This was an early November visit to Central Washington for my first hike on the East side of the Columbia River this year. The day was cloudy but with higher and thinner clouds rather than the typical low lying clouds which cover the entire sky in Seattle and nice temperatures. Ancient Lake is an old bottom area formed during the end of the Ice Age as coulees were formed throughout this part of Washington. A pair of mesas running East to West provided a nice alley punctuated by a quartet of pothole lakes at the coulee cul-de-sac. Everything was brown with other hints of muted greens and typical desert colors of Autumn; very scenic but not with the obvious beauty of a desert in springtime bloom. The water wasn't exactly flowing but there were still several nice waterfalls along the way including the signature falls into the last pothole lake. The photos:
It's nice to know others enjoy this lind of terrain. After learning about the ice age floods I hiked here twice and loved it. Hope to return this year. I have some floods-related galleries too---for West Bar, Crater Coulee, and Dry Coulee. Happy hiking. You're on my list of favorites.
The desert is a subtle beauty that doesn't really awe you. But with time it becomes easier to appreciate. Of course, by definition a desert also has that lack of precipitation thing going for it which makes it an attractive place to be, especially if you are from the West side of the Cascades.
Eric. You've really captured the beauty of this area....about 20 miles from where I grew up. It's amazing, when young I thought this area was ugly and devoid of any beauty. Now, I can't wait to travel home especially during the summer when you can drive with windows open and smell the sage. You've done it justice and created a great collection of images!! Daniel.