We spent the weekend canoeing the Winchester Wasteway in central Washington.This is a series of water courses, potholes and irrigation channels created by Coolee Dam. The Coolee Corridor Scenic Byway is a shrub-stepped sagebrush plain with talus slopes, sand dunes, and basalt cliffs. Much of the semi-arid desert is now irrigated also by water from the Columbia River. Banks Lake (where our three sons were camped on the weekend) and the Columbia Wildlife Refuge are part of this area.
We loaded up our van Friday night so we could get away early on Saturday morning, leaving plenty of time to explore the remote areas along the wasteway. Since this is primarily hunting and fishing country, most of the roads offer camping spots along the various water-courses. Natural seepage lakes in the pothole area also offer canoeing and camping, although portaging and primitive conditions can make it more difficult.
We enjoyed hiking through sagebrush hills, out onto the prairie, following coyote trails.
We scouted a number of sites before we found this cheerful little glade. This time of year the campsites have seen a season's worth of vacationers and recreationists, some of which have no regard for how they leave the area so we had to clean up our camp before we pitched our tent. Before we left, I took a big garbage bag and picked up all the litter in all three campsites at our location, and cleaned out the restroom. This may seem an extreme measure, but I learned to do it watching my son Rue, who 'prepares' a site with these measures if it is dirty. First thing, he'll clean the outhouse, if there is one.
George enjoyed reading while I set up my cook-station.
My 'country kitchen' was under a tree, near the wonderful sound of water. I sliced up cantalope and strawberries, made hummus, fried some pita bread in olive oil and coarse ground pepper, 
and tossed the avocado salad with red wine vinegar and olive oil.
I served zucchini bread with yogurt and honey...a pleasant lunch before we headed out on the water.
We enjoyed canoeing the Wasteway, getting out from time to time to walk along the water, up onto sand dunes where we could see the sprawl of open country. Some parts of the Winchester Wasteway were burned-out, so not a shred of vitality remained. The shrubs, the Russian olive trees, the sagebrush - all of it blackened and ragged. Whether from lightning or from human carelessness, it sure looked uninviting. We avoided staying in those areas.
I pulled several dark seeds out of this Milkweed pod, and they burst outward like an emergency parachute then drifted away.
It got chilly almost as soon as the sun went down, so we built a little fire in the grill, using small pieces of wood. I couldn't see well enough to cook, so we warmed up some left-over baby back ribs, finished the salad, and made hot cocoa. That little fire, where I could warm my hands, was one of the things I enjoyed most about this trip! We pulled the flaps back over the top of the tent, so that we could gaze at the Milky Way at night, and crawled into bed. Coyotes barked and howled, calling to one another. The creek trickled nearby. Absolute comfort and peace!
We grilled fish and corn the next day, and I made pancakes for breakfast...but, we were so hungry I forgot to take photos. Also, early morning, it is just so cold that you don't bother with extras - you eat the food quickly before it cools down. We secured our camp and went for a long late-morning hike through the sand hills. It was gorgeous out!
Before we broke camp the next day, I picked this little bouquet of miniature sweet-peas and seed pods. Using a band-aid, I wrapped the strands together, then secured it to the branches of a tree. It was my parting gesture to a sweet little spot...which I hope will be clean should we ever return again.
