Edward Bear is off on another grand adventure. Today he and the camper traveled 555 miles from Big Timber, Montana to Coulee City, Washington. Coulee City is on the shore of Banks Lake, one of the irrigation lakes that is part of the Grand Coulee irrigation system. The big lake behind Grand Coulee Dam is called Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake. The dam is the largest power producing dam in the United States. It has three power plants. The dam also is part of a grand scheme to irrigate the formerly dry high country of central Washington to improve food production. You can easily tell where the irrigated fields meet areas that are not irrigated because of the difference in the color. The normal climate around here is very dry and the natural plants are all dormant in the 90+ degree August heat, but the irrigated fields are lush and productive.
The campground has lots to explore with a waterfront filled with birds and a playground filled with children and a marina filled with boats. There are some really big boats in this part of Washington. It is quiet in the campground as there are not too many campers. Most of them are from Washington State, so Edward's South Dakota license plates kind of stand out. That's one thing about traveling with Susan and Ted: they like to get off of the Interstate highway and explore some of the roads that aren't quite as busy. This trip they are driving across Washington State on US Highway 2. It is a good road, but you have to slow down for towns as you travel. Edward likes all of the small towns and thinking about the people who live in them.

Tomorrow Edward will get to see Elliot and Emmala when the camper arrives in Olympia. It is an exciting time!