Grand Coulee Dam, Steamboat Rock State Park, Geocaching and a Dam Laser Show

We got up around 7:45 because it started to get warm inside the tent and I was getting hungry.  I managed to get Ben motivated to get up and moving around.  By 8:30 we had all of our breakfast supplies out and making eggs and sausage to go with our cereal.

After eating some food, cleaning up and getting our hiking gear on, we were finally ready to tackle the upcoming adventure for the day.  We first drove into Grand Coulee Dam to get some information from the visitors center.  We took some pictures of the dam.  I haven't been here since September 2011 when I came out here for the Methow Cache Machine...before that was during a family trip back in 1997 or so.

We looked around, I got my postcards and Ben inquired about kayaks.  Meanwhile, I noticed the D3 geocaching challenge.  I knew about it when it came out but out of sight out of mind since I do not frequent this area a lot.  The tour took to you the three major dams on the Columbia River, The Grand Coulee, Rocky Reach and the Chief Joseph.  I've been to all three in the past but that was before geocaching even existed.  We only had time for the Grand Coulee during this trip.  We may have time to get the others maybe this summer so we could finish the tour.  Ben really didn't get his questions answered but they did give us some information on places we could ask along Banks Lake.

We got onto the main highway and headed down the road in search of a place that rents kayaks.  We went to three different places and no one rents kayaks.  The closest we came was a canoe.  We didn't want a canoe.  I told Ben when we come here next time we will bring out own kayak. 

We drove the 12 miles southwest to Steamboat Rock State Park to do some hiking and caching.  We parked the Escape and discussed getting the state park cache first then the rest or just get them as we walk by them.  I turned on the GPS and the state park cache was no where to be seen and we didn't have cell phone service.  Ughhh!!  We gotta go back into town to get the coords.  I was upset because now we had to drive back to town and then back to the state park!!  When we did get into cell service, I had Ben jot down a few of the caches especially the state park one, while I got gas.  We drove back to the state park but took a side road for a letterbox.  I try to grab as many of these as I can to finish a puzzle back in Rainier.  There is a series of eight letterboxes from Coulee City to Electric City and I wanted to find them all.

Broken Road #5 (GC59D2M) was down an old road that lead to the lake...most likely a good fishing spot just outside the entrance to the state park.  I wanted to grab this one before we started our hike.  We parked the Escape as close as we could, got out and started searching.  The hint was a little weird and we definitely started looking in the wrong areas.  We both managed to shorten our search near the vehicle and Ben saw it literally right next to the passenger rear tire hidden in some grass.  We signed the log book with our stamps, let it dry a bit, took a few pictures and put it back.

Again we entered the park, found a picnic table and ate lunch before the hike up the butte.  I made a bunch of grilled chicken, boiled some noodles and Ben bought some pesto to mix in with it.  He mentioned that it was better than eating sandwiches all the time.  So we had some of that, grapes, watermelon and fruit snacks.  The pesto's seal leaked so we thought it might have gone bad.  I guess we would see on our hike.

Our food was put away and we got our hiking stuff on, our cameras ready, slathered Ben with sunscreen, got our water and anything else we needed and crammed it in our bag.   We made our way to one of the many trailheads and followed the trail to the mesa.  There were a lot of ups and downs and a lot of sand to shuffle through.  When we got to the part of the trail that led up I was like wow, we gotta climb up that way?  Bring it on!

We passed a few hikers with their tiny dogs on the first level of the climb.  The second level we encountered a guy and his son and a family with their dog and kids.  Other than that, we really didn't come across very many people.  It was pretty steep the first part of the mesa.  The second part wasn't as steep but it was long.  Once you got onto the flat part it was pretty straight forward.  I can't imagine doing this in the heat.  We were lucky and chose a pretty mild day of low 70's and the views were spectacular!

