It would be no exaggeration to say that I’ve passed the sign for the Ginkgo Petrified Forest State Park on Interstate 90 in Washington state hundreds of times…but I’ve never stopped. Why? No time to stop, I-90 meant one of two things…getting to Seattle, or getting to Spokane. No time for sight-seeing. That all changed with our mid-June trip up to Spokane, we went the long way (so we could stop in Yakima) and I finally got to visit. Let’s just say the word “forest” is a little misleading. Sure there was once a forest, but not anymore.
That great vintage sign above is not visible from the Interstate, it's for a gem shop capitalizing on the traffic to the “forest”…they even had a pet...
What the park lacked in “forest” it made up for in views. This is the mighty Columbia River…
From the Washington State Parks website…“The park was set aside as a historic preserve when remains of a fossil forest were unearthed during highway construction in the 1930s. Petrified wood from many different trees are common in the area, but specimens of petrified Ginkgo are rare. Many buildings on the premises owe their origin to the work of the 1930s Civilian Conservation Corps.”
The bridge across the river (below) is Interstate 90. When I lived in Seattle I used to make this drive every few months, heading back to Spokane to see my family. It gets very hot in the middle of the state and since my car had no air conditioning crossing the river was the coolest part of the whole trip!
Such character…
I think I’m going to have to start collecting pictures of “danger” signs!
In addition to bits of petrified wood (which you’ll see) there were also petroglyphs at the park. Removed from their original location (shown in the photo below) and reassembled here they looked a little “staged” (fake?), but still impressive.
Here’s the wood…
It really was quite beautiful.
Yikes! What about that rock stuck in my shoe?
There were a couple of live Gingko trees too, there had to be right?
I kept returning to stare at the river and the interesting plants growing along the cliff.
Finally inside the visitor’s center I found the promised petrified Ginkgo.
And even a leaf fossil!
Gorgeous photos! Thanks for the tour :)
ReplyDeleteYou are oh so welcome...
DeleteBeautiful! You take us to all the coolest places. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAll in a days work...
DeleteThat is breathtaking! I went to the petrified forest place in California once and loved it.
ReplyDeleteWere there petrified palm trees? (that's a joke...)
DeleteI wish! actually on the Gulf Islands you can find some really cool palm fossils in the rocks along the ocean! I will take some pics on my next trip out.
DeleteCOOL want to go!
ReplyDeleteAnd you shall! (if you ever find yourself on the other side of the country).
DeleteI'm so glad you stopped since I don't know central Washington State well at all. The views of the river are fantastic, and I loved the bits and pieces of petrified wood. Very cool!
ReplyDeleteGlad you enjoyed it, the view as you drive down through the gorge is breathtaking!
DeleteI collected rocks as a child, and anybody who had a bit of petrified wood was held in high esteem.
ReplyDeleteSeeing it in big chunks like that is impressive, as are the views. (I didn't think you could get cars without AC anymore.)
Just think how cool you would have been with a whole petrified log!
Delete(the car was bought as a stripped down oh-so-basic Geo Metro when I lived in Seattle. I wanted transportation but had to park on the street in a very urban area...something small, reliable, that nobody wanted to steel was just the ticket! Oh and we're talking about the mid 90's too, so that was a while back)
Loree, your photos are beautiful !
ReplyDeleteThank you, but I can't take all the credit. The sky really helped out with the dramatic clouds and lighting!
DeleteYour pics are awesome........I have a couple good size pieces of petrified wood that I bought in Eastern Oregon. It one of my favorite things to add into a garden.
ReplyDeleteThis is going to sound a little weird but if I had one of those pieces of petrified wood in my garden I would be fondling it all the time. The smooth glassy feel is just amazing!
DeleteGreat tour! I would have never guessed we had petrified ginko in our region. I love the fossil! Great views of the Columbia! Cheers, Jenni
ReplyDeleteYou just never know...
DeleteIsn't it crazy how we can drive past something like that for years before finally stopping to check it out? It's amazing how different the Columbia looks out there!
ReplyDeleteIt really is. Last weekend we visited another one of those spots just a couple miles from our house. Why did it take so long??
DeleteIt's a stunning looking place Loree, and those petrified wood looks gorgeous!
ReplyDeleteStunning is the perfect word to describe the area!
DeleteI am glad you stopped long enough to grab some photos for us to enjoy. Sometimes those odd roadside attractions are worth a visit. I like that the water was still enough to reflect the clouds, but I always had an image in my mind of the Columbia to be rough and tumble with Lewis and Clark careening their way to the Pacific.
ReplyDeleteSorry to mess with your long standing image Les, I'll have to find one of those "rough and tumble" spots and take some photos for you!
DeleteThank you very much for the walkabout. Fascinating post and you give q sense of being right there. Great shots of the river. Flickr material. Thanks much
ReplyDeleteThank you Patrick!
DeleteWhy have I not been here? Fantastic! Love the signs, and the reflection on the water. Just gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteWell I don't know! Perhaps there is a little road trip coming up in your future?
DeleteWhat a cool place. Even the sign is awesome! Bizarrely we have some prettified wood pieces around the yard. the old owner must have gotten it from somewhere and left it behind, because it isn't native rock. Love the ginkgo leaf fossils.
ReplyDelete