kids.
Somehow Ansel can move a million times faster when he with buddies.
Yeah, we were looking their backsides most of the day. Having too much fun to look at a dumb camera.
Emmy hurt her foot jumping around on the rocks before all of us had even exited the vehicles. She was not a happy hiker, mostly because she was painfully aware of all the things that she could be climbing if she wasn't in so much pain.

Corey found a few acres of garbage and dove right in to fetch me some old glass bottles.
Millions of years ago, this area boasted a 6 mile long waterfall that would make Niagra falls look like a raindrop.



The clouds were giggling at one point







A unforgettable day reminding us of the incredible state in which we live.

4 comments:

marymary said...

Just the other day I was mentally composing an imaginary blog post about how this year the winter hasn't gotten to me like in recent years. We've gotten outside more this year too, but -- no question -- your trips are way cooler. Ever since I found your blog, you've been my secret travel idol. You get around. And speaking of Sherlock Holmes, here's a song for your husband to sing.

Sijbrich said...

I like the giggling clouds.:-)

lazyeye said...

And it was educational. Now I know what the Grand Coulee is--a wide picturesque canyon, not just a big dam. And I think I appreciate the varied terrain of our corner of the country a little more. Oh, and the floods from Lake Missoula were about 15,000 years ago.

Anonymous said...

Great pics! Thanks for letting us join you. I cant wait for the next adventure.