Huge grain elevators. Beautiful patterns of rows of
green wheat shoots on the hillsides. Contour plowing
meets cubism. As fertile and planted as the land is,
the small villages I passed through are dying, many
empty store fronts and houses in need of care.
Perhaps the only people left are on the widely spaced
farmsteads who do their marketing at Walmart.
I'm in Spring Canyon campground at the Grand Coulee
National Recreation Area, the lake on the Snake formed
by the Grand Coulee Dam (Lake Roosevelt). Not only
there a large body of water behind the dam but there
is a whole pump and canal system that lifts Snake
River water 300 ft above the lake and supplies an
irrigation holding reservoir that used to be a dry
canyon. It is 60 miles long itself.
The campground sits on a cliff overlooking the lake
and the dam. About half the sites are filled. It's
very quiet. Saw yellow-rumped warblers and northern
flickers.
____________________________________________________________________________________
Be a better friend, newshound, and
know-it-all with Yahoo! Mobile. Try it now.
No comments:
Post a Comment