Okanogan, Getting There, by Emily

July 19

Collection of petrified wood samples, high above the Columbia River.  Photo from park website.

Leaving Vancouver for the Okanogan (spelled Okanagan in Canada) region of Washington. Pronounced Ohk-u-nah-gun. The name comes from the indigenous Salish peoples place name "ukʷnaqín."   In Washington, it means--to some people--"People living where you can see the top."         Here is a map of our route.   Google Map of Okanogan trip

From the moment we saw this tour mapped out, I was captivated.  This region in north-eastern Washington is very rural, and has a ton of history and lots of lakes.     For weeks, I mapped our route and researched things to do and see, places to eat and stay.  Based on our previous trips, we wanted to be better prepared, food-wise, and see how low-budget we could make this trip.  More packing of our own food, which would make heavier climbs.  

The drive took us through the Columbia River Gorge again, though we turned north sooner than our Palouse trip in June.  But not before a stop for cinnamon rolls at Cousin's restaurant!!  :)  

At the halfway mark, our lunch stop was the Ginko Petrified Forest State Park. .  This was our last time to use our Washington Park Pass before it expired!  Stunning views of the Columbia River, way up in Washington.  Truly, I had no idea it went so far north, and no idea that it created a landscape to compete with the Grand Canyon!     At the park, we found a collection of petroglyphs, which had been moved from their original location along the river, when a dam flooded the plain and the original town of Vantage.  

Selection of petroglyphs rescued from flood.

Petroglyphs close up.

The indigenous peoples of the area, the Wanapum, lived along the Columbia River, and they carved over 300 petroglyphs into the cliffs, which are hard basalt. Because they were a peaceful, welcoming people, the white settlers did not sign treaties with them, and  they sadly have no federally recognized right to the lands. The area was flooded by the Wanapum dam in 1963, and about 60 petroglyphs were removed from the cliffs and brought up to the new interpretive center.  More information about the Wanapum people can be found  here.   And more info about the people and  the petroglyphs here in an article from the Spokesman review.

A full view of the outdoor display. I couldn't get a picture, because of the sun's angle, so this is off the Internet.

Here is an example of a carved rock, from Whale Island, which was flooded by the dam. This is from an archaeological collection of photos pre-dam that you can sort and search. Here's a sort for "Whale Island". 

The petrified wood in the interpretive center represents one of the most diverse collections (over 50 species)of petrified wood in the world. And they were all collected in the area!  Incredible, and a must stop if you are ever travelling through Vantage, WA on I-90.

Looking south towards the gorge.  Not the gorge between Oregon and Washington.   Other gorge!

Looking south, that road turns north on the far side of the river, and takes us through amazing canyons.  Pictures are on the home trip post, because I slept through it on the way up!

Looking south, to the road that crosses the dammed river.  That road area is the old location of the town, which was flooded.  

Down under the water is the original site of the petroglyphs.  Divers have gone down, and said the remaining drawings are still there, under water.

We learned so much in the interpretive center!  There was  a whole display about how agates are made, which was a super bonus after the agates we found in Oregon on our Coast trip.  We also learned about the geologic and weathering processes which shaped Washington. This informed our experiences in the Palouse and gave us a peek into what we would see in the coming week.  The repeated cycles of volcanic eruptions, glacier movement, and natural dams/flooding built the layers that were exposed through erosion.  

After spending a good hour eating our lunch and wandering through the interpretive center, we headed back to the road for the rest of the trip.  Much of which was bordered by apple trees.  Mass farms of apples.

Miles and miles of acres and acres of apple trees. Now I know where the Washington Apples come from!

More apples.

Apples

We arrived in Tonasket, what would be the beginning and end of our bike tour.   First we found the Red Apple, a hotel run by Chris, a retired person from New York, former marathon runner.  Classic east coast with the jokes.   We had to negotiate with him about leaving the van for the 4 days we'd be gone.  Though he had agreed to this over the phone, he had to rib us and complain before showing us where it would go.  We checked into our room.  Like walking into a time warp. The fixtures in the bathroom were this turquoise glass that glowed.  Pedestal sink, tiles on walls, the tub.   All well worn and nicked but still serviceable.  We walked to the Tonasket Co-op to get snacks and see if there was anything we needed for the trip.   Incredible to find a fully stocked Co-op in this tiny town!  Been around for 40 years.     Across the way was the grocery store, a voluminous store that sold a bit of everything.  Yes, we were in a small town, hours from the nearest large population center and all the amenities that come with people.    

In this image of Tonasket, looking north, our route tomorrow will take us across the river to the left, and around the mountain along the left edge.  The ridge in the background is where we climb over and down to the town of Oroville. The curve a bit above the "a" in Washington is the road that comes from the east, where we arrive back in Tonasket on our last day!  

We had leftovers for dinner: rice, broccoli, tofu, and tuna for dinner, cooked in the microwave.  Root beer and Beer from the Co-op and grocery store.  Delicious cookies from the Co-op for dessert. We met a cyclist from Europe (Germany I think) who was doing the northern tier route from Pacific to Atlantic after having traveled France last year.   He was travelling light, without a helmet, and was staying at the bike campground behind the Tonasket Visitor Center.   

After the long drive in the sun, I was struggling to keep my eyes open, but highly energized about our trip.   Every day, we camp on a new lake.  What better way to celebrate Jay's 50th birthday, then on bikes and in the water!