Here the power of ancient waters is graphically illustrated and reported in the strata of ancient ba

My pet mom packed a bag for me and insisted I get dressed up when I got into the car. I don’t mind I look pretty fancy in my red harness vest. She attaches it to the seat belt in the back of the SUV so I’ll be safe. I have my travel bed and a few toys. I’m good to go.
I look at the map over Mom’s shoulder. We’re headed to Steamboat Rock in Grant County cheap vacation packages to branson missouri in central Washington near Grand Coulee Dam . The road with the dots will take us there, and it’s a scenic byway, whatever that means. She doesn’t speak dog well, but I’m just happy to get to go wherever she goes.
From where we live, we drive east on I-90 through Snoqualmie Pass and across the Columbia River at Vantage. I’m a golden retriever and I like to swim, but the river looks too wide for even me to swim across.
We head north on SR 283 past the town of George. Dad asked where Martha was, and Mom was only slightly amused. At the gorge, a big amphitheater holds outdoor concerts in the summer. The unique outdoor venue was voted “Best of its Kind in North America.” I wonder if that’s anything like “best in show” for dogs.
We stop in a town called Ephrata cheap vacation packages to branson missouri for a break and lunch. While Mom went to get lunch, Dad let me out for a stretch and a drink of my favorite refreshment, bottled water! cheap vacation packages to branson missouri I like to keep dad from getting lost so I always insist that he holds the end of the leash.
We’d passed a sign that said Grant County Historical Museum and Village . I led him across the street to see what it’s about. The sign says, “The Historical Village comes to life at Living Museum, cheap vacation packages to branson missouri situated on 3.5 acres, a complex of 38 historical buildings where local residents dress the part of early pioneers and treat visitors to a taste of a bygone age, opening day June 8, 2013.
Our next destination was Summer Falls, a beautiful 167-foot waterfall that plunges over a basalt cliff I learn lots of news words when we travel into the north end of Billy Clapp Lake. There was a small day park, and I got to greet some new friends while we did a little exploring.
Next we headed north on SR 17 to Soap Lake. I didn’t cheap vacation packages to branson missouri like the sound of that because soap usually means “bath,” and I’m not too fond of baths even if I do like the water. Thankfully, we have no plans to stop, as we’re headed toward Lake Lenore Caves . (Whew, that was close.)
We park in the lot, Dad puts the leash on and we head up the trail. The seven caves are natural rock shelters that nomadic hunters and gatherers used as overnight camps and storage sites thousands of years ago. There must have been a dog in the caves because when I barked, I could hear him barking back. He must have been shy because I never saw him.
On the road again, we passed a string of lakes Lake Lenore, Alkali Lake, Blue Lake and Park Lake and finally reached Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park . Mom keeps commenting on how beautiful it is, and Dad remembers that he’d taken the kids (now grown) fishing and camping here.
We walked around the state park where the two-legged visitors were picnicking, fishing, swimming, boating, hiking and golfing. I wonder why they hit balls after chasing cheap vacation packages to branson missouri them instead of picking them up with their teeth. Humans. Go figure.
Mom said the rock formations reminded her of the rocks in Arizona, only without the red color. I wasn’t too interested in rocks but had my nose to the ground enjoying all those wonderful smells and the sun. Did I forget to mention it was sunny and not too hot?
At the Visitors Interpretive cheap vacation packages to branson missouri Center, we learned that Dry Falls formed when massive glacial floods poured over the cliffs 14,000 years ago, making it the mightiest waterfall of all time 400 feet high and 3.5 miles wide. It’s bone dry now, as the glaciers that once covered cheap vacation packages to branson missouri North America cheap vacation packages to branson missouri and then melted are gone.
At the south end of Banks Lake, we headed north on SR 155. I was snoozing when I heard Mom tell Dad to pull over in a wide spot so she could take pictures and check out the view. I wake up to see sheer cliffs towering above both sides of the lake.
Mom reads from the Internet: cheap vacation packages to branson missouri In order to build SR 155 in the 1940s along Banks Lake, a large cut had to be made through the basalt cliffs. It cost a million dollars to create this milelong stretch of highway an astronomical amount of money at the time.
The Upper Grand Coulee is seen from the Million Dollar Mile section cheap vacation packages to branson missouri of the Coulee Corridor. The 900-foot coulee walls contrast cheap vacation packages to branson missouri sharply cheap vacation packages to branson missouri with the waters of Banks Lake in this Ice Age floods-carved coulee.
Here the power of ancient waters is graphically illustrated and reported in the strata of ancient basalt laid down by multiple lava eruptions from millions of years ago and hundreds of miles away. Steamboat Rock, a columnar basalt butte that was once an island in a rerouted Columbia River bed, now towers 800 feet above the surface of Banks Lake.
It’s getting late in the day, so we need to start thinking about dinner (yes!) and a place to spend the night (yes again, I’m a little weary of car travel). Tomorrow we’re going to hike to the top of Steamboat Rock!
My pet parents had visited Grand Coulee Dam’s Visitors Arrival Center previously and decided not to go again. A night laser light show on the face of the dam starts the Saturday of Memorial cheap vacation packages to branson missouri Day weekend.
Steamboat Rock is a massive island of a rock mountain floating on the shore of Banks Lake but accessible by a road. Really? We’re going to hike 800 feet to the top of Steamboat Rock? OK, we can do it!
We parked in the day lot (a Discovery Pass is required in Washington state parks and my pet parents always buy an annual pass) and headed across the road for the trail that begins by going across the lower slope of the rocky butte.
About halfway up, the trail goes along a ledge before heading up again. I was ready to race to the top but had to wait for Mom to catch her breath. She said she wanted to stop and take a photo, and Dad still held the leash; he tends to wander off. It would be so much better if they had four legs instead of two.
We reached the top of Steamboat Rock in about an hour. There are about 600 acres with trails crisscrossing the scablands (another new word). The VIEW! There’s just so much to see in every direction. cheap vacation packages to branson missouri To the west are the Cascade Mountains, to the north is Colville National Forest, stretching to the south is Banks Lake, and to the east are the basalt cliffs.
The wind blew through my fur. I drank water, and Mom and Dad ate their lunch as they sat on a big rock and looked and looked and looked in every direction. Mom kept saying, “I’ve lived in Washington my whole life, and I’ve never seen this beautiful view.”
Before you plan your next road trip adventure with your four-legged friend, visit AAA PetSpot for pet passenger safety tips and other valuable information. Also, take photos while you're out and about and submit them to the AAA PetBook Photo Contest, sponsored by Best Western, at AAA.com/PetBook . The deadline is Nov. 30.