We continued towards WaStatePks100:  Steamboat Rock (GC4AZRY) and it seemed like we were not getting any closer.  I think I really have to calibrate it because it looked like we were going to it on the map but the map didn't look right.  Plus, I have to spend the $80 on the updated maps and street view.  It took us a while to get there.  We went to the wrong area but ended up seeing views we wouldn't have gotten to see if we went the right way.  There was this really cool rock we spent some time at.

I looked at the map again and decided that we needed to go more southwest.  There was a small valley with a trail and we ended up following that to another level of the mesa.  We took some "living on the edge" pictures before we found the correct route to the cache.

Finally we found the rock cairn that contained our blankety blank cache so far for this geotour.  We signed the log book with our stamp, Ben ruined it with Husky garbage, I added a pathtag and we took some pictures from this vantage point.

We started our walk back and found out there was another cache not too far from us near the trail that would take us back down the hill to the main trail.  We took a short side trail to Blowin' Off Steam (GCRRYN) and tried not to be seen from the nearby muggles playing with a kite.  Ben found the ammo box hidden among the sage brush.  We open it up to find the log book, trinkets and a creepy doll head.  We signed the log book and had fun being creeped out by the doll head.  Haha!

We put everything back and went to Steam Boat Rocker (GCQC4N) just further down.  We wanted to get both of these caches on the way back down.  We were within 20 feet of it and had to use the hint because there were so many rocks that fit the hint.  We could be searching for a while or a few seconds.  Ben searched the most obvious place first...of course we kept an eye and an ear out for rattlesnakes.  We weren't finding anything so we searched the next obvious spot and the ammo can showed itself.  We set it on a nearby rock, signed the log book, looked at the toys inside and I tried to get my picture and a rock moved from underneath my foot, made me fall backwards so I grabbed Ben and he stopped me from possibly breaking an ankle.  It did stretch it an uncomfortable amount and my knee got a scrap on it but nothing too horrible.  We hiked back to the Escape.

Getting down didn't take long at all.  We got back to the Escape fairly quickly.  We took off our socks and shoes, put some flip flops on and used the restroom before heading back towards Electric City.  The last time I was here we had dam burgers from a café but I couldn't remember what it was called so we went to a place called Pepper Jack's Bar and Grill back in Electric City.  I had a French dip and fries and Ben had a burger.  Both were tasty and hit the spot after hiking for four or more hours.

We stopped by the Safeway for a few things including soap, some more cereal, eggs and looked for some aloe Vera and some drinks.  We didn't need ice quite yet but it was on the list for tomorrow.

The shower was calling our names.  We really needed to get out of our sweaty clothes and wash the dirt and sand off of us.  We spent a half hour or so getting clean and into some fresh clothes.  For the next hour or two we just chilled waiting for opening night of the 2016 dam laser show.  When the owner of the RV park came by to get our payment for the weekend, he had said that this year they changed the laser show.  This time it features a grandmother sharing the story of the Columbia River with her granddaughter.  We thanked him and continued on with our day.

We left way to late trying to find parking and a spot to sit to watch the laser show.  I told Ben I knew of a place and we hustled before it had a chance to start.  I remembered that the Crown Point State Park had a viewing area and you can listen to the commentary from your radio with the correct station.  We got there just in time and Ben wondered how I knew to come here.  I told him I know everything!  Haha, I just pay attention and remember things.

It ran for about a half hour and then we went back to our camp site.  We brushed our teeth and got ready for bed.  That night was actually warmer than the previous night.  I didn't have to wear so many warm clothes.

Next Adventure:  A Dam Tour, Geocaching, Dry Falls, State Park Caching and Home

Leaving for Banks Lake and I-90 on Memorial Day Weekend

This was the first Memorial Day weekend Ben and I got to spend with each other since we started dating.  The first year we worked our weekends away and last year we didn't have the money or the available block of time to go anywhere.  So we were pretty excited to go somewhere this year.  I know we are suppose to plan something like this a few months in advance but we didn't know what his schedule was until last week.  We decided we wanted to go to Banks Lake over by the Grand Coulee area.  Then I remembered a few years back when I stayed at the Grand Coulee RV Park and how cheap it was for a tent site.  I called the Wednesday before and they didn't have any available spots and to try back the next day because they get cancellations. 

