August 10, 2007

August 10, 2007

We are still on Chicago time so we rise early, stop at the local grocery to stock our trip, and head east on I90. It is chilly, but a nice break from the heat and humidity torturing the Midwest. From Seattle we head up into the pine forested Cascade Mountain range. Along the way we pullover at a rest stop where we learn that George McClellan as a young army officer surveyed this pass over the mountains. Many of the Civil War names had spent their early careers in the West either fighting Indians or scouting unknown territory.

Descending from the Cascades we enter Washington State’s eastern half. Rain clouds must never make it past the mountains, as this area is a sagebrush desert landscape. We had planned on driving to Grand Coulee today but we stopped along the way at Gingko Petrified Forest State Park in Vantage, WA. I couldn’t pass up a fossil site! Good thing as it was pretty interesting. The visitor center was small and poorly staffed but very informative nonetheless. Gingkoes and I go way back. My father loved trees and had what seemed like one of everything in our yard including four gingko trees. I just thought gingko was another common yard tree. It turns out Gingkoes are a primeval tree that had gone extinct in North America and would have disappeared from the planet except for the Chinese who cultivated the tree in their gardens for medicinal and religious purposes. The gingko is one of the few trees that have separate male and female versions.

Gingko leaf fossils are common but this park is the only place in the world where its petrified wood has ever been discovered. Fourteen million years ago this area was a temperate forest with a lot of volcanic activity. A volcano blast must have knocked trees down and then quickly buried them under a massive lava flow. The trees rather than decaying became mineralized. Erosion by the Columbia River is now exposing these once-buried fossils. After touring the visitor center and watching their film we hike a trail that winds thru these barren hills past petrified trees that have been partially uncovered. Although the hike is mostly uninteresting we need the exercise and it is a good warm-up for the future.

On the way out of town we stop at a Wild Horse Memorial that Aimee saw on a postcard. It is a set of metal sculptures that sit atop a hill overlooking the Columbia River gorge. We hike to the hilltop for a good view of the area. Afterwards we drive a little further east and get the last spot at a private campground in Ephrata, WA.