John Day Dam
This was the first day of our trip along the Columbia River. The morning was perfect as we traveled through the lock and dam system that has changed the river dramatically over the past 5 decades. We made our way up through the John Day lock, the largest single chamber in the world, just after sunrise.
As we looked back west the majestic Mt. Hood showed off pink alpenglow from a fresh coating of snow it received during the first fall storm that had swept the Pacific Northwest. Mt. Hood and the other Cascade mountains are the barrier for the storms that move off of the Pacific Ocean and dump their large amounts of moisture on the west side of the mountains.
We would be moving along the Columbia on the east side of this great barrier and so would be on the dry side. All around us were scrub oaks, big sage, and the cheat grasses of the eastern steppe that makes up much of eastern Washington and Oregon.
The ship moved east as we enjoyed viewing the differences from west to east. We heard about Lewis and Clark and their journey along the great river of the west. During the afternoon we had the chance to make a expeditionary stop just below and in view of Mc Nary Dam, the second to be built on the lower Columbia after Bonneville. We had a few minutes to walk around the Mc Nary Wildlife Refuge while a few tugboats ahead of us in line transited the lock on the dam. Once we made it through we continued east towards the Snake River and more experiences.
This was the first day of our trip along the Columbia River. The morning was perfect as we traveled through the lock and dam system that has changed the river dramatically over the past 5 decades. We made our way up through the John Day lock, the largest single chamber in the world, just after sunrise.
As we looked back west the majestic Mt. Hood showed off pink alpenglow from a fresh coating of snow it received during the first fall storm that had swept the Pacific Northwest. Mt. Hood and the other Cascade mountains are the barrier for the storms that move off of the Pacific Ocean and dump their large amounts of moisture on the west side of the mountains.
We would be moving along the Columbia on the east side of this great barrier and so would be on the dry side. All around us were scrub oaks, big sage, and the cheat grasses of the eastern steppe that makes up much of eastern Washington and Oregon.
The ship moved east as we enjoyed viewing the differences from west to east. We heard about Lewis and Clark and their journey along the great river of the west. During the afternoon we had the chance to make a expeditionary stop just below and in view of Mc Nary Dam, the second to be built on the lower Columbia after Bonneville. We had a few minutes to walk around the Mc Nary Wildlife Refuge while a few tugboats ahead of us in line transited the lock on the dam. Once we made it through we continued east towards the Snake River and more experiences.
