This farm grows a new kind of crop

 

Weird white things have sprouted up in the desert between Ellensburg and Vantage in recent years.

They're gigantic, yet sleek, with slowly spinning propeller blades.

They're everywhere, dominating a landscape that once boasted little more than sage brush.

They are the windmills of the Wild Horse Wind and Solar Facility owned by Puget Sound Energy.

They can be seen all over the hillsides from I-90, or up close and personal -- and even from the inside -- at the Renewable Energy Center located above the old Vantage Highway that parallels I-90 to the north.

The purpose of this wind "farm" is to produce inexpensive renewable electrical power to help supply the over 1,000,000 customers of Puget Sound Energy who are spread out over 11 Washington counties.

Nestled next to the Renewable Energy Center are solar panels that further boost electrical production.

Visitors to the center can learn about both energy sources through displays set up in partnership with nearby Central Washington University in Ellensburg as well as about the area's human and natural history.

Not only can they see the displays, windmills and solar panels at the center, on a clear day they can take in views of Mount Rainier, Mount Adams and even the top of Oregon's Mount Hood in the distance.

They can also see the Columbia Basin to the east in the direction of Moses Lake from this lofty point.

Visitors can go inside the center from 9 a.m. through 5:30 p.m. daily from April through November, weather permitting.

Free tours with no reservation needed depart daily at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. as weather allows.

Other options are available as well.

You can call ahead and schedule a separate group tour, or fill out a permit and wander around the ridges and valleys and see the windmills on your own.

A look inside the massive windmills is only available with a tour, however.

In order to go inside and see the inner workings you must wear closed toed shoes as well as the hard hats and safety goggles that are provided.

You can also schedule a conference at the center.  It has a meeting room that accommodates 48 people along with a kitchen and catering facilities.

To schedule a tour or a conference, call (509) 964-7815.

It's a breeze.

How to get there:

From the Puget Sound area and the west, travel eastbound I-90 to Ellensburg exit 106.  Follow the exit around and across an overpass to a four-way stop.  Continue on University Way until it becomes Vantage Highway and follow that for 16.5 miles.

From Spokane and the east, travel west on I-90 to Vantage exit 136, take a left onto Vantage Highway and follow it for 10.5 miles.    

From Yakima and the south, go north on I-82 and merge onto eastbound I-90.  Take exit 115 into Kittitas.  Turn right at a "T" onto Patrick Ave., turn left at 81 road then right at Vantage Highway for 10.5 miles.

For all routes, enter through the Wild Horse main gate and continue for three more miles.

Text and photos by Tim Clinton.

 

Dry Falls were mightiest ever

There was a time when Dry Falls was the wettest and biggest falls around.

During the last ice age the Central Washington cliffs roared with a waterfall two and a half times higher and five times wider than Niagara Falls.

In fact they ranked as the mightiest waterfall in the history of the planet at a towering 400 feet high and three and a half miles wide.

The question is where did enough water to form a waterfall this big come from, since even the mighty Columbia River in wetter times would not pack enough punch to power them and carve out the Grand Coulee above.

Scientists agree that it was all done in a matter of weeks and not eons of time as well, although whatever happened may have been repeated several times.

To find the answer, they point to glacial evidence at the site of the present day Grand Coulee Dam, which backs up the Columbia and diverts some of it to form Banks Lake inside the Grand Coulee.  Banks Lake is stopped from flowing over Dry Falls by the Dry Falls Dam.

Then, strangely enough, are the lines on the hillsides above distant Missoula, Mont. that look like ancient shorelines at various levels.

Putting the facts together, it is theorized that a glacier came down and blocked the river at the site of the dam and was much bigger than it, backing up the water all the way to Missoula to form a giant lake.

The pressure eventually broke the ice dam, sending all of that water rushing down the coulee.

It quickly carved out the walls of the coulee and spilled over the site of Dry Falls, turning it into a massive waterfall that dropped into what is now lake basins below.

From there it flowed on down the coulee, over the current Sun Lakes and out into the channeled scab lands by Moses Lake and the Potholes Reservoir and down to the present day Columbia River Gorge and out to the Pacific Ocean.

Backed up water from most of Western North America poured through here at the time, or times.

The Dry Falls Visitor Interpretive Center now stands off to the side of where the falls once thundered, offering a view of the cliffs and the lakes below.

Inside the center visitors can see a video presentation and an artist's interpretation of what the giant falls looked like at their peak.

The daily hours at the center vary throughout the year, and information can be obtained by calling (509) 632-5214.

Sun Lakes-Dry Falls State Park lies below, from which you can look up at the falls.

You can drive through the area, get out, and walk over eight miles of trails.

The lakes boast fishing, with anglers finding rainbow, brown and tiger trout in Dry Falls Lake at the base of the falls.

Swimming, boating and even golfing are available in the state park, which has 152 standard campsites and 40 RV sites.  It also has an amphitheater and climbing walls.

How to get there:

Dry Falls is located off Highway 2, which crosses the Dry Falls Dam above.  Turn south onto Highway 17 to get to the visitors center and head on down to the state park.  The road goes past more of the Sun Lakes and on to join I-90 near Moses Lake.

You can also go north onto Highway 17 from Highway 28, which can be reached from I-90 by Highway 283 near George.

Call (509) 632-5583 for more information on the 3,774-acre state park, which is located at 34875 Park Rd. NE, Coulee City, WA 99115.

Text and photos by Tim Clinton.

It's tulip time in Skagit Valley

It's time to tiptoe through the tulips at the annual Skagit Valley festival.

Well, walk through them. Or at least drive through them on the roads between the fields.

The flowers stretch into the distance in places, offering a splash of color for the eyes each April.

There are reds, yellows, oranges, pinks and purples.

On a clear day snow capped Mount Baker and the Cascades loom over the scene, which also features rustic barns and sheds as well as stately trees.

Three fourths of the commercial tulips in the United States are grown in the Skagit Valley, which has some 1,000 acres dedicated to tulips and daffodils.

Most are in a 15-mile triangle bordered by Highway 20, the Skagit River and the Swinomish River Channel.

Mount Vernon serves as the headquarters and turning point off Interstate 5 and it is located 60 miles north of Seattle.

Two farms are open for the public to tour for a price in RoozenGaarde and Tulip Town, with tickets in advance online including parking.

RoozenGaarde features 25 acres of tulips and 20 acres of daffodils, plus a five acre display garden.

Tulip Town has three acres of flowers plus a kite flying field, a trolley to ride included in the price of admission (if weather permits) and a cafe.

The price of admission at RoozenGaarde is $15.00 per person with children age 2 and under admitted for free.

Tulip Town costs $16.29 per person age 12 and over, but it is only $7.60 for ages 6-11 and free for ages 5 and under.

There is now no mask mandate at either location.  Pets and drones are not permitted.

The daffodils have been out for some time, while the tulips are starting to bloom already and should reach their peak in the middle of April.

How to get there:

The Skagit Valley Tulip Festival runs an office in Mount Vernon open 9-5 daily in April.  It is located at 311 W. Kincaid Street, Mount Vernon, WA 98273 with a phone number of (360) 428-5959.

RoozenGaarde is located at 15867 Beaver Marsh Road in Mount Vernon and Tulip Town also has a Mount Vernon address of 15002 Bradshaw Road.

Or you can take Mount Vernon exit 225 or 226 and follow the Tulip Festival signs out to the roads among the fields to the west of town.

Text and top photo by Tim Clinton, bottom photo by Jeff Clinton.