I went about my day at work, then went to the gym and then called them again on Thursday hoping for some good news.  They had a spot!  I took it immediately and made a reservation then did a happy dance in the Escape.  I was so happy!!  I called Ben and told him I got a spot at the RV place I told him about.  He was pretty stoked.  Now comes the part where we get ready for it and pack up our stuff.

We went shopping for groceries that night.  Ben came over, we had dinner and we planned out our food menu for the weekend. We made our chicken before we went to the store. We got home from the store, I had to get a shower in, we went through our camping stuff then we all had to go to bed.  Ben went back to the fire station and got himself a shower before bed. 

I really hate getting up at 4:30 in the morning.  It is really wearing on me and it's especially hard on Fridays.  I just want to do nothing!  Work was busy and it was snack day so pizza was brought in and I made some no back cookies for everyone.  I left around 12:15 and decided to not go to the gym just because there was so much to do before we left that evening after Ben got off work.

I went home as quick as I could and started a load of laundry and started getting everything gathered.  Then I decided to take a hard 20 minute nap.  I was so tired I really needed it.  Mom called and interrupted my nap letting me know she was almost in an accident and was avoided.  I got up and finished gathering the bedding we were going to use, my clothes and the camping gear.  I loaded some of it in the Escape and started boiling the noodles for a meal we were going to have for one of our meals and putting together a sandwich meal for the trip over I-90.  I got everything loaded into the car, a query downloaded onto the GPS and I believed I was now ready.  I left my house at 3:45 to head over to Rochester.  I got gas at the Arco first mostly to allow Ben some time to get home and start packing.

We got all of us stuff inside the Escape and we were off and onto I-5 by 5 p.m.  We had to stop by Maytown to grab the sausage he forgot.  He had one job and he messed it up.  I even reminded him three times that day.  Surprisingly traffic on I-5 and Hwy 18 wasn't that bad.  I expected a horror story.

We got onto I-90 and thought we may make it to our campsite at a decent time.  It poured down rain at North Bend.  Then we drove past one of the signs that told you how long it would take approximately to get from where you are to the next major destination.  In this case it was Ellensburg and it said 212 minutes.  Was that a typo?  We continued on roughly until 3-4 miles from the summit.  We were stuck in traffic for 2 hours. 

We moved 5-8 miles in two hours.  I was so upset!  When we finally got through it we stopped for no reason.  Construction was picked up fir the day and there wasn't an accident.  Our conclusion is that somewhere there was a bottleneck preventing people from traveling at a normal speed.

Below is the chunk of I-90 we spent a lot of time in traffic.

When we did finally did get to drive the speed limit it didn't take us long to put some miles behind us.  We crossed over the Columbia River at the Vantage bridge and then got off the freeway at George onto the 283 that turned into Hwy 28 through Ephrata, my friend Nick's hometown.  It was dark so it was a very boring ride.  Hwy 28 turned into Hwy 17 when we got to Soap Lake.  From there it was just smooth sailing.  I wish we could have seen the scenery. 

We rolled into Grand Coulee just after midnight.  While we were in traffic, Ben called the owner just to let him know we would be arriving later than we thought, he appreciated the phone call and told us he would meet up with us in the morning.  We unpacked the tent and the sleeping pads, bags, blankets and pillows.  Used our lantern and cell phones as a light source to put up the tent together.  We got it all set up and the beds made, used the restroom, brushed our teeth and put on our sweats and passed out.  I was exhausted.  I fell asleep within minutes.

