Dry Falls, Sun Lakes, Wind, Riots & Streakers

You are looking at an old postcard of Dry Falls. I did not remember there being such a big lake at the base of Dry Falls.

And then I looked at some pictures I'd taken years ago to see there is a lake at the base of Dry Falls. The lake in my picture is smaller.

Sun Lakes State Park is very close to Dry Falls. I don't remember if you can drive to the lake at the base of Dry Falls. I do remember dirt roads and hiking in that direction.

When I was a kid camping at Sun Lakes State Park was my favorite of our family camping destinations. I think my favorite thing about staying at Sun Lakes was the regular nightly hurricane like wind. I think the name for it is Zephyr.

Something about the Coulee and the temperature dropping with the setting sun caused an air pressure differential that created a BIG WIND. Sun Lake veterans know to expect this and make sure everything is as secure as possible. I've seen campsites blown totally apart, with the Sun Lakes newcomers in a state of shock.

I don't recollect there being any warning signs about BIG WIND potentials.

When I was in my 20s Sun Lakes was a frequent weekend destination. It had a sort of Spring Break feeling. At times the crowd of twenty-somethings could get a bit rowdy. I remember a night of confrontation with park rangers that turned into a sort of riot. With streakers. I was just an observer. Not a rioter or a streaker.

The Five Natural Wonders of the World You Must See in Washington Before You Die

I recently thumbed through a book titled 1001 Natural Wonders of the World You Must See Before You Die.

I was not too shocked to learn I have not seen very many of the World's Natural Wonders. I've seen 50 of them. That leaves 951 left to see.

Of the 50 Natural Wonders of the World that I have seen, 5 are in Washington.

Some of the Washington choices seemed goofy to me. Of course Mount Rainier and Mt. St. Helens make sense to be on a list of the World's Natural Wonders.

But, the Upper Skagit River Valley? Yes, it's scenic. I used to live in the Lower Skagit River Valley. It's also scenic. Much of the Upper Skagit River is rendered unnatural due to dams.

The other 2 must sees in Washington are The Grand Coulee and Dry Falls. The book claims that Dry Falls is at the center of the Grand Coulee. Now my memory of Washington may be fading, but isn't The Grand Coulee, for the most part, under the Lake Roosevelt reservoir that is formed by Grand Coulee Dam?

Dry Falls is at the terminus of an entirely different Coulee, one that begins at Soap Lake. Maybe I am totally off with my Washington geography memory.

The Columbia Gorge is on the list of the World's Natural Wonders that you need to see. But, the book sticks the Gorge in Oregon. Other Oregon Natural Wonders are Crater Lake and Mount Hood.

Beacon Rock, on the Washington side of the Columbia Gorge, is not on the list. I believe Beacon Rock is the world's 2nd biggest rock monolith, after Mount Gibraltar.

The Olympic Rain Forests are not on the list. Nor is the Olympic National Park section on the Pacific Coast.

Neither Mount Baker, in Washington, or Mount Shasta in California is on the list. But, Mount Lassen, in California, is.

Neither Craters of the Moon, in Idaho, or Lava Beds National Monument, in California, is on the list. But Natural Bridges Caverns in Texas is. Having been to all 3, I would put the moon craters and lava beds on a list of Natural Wonders and leave the alleged Texas wonder off the list.

Sun Lakes State Park & Dry Falls

Sun Lakes State Park was my favorite camping destination in my post-teen years. Sun Lakes was about a 4 hour drive from my location on the west side of the Cascades, in the Skagit Valley.

The campground at Sun Lakes could have a slightly crowded feeling, but I never minded. The campground wasn't the attraction. The beach and the lake, all day long, was the fun thing.

And as the sun went down on a hot day a very strong wind would be an added attraction. Something to do with the canyon's walls and dropping temperatures causing some effect, is it a Venturi effect? I don't remember. What I do remember is watching tents blown over and people panicking who did now know a strong wind was going to arrive.

I do not recollect the park ranger's giving warnings about the wind.

Sun Lakes State Park covers 4,027 acres with 73,640 feet of shoreline. The park is near the base of Dry Falls. Believed to be the biggest waterfall the world has ever known, 10 times bigger than Niagara. Dry Falls is now a 400 feet high cliff, 3.5 miles wide.

I remember my brother and me having fun exploring one of the small coulees (that is Washington speak for canyon) and we ran into a ranger who told us we should go no further because he'd just seen a lot of rattlesnakes in the direction we were headed.

At Sun Lakes you can boat, fish, swim, golf, hike, ride horses or just sun bathe. Sun Lakes State Park is on Route 17 at the head of the Lower Grand Coulee. At the start of the Lower Grand Coulee you'll find Soap Lake.