Bretzland, and beyond...
May 16, 2026
Skydiving osprey at the confluence earlier this week…
A much anticipated trip, and a smattering of notes
I’m out the door, in a couple hours, on my way with a dear friend of the family to Audrey’s graduation ceremony (of her Master’s degree in therapy) at Lewis & Clark College in Portland tomorrow. That all went by fast—the raising of a magnificent young woman who now (gently) encourages me to be brave and points me toward important pieces to read and songs to boot. Seems like only yesterday we were co-creating father/daughter notes during a spring walk through the Finch Arboretum.
In case you’re wondering, that’s me in the purple ink; her in the green. From June 2002.
More recently, Audie and her not so little brother, Devin, were game to explore some of the back roads of the Columbia Basin with me during my Beautiful Wounds travels (2012 thru 2022). Definitely quality time. The book was published around the centennial of geologist J Harlen Bretz’s intense exploration and mapping of the channeled scablands of the Columbia Plateau, during which the famous earth scientist spent two summers based in Spokane—basically as a guest of the Lewis & Clark High School science faculty.
With so much coming into bloom, now, mid-May to mid-June is really good time to visit Bretzland. and there’s much more on the venues and history at my Rhubarb Skies website in the Field Notes section. It’s hard to pick a favorite place to hike this time of year, but based on his field notes I think Bretz would choose Northrup Canyon—not far from Steamboat Rock in upper Grand Coulee. (As you drive along state highway 155, near Steamboat Rock, there’s a small sign for the turn off to Northrup Canyon.( But, heck, try several if you have time this spring and let me know what you think
Rock creek, tumbling through the rugged scabland terrain in western Whitman County
For the near future, I’ll be continuing to report on the West Plains PFAS pollution saga which, as you can probably tell, is as much a story about government secrecy as it is about the fiendish toxin.For me it is reminiscent of Hanford in the 1980s, in which expensive, nutrient-free paragraphs are crafted, at no small expense, by cautious spokespersons and legal advisors.
More on that later, but for your calendar the West Plains Water Coalition will be hosting an event this coming Monday evening (5/18) to provide information on how the widespread PFAS contamination affects homeowners and prospective buyers in the West Plains real estate market. The event—7 p.m. at the Hilton Garden Inn just north of the Spokane International Airport on Highway 2—features a presentation by Spokane County deputy assessor Joe Hollenback.
West Plains Water Coalition founder John Hancock with Spokane Riverkeeper director Katie Thompson at an award ceremony for the three-year old coalition at the Finch Arboretum in late April
Speaking of the coalition, the three year-old non-profit recently received the 2026 Washington State Volunteer Service Award, presented by Serve Washington.
The coalition’s founder, John Hancock, was a recent guest on KSPS’s At Issue podcast—which you can find here. The interview (posted yesterday) covers a lot of ground and offers a through primer on the West Plains PFAS problem and the efforts underway to address it.
Today’s post is free for everybody, but please to support this project please consider an annual subscription to The Daily Rhubarb at the link above, tx
Finally, yesterday, the Pacific Northwest Inlander broke news of a settlement in which Dr. Bob Lutz, the former Spokane County health director, will receive a $1.65 million settlement for wrongful termination from the Spokane Regional Health District in 2020. Since being wrongly dismissed by the district Dr. Lutz has become a health advisor to the West Plains Water Coalition.
All for now. Enjoy your weekend, wherever you wander.
—tjc
