Our trek to Fairbanks, Alaska (population 32,515) was 3,590 miles long. We intentionally took 45 days to get there, choosing to experience the drive by camping a minimum of 3 days at each stop. This is the first of 15 blogs, which capture each of those travel legs and stops. Where appropriate, I’ve included pictures and narratives of our campsites, roadside and destination highlights, significant hikes, and moments when, dare I say, “shit happened.” Overall, this drive was filled with unexpected thrills and excitement, ranging from breath-taking scenery to hospital visits. Enjoy!
Our first stop was at Vantage Riverstone Resort in Vantage, WA (population 54). Many RV Parks now use the word “resort” instead of “park,” but very rarely are any of them resorts by our definition. This park was no exception. We had a standard full hook-up site with a beautiful view of the Columbia River Gorge, but otherwise, there were no features resembling a resort. Registration, office, and camp store were all still on winter hours, meaning you called the posted number for the manager to drive over, unlock the door, and provide needed services. Not uncommon really, just required some mental adjustment.
Despite the small size of Vantage, we spied a coffee shop on the way to the campground and were pleasantly surprised at the quality of the entire operation. Riverview Espresso was a women-owned and operated business not yet even a year old. They had renovated an old gas station building (still had to get a key to open the exterior restroom doors) and created a cozy, restful environment. We had our usual with them each morning. The drinks were exceptional, and it was encouraging to see nearby I-90 providing them with plenty of thirsty and hungry customers. We wished them continued success. What a great find!
We discovered the 7,124 acre Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park was located less than a mile from our site. We spent much of our first morning in the Interpretive Center learning the history of the area, understanding what led to the creation of a petrified forest in such an unlikely place, and perusing the interesting displays of artifacts. The process began during the late Miocene Era (23.03 to 5.33 million years ago). Then, the Columbia Basin was significantly subsided due to tectonic forces and the area was covered by lakes, swamps, and forests in a wet and humid landscape. Over an 11 million year period (16.7 to 5.5 million years ago), the basin was repeatedly flooded by lava from the CBR (Columbia River Basalt) eruptions. The CBRs covered 81,000 square miles and filled the basin with 50,000 cubic miles of basalt, 13,000′ at its deepest. Mud flows associated with the CBRs carried trees from many areas to the, basin where they were buried under lava. The lava cooled quickly because of the basin moisture, thus preventing the trees from burning, but they were entombed. Subsequently, the entombed tree wood fossilized over millions of years.
Jumping forward in time 15,000 years ago, Ice Age glaciers dammed the Clark Fork River basin in eastern Idaho and western Montana creating Glacial Lake Missoula. The surface of this massive lake was at 4,206′, covered 3,000 square miles, and at its deepest was 2,000 feet. The lake contained a water volume equivalent to the combination of today’s Lakes Erie and Ontario. The Clark Fork River ice dam melted and failed more than 40 times over a 2,000 year period, and each time the contents of Glacial Lake Missoula flooded across Montana, Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. Research has shown that initial flood waters were 300′ high and travelled as fast as 80 mph for two days, before the entire lake emptied in a week. These flood disasters repeatedly scored the land, exposed many petrified trees, and carved the Columbia River basin we see today.
Around 1927, highway construction workers were the first to notice exposed petrified trees. Geologist George F. Beck organized excavations, and these were completed by the Civilian Conservation Corps. Petrified Ginkgo Trees were discovered in 1932. This species is highly unique in that specimens 200 million years old have been found on earth, and this primitive tree still thrives today in some of earth’s harshest terrains and climates. A small museum and park opened to the public in 1938, and the park was registered as a National Landmark in October 1965. A man named Frank Walter Bobo, a self-proclaimed “desert rat” who loved digging for artifacts, was commissioned to collect, saw, and polish many petrified specimens for the museum. The current center sits atop basalt formations from the Museum Lava Flow.
Here are some of Bobo’s commissioned pieces.
In 1963, the Wanapum Dam was constructed on the Columbia River four miles downstream of Vantage. The Wanapum people had fished and farmed in the valley since the end of the Ice Age and carved over 300 petroglyphs into the basalt cliffs. Many petroglyphs were salvaged before being flooded by waters upstream of the new dam and brought to the museum grounds for display.
As part of the park experience, we hiked the 1.2-mile Trees of Stone Interpretive Trail located two miles west on Vantage Highway. The trail passed beside over 20 petrified tree specimens. Each specimen lay in a shallow excavation with masonry walls and a steel grate cover. The cover protected the specimens from exposure and vadalism but made taking pictures difficult. There was a small placard in each, which identified the tree species and showed a sketch of its leaves. We followed a provided map to ensure we saw everything; however, except for the benefits of exercising and pretty flora, the displays were a disappointment. The trail and excavations suffered from erosion and a lack of maintenance. Had we been botanists, perhaps we’d have had a better appreciation.
On the second day, I hiked about 4 miles of the Jacknife Road Loop Trail high above the river. The trail wound through a sage brush landscape littered with basalt rocks and scenic views of cliff formations and the Columbia several 100 feet below.
I was surprised to see a Mountain Goat just before turning back. Thankfully, it was unbothered by my presence and gave me time for several pictures and a short video.
We departed Vantage on day 3 with fresh mugs of Riverview coffee for the road. This stop turned out to be unexpectedly enjoyable and was a precursor to great times ahead.
