Birthdays, Waterfalls and Lava Lamps

Well, what do you know? It's my Birthday! The big 42! Oh Gads! I feel absolutely ancient! I actually thought I was going to be 43, so I've gotten a year for free. What more could a person want?

I just returned from a short trip to The Middle Of No Where, Wa., aka, Soap Lake, Wa. Soap Lake is so named because of the soapy feel that is left on your skin from the lake water. On windy days, a pretty sizable head of sudsy foam forms on the lake as though some prankster had added detergent to the local fountain. The reason for such is the high concentration of minerals, primarily sodium, bicarbonate, sulfate, carbonate, chloride and potassium, which make the water "soft" rather than the calcium salts which make normal water "hard".

Among area Indian tribes, the waters of Soap Lake have long been known to be "healing waters" and a "fountain of youth". Urs and I had intended to partake in the benefits of the lake, and while the somewhat stinky odor didn't sway our decision, having to wade through the thick mud just to get to the water, did. We chose to partake in the resort pool instead.

An interesting side note... most of the older homes in the town of Soap Lake have plumbing for both regular drinking water and lake water for medicinal bathing.

While the temperatures were in the mid 90's, the park was very cool and shady. We had an unobstructed view of the lake from our site.

What many people don't know about Washington State is that prior to the Ice Age, approx. 12-17 million years ago, the eastern half of the state was constantly being covered up with lava that erupted out of cracks in the earth's crust. It is thought that up to 300 layers of lava covered the area. The lava cooled into basalt rock. Here is a photo of Columnar Basalt. It's very cool looking stuff. The rock columns are used quite a bit in architectural features in this area.
Next came the Ice Age in which glacial ice moved south into what is now the United States. The ice formed a huge dam in the area of Northern Idaho and Montana which blocked the rivers and created a huge three thousand square mile lake. At some point, the ice dam gave way, releasing a huge fury of water which rushed at 60mph across Eastern Washington, down the Columbia River Gorge, into the Willamette Valley around Portland, Or, and finally, out into the Pacific Ocean. The force was so great, it created a channel in the sea bed which is still evident today. This event, of varying degrees, is thought to have taken place several times.

As the massive wall of water rushed across the state, it broke apart the cracked and fragile basalt rock, creating massive valleys known as Coulees. Grand Coulee Dam, about 50 miles north of where we were, was built across one of these huge Ice Age valleys.
Some areas, such as where I live, were blessed with the deposit of rich soil for farming. Other areas, such as Soap Lake and most of Central Washington, was pretty much scrubbed clean by the flood waters and all that remains is desert dotted by lakes and resevorours, popular with families and sportsmen.

What is also here is Dry Falls State Park. As the name suggests, Dry Falls no longer carries water, but is the remnant of what was once the largest waterfall known to have existed on earth. Viewing the 3.5 miles of sheer cliffs that drop 400 feet, it is easy to imagine the roar of water pouring over them. (Niagara Falls by comparison, is one mile wide with a drop of 165 feet).This view shows about a third of the falls.

Ok... I know, this is all so very exciting... but wait! Here's the best part! What does a small town like Soap Lake do to bring prosperity and fame to the town? Lets review... the "downtown" is about 4 blocks long, it sits in the middle of miles of tumble weeds and basalt rock, and is on a lake that has no fish, is surrounded by mud and makes your skin feel slimy if you get into it.


Hmmmm.... what to do??? How about putting a 60' Lava Lamp in the center of downtown? Seems someone heard that the Target Corporation had a huge lava lamp attached to a building at Times Square in New York City. After Target Corp. was finished with their lava lamp, they went looking for a new home for it, and the town of Soap Lake was the happy recipient.

So here is their vision... build it and they will come. In fact, they hope people will come from all over the world to see their lava lamp. Unfortunately, while ground has been broken, the lamp won't be installed until sometime next year.

Guess I'll just have to go back! I've seen the World's Largest Frying Pan, but I think this will top even that! Remember, you heard it here first!