Art Chowder November | December, Issue 24 | Page 14

N
ora has completed the 800-foot hike
up Steamboat Rock for breathtaking views
of Grand Coulee, Banks Lake, and the
Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest in
the distance. “The first part going up is
treacherous … lots of loose rocks to climb
on.” Spanning 600 acres, this basalt butte has
a meandering trail through the vegetation,
over flat ground. “I remember it before it
became a park.”
Some locations Nora portrays of the
Columbia Basin aren’t there anymore, or
are drastically different, such as her original
oil, Down by the River. “When I grew up
in the 1960s, I remember going with my
grandmother and great aunt to walk along
the shores of the Columbia River. We would
enjoy the fresh river air and just being
together for that time. This was before the
masses of rocks were placed along the shore
to prevent erosion. Now it is unattainable,
at least from that location, and prevents
walking next to the smooth but turbulent
water. We would follow a small path through
the prickly blackberry bushes that lead to the
sandy beach. When the river was low, three
rocks could be seen, which were known as
the Coyote stepping stones. Coyote could
then cross the river.”
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ART CHOWDER MAGAZINE