Next Adventure:  Grand Coulee Dam, Steamboat Rock State Park, Geocaching and a Dam Laser Show

Key Peninsula: Joemma and Penrose State Park

On a last minute decision I wanted to go to the state parks that mom and I didn't have time for a few weeks ago.  I wrote down a dozen or so caches and knew we wouldn't have time to get them all.  I called Ben and had him meet me at my house.  I wanted to leave ASAP but we didn't get to leave until almost 2ish.  I knew it would be quite a drive up and around.  It will probably take us an hour to get there, a few to find the caches and then an hour back.  We were probably going to be home late.  Monday was going to be a long day.

We took my Escape and headed towards I-5 via Tumwater.  Along the way just before we reached Tumwater, a momma duck and her babies tried to cross Ol' Hwy 99.  I stopped so I wouldn't make her nervous and try to run out in front of traffic.  She ended up backing up and taking them back where they originally came from.  We got onto I-5 and merged onto Hwy 101 towards Shelton.

The weather was meh and I hoped it cleared before we got to our first state park.  I have never been to the Key Peninsula before and I don't remember if we ever came this way when I was little traveling around with my family. The Key Peninsula is a finger of land that stretches 16 miles and extends south from the Kitsap Peninsula and is part of Pierce County.  The name derives from its close appearance to a key.

I chose to get the furthest one down the peninsula.  We followed Nuvi's directions to WaStatePks100:  Joemma Beach (GC4A0GN) and along the way there we drove down Lackey Road between Vaughan and Lakebay which I thought was pretty awesome.  We rolled into the state park and found a place to park.  The place was built on a hill so the view was marvelous.  It had a boat launch, a dock and several walking trails.  We decided to head down towards the dock and beach first.

We walked back up the hill to the small trail head we saw earlier.  We walked past a couple and their 13 year old dog, who was very excited to be outside running around, and they said hi to us.  We exchanged in a small conversation then went on our way.  I gave Ben the GPS and he lead the way.  We reached the cache site and it was obvious on where the ammo can was hidden.  We took the bark off of the cache, signed it, stamped our passport and took some time for a selfie.  I know, we're precious.

We put it back and walked back to the Escape.  We used the restroom really quick since it is a state park and all.  I plugged in the next set of coords to Madrone @ The Bay (GC333WC) mostly because I wanted to see Bay Lake before we went to Penrose Point.  Once we got there Ben got out and found the cache without the GPS.  He said it was pretty obvious and he kinda saw the cache from the car.  We signed it and put it back and made our way to the state park.

I've never been to WaStatePks100:  Penrose Point (GC4A0GB) and it was delightful.  It had some waterfront beaches, places to barbeque and bathrooms!!  Haha.  It has some great clamming if you are into that and its trail systems are very well kept.  This one was a multi so we knew we would be spending some time working out the numbers.  Come to find out one of the numbers we needed was not on the signage; we had to look it up on the internet.  We found the necessary numbers and checked our sums.  Yay!  We did it right!!  We found out where we needed to go and found the correct trail system. 

Along the way Ben found, what I call a slug with a camper, as known as a snail near a place where we stopped.  He picked it up and took it along while we walked to the final cache location.  He named him Mac. 

We stopped at the lagoon for a short side trip just to see it.  We took a few pictures.

We walked the last bit to the cache.  We stopped at a small brush covered area, almost like a canopy, and we found the obvious spot the ammo can was hidden.  This one was also covered in bark.  Mac is probably the only snail (as far as we know) that has the most finds.  He will retire with the most finds as a snail.  We signed the log and included Mac, stamped our passport, got our picture and put the cache back as well as retiring Mac at the cache site.  He was along for the ride and it was his adventure of a lifetime.

It was about that time.  It was 7:00 and we needed to go.  It was going to take about an hour to get home and we haven't eaten dinner yet.  We were going to get home late.  We ended up stopping in westside and ate a burger at Red Robins.  We got back to my house around 10ish.  We said our goodbyes, Ben headed back to the fire station and I got a shower in and went to bed.  4:30 in the morning really sucks!

Next Adventure:  Leaving for Banks Lake and I-90 on Memorial Day Weekend