With the drawdown of Lake Wanapum behind Wanapum Dam on the Columbia River, thanks to a huge crack found in the dam, some of North Central Washington’s scenery has taken on a different look. The river looks narrower, there’s a “bathtub ring” visible on the rock walls, and there is quite a bit of exposed river bed. Here are a few photos from the popular Crescent Bar area.
(Click to enlarge)
Just north of Crescent Bar, the waterline is very recognizable on the rock walls and there are several rocks exposed that usually sit below the water.
As we dropped down into Crescent Bar, I found the odd look of that exposed riverbed a bit surprising. It resembles an ocean beach at low tide in a lot of ways.
Like most of us, I’m used to seeing the marina at Crescent Bar as one of the social hot spots with boats and jet skis coming in and out at all hours. The look of it now is more than just a little unusual.