Columbia Hills (wa100.dnr.wa.gov)Columbia Hills State Park is a 3,338 acre park on the banks of the Columbia River in southern Washington. The park is bordered on the north by DNR’s equally large Columbia Hills Natural Area Preserve, where hikers can climb to the top of the ridge to enjoy scenic views from Stacker Butte. The area gives a sense of the rich geologic and cultural history of the Columbia River Basin and provides gorgeous views of yellow arrowleaf balsamroot-carpeted hillsides during the spring wildflower bloom. Rock climbers and geologists alike can appreciate Horsethief Butte, whereas those looking to fish, swim, and enjoy a day in the sun will find an ideal day use area at Horsethief Lake. A trip to this area gives visitors the opportunity to learn about geology while enjoying a relaxing weekend excursion.
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Ayn Rand (Wikipedia)Alice O’Connor (born Alisa Zinovyevna Rosenbaum; February 2 [O.S. January 20], 1905 – March 6, 1982), better known by her pen name Ayn Rand (/aɪn/), was a Russian-born American writer and philosopher. She is known for her fiction and for developing a philosophical system she named Objectivism. Born and educated in Russia, she moved to the United States in 1926. After two early novels that were initially unsuccessful and two Broadway plays, she achieved fame with her 1943 novel, The Fountainhead. In 1957, Rand published her best-known work, the novel Atlas Shrugged. Afterward, until her death in 1982, she turned to non-fiction to promote her philosophy, publishing her own periodicals and releasing several collections of essays.