Fort Spokane to Grand Coulee Dam

Grand Coulee Library, WA

 

 

    The WA25 bridge over the Spokane River arm of Lake Roosevelt, which was created in 1942 when Grand Coulee dam was completed.

 

 

 

 

 

    A look up the Spokane River arm

 

 

 

 

 

    From the Miles Creston Road a view of the confluence of the two arms of Lake Roosevelt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

    The first glimpse of Grand Coulee Dam.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

    Zooming in....

 

 

 

 

 

 

    A photo from the west side of the dam showing it great length: 5223 feet (as compared with Hoover Dam's 1244 feet).

 

 

 

 

 

    The first of three shots showing part of the left (as one look downstream) powerhouse.

 

 

 

 

 

    Panning left, the west power house and the west side of the dam.

 

 

 

 

 

    Most of the dam, the right/east powerhouse, and the Third Powerhouse, which was completed in 1974.

 

 

 

    Grand Coulee Dam as seen from near the Spring Canyon Cemetery under cloudy skies.
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Links:

• Wikipedia article on Grand Coulee Dam
• HistoryLink.Org history of Grand Coulee Dam
• Columbia River History and Purpose of Grand Coulee Dam

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T 22 May Actual Route: Fort Spokane NPS CG - Creston - Wilbur - Grand Coulee Dam - Spring Canyon CG

W 23 May Actual Route: Spring Canyon CG - Grand Coulee - Steamboat Rock State Park - Sun Lakes State Park - Ephrata Walmart

Th 24 May Actual Route: Ephrata Walmart - Quincy - Wenatchee Walmart

F 25 May Actual Route: Wenatchee Walmart - Leavenworth - Nason Crk USFS CG

Sa 26 May Actual Route: Nason Crk USFS CG

Su 27 May Actual Route: Nason Crk USFS CG - Stevens Pass - Sultan - Monroe Safeway

M 28 May Actual Route: Monroe Safeway - Snohomish - Lake Stevens - Arlington bd

T 29 May Actual Route: Arlington bd - Mount Vernon - Mt Vernon RV Pk

W 30 May Route: Mt Vernon RV Pk - Oak Harbor - Ft Casey State Park

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Finding Campgrounds:

• RV Campgrounds from TrailerLifeDirectory.com
• Family Camping Directories from Woodalls.com
• Free campsites website
• Info on finding BLM Campgrounds

N.B. I receive nothing from Trailer Life, Woodalls, or FreeCampsites.net for including links to their free campground lookups.

Albeni Falls Dam to Fort Spokane

Ft Spokane US Park Service Campground

 

    A photo of the dam and powerhouse on the Pend Oreille River, the large outlet of Lake Pend Oreille. Eventually the river turns north and joins the Columbia -- but not until it crosses into Canada.

 

    While the falls should have been called Poirier Falls, this plaque not only explains why it was called Albeni Falls but gives a "bird's-eye view" in a drawing of the falls as they looked in 1887. If there was a spot from which all three falls could be viewed simultaneouly, then Albeni Falls rivaled Shoshone Falls on the Snake River at Twin Falls.

 

 

    Since the dam and powerplant are a U.S. Corps of Engineer project here's another plaque with facts about the operation. [Click once to enlarge; press ESC to return here.]

 

 

 

    The Union Pacific Railroad bridge above Albeni Falls. While eating lunch yesterday along Lake Pend Oreille a long train of empty ore carriers headed east towards Montana -- and it wasn't obeying the 65mph speed limit!

 

 

 

 

    A closer look at the dam itself. I'm guessing that all 10 gates are all closed at the same time.

 

 

 

 

    A sunflower-like wildflower similar to mule's ear flowers in the Sierra Nevade of California.

 

 

 

 

    A photo of an arm of Lake Franklin Rossevelt on the Spokane River, which is the outlet of Lake Coeur d'Alene at Post Falls Idaho. (While this and all which follow were taking in Washington, the six photos above were taken just east of the Idaho border.)

 

 

 

 

    A look down Washington SR25 at Lake Roosevelt.

 

 

 

 

 

 

    A wheat field on the plain of the Spokane River just upstream from Fort Spokane.

 

 

 

    Where there's water, the trees grow -- which is just the opposite of California where most of the forests are in the mountains. And with less water than the Idaho panhandle, the mix is the same, ponderosa pines and Douglas firs, but the percentages are probably 90% pine and 10% fir whereas the wetter parts of the forests around Coeur d'Alene are probably 70% firs and 30% pines.

 

    [Click once to enlarge; press ESC to return here] A brief history of Fort Spokane, established in 1880 in Washington Territory.

 

 

 

 

 

    The Fort Spokane Guard House, now a Visitor Center for Fort Spokane, which is part of the National Park Service's Lake Roosevelt National Recreational Area.

 

 

 

 

    The fort's quartermaster building, one of the three remaining structures which is still standing.

 

 

 

 

    [Click each of the four photos of plaques once to enlarge; press ESC to return here]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Links:

• Brief Wikipedia article and photo of Albeni Falls Dam
• HistoryLink.Org article on Fort Spokane
• Lake Roosevelt National Recreational Area

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Su 20 May Actual Route: Newport, WA, bd - Milan - Chattaroy - Colbert - Spokane - Airway Hts Walmart

M 21 May Actual Route: Airway Hts Walmart - Reardan - Davenport - Fort Spokane NPS Campground

T 22 May Actual Route: Fort Spokane NPS CG - Creston - Wilbur - Grand Coulee Dam - Spring Canyon CG

W 23 May Route: Spring Canyon CG - Grand Coulee - Steamboat Rock State Park - Sun Lakes State Park

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Finding Campgrounds:

• RV Campgrounds from TrailerLifeDirectory.com
• Family Camping Directories from Woodalls.com
• Free campsites website
• Info on finding BLM Campgrounds

N.B. I receive nothing from Trailer Life, Woodalls, or FreeCampsites.net for including links to their free campground lookups.