No internet and sketchy cell so couldn’t post for 2 days.
The drive from Pearrygin State Park to Heyburn State Park was not as impressive as the day before with the exception of the Grand Coulee Dam in Washington. At almost a mile long and 550’ high, the structure, built between 1933 - 1942, is an impressive concrete gravity dam on the Columbia River built to produce hydroelectric power and provide irrigation water. We stopped at the overlook to view one of the largest concrete structures in the world. Unfortunately, the dam did not allow fish passage which had severe negative consequences for the local Native American tribes, hindering the passage of salmon and other fish that the tribes depended on. It also involved relocating 3000 people, including many Native Americans. But on the plus side, the water from the dam irrigates over 671,000 acres of land and delivers electricity to numerous cities. It is the largest power station in the United States. The irrigation benefits the extensive orchards of apples that we passed.
The landscape from Washington crossing into Idaho was varied. It went from flat or rolling hills desert to mountains to lush forests to fields of vegetation. Stopped at a very authentic Mexican restaurant right before our campground destination. Just relaxed in our campsite till evening once we made it to Heyburn Park since we are here for 2 days; we’ll explore tomorrow.
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