We are happily driving along the Columbia River, heading toward the Grand Coulee Dam and envious of the gorgeous flat water for boating.  A benefit of traveling in a VW Westy Camper Bus is the convenience of stopping for a picnic whenever you want. so even if we can’t be on the water we can enjoy being next to the water when we stop for a picnic lunch in the park-like grounds of a rest area at Electric City just west of the dam.

Pulling into the rest area, we are intrigued by a fenced area about 50 feet square that is filled with a variety of contraptions with moving parts – windmills and whirlgigs. A sign identifies the “Gehrke Windmill Garden”.  Apparently a resident of Electric City, Mr. Emil Gehrke, contrived these contraptions from scrap, displaying them in his back yard. After his death, a group of locals established this roadside attraction.

Read more about it and see more pictures here.