Mosier, Oregon.

On last week’s Travel Tuesday, I introduced you to the Columbia Gorge Scenic Byway that features but a sampling of the many waterfalls in the region. The byway also provides wonderful views of the Columbia River as the highway follows the bends of the river. When you get far enough east, you will find yourself back on I-84 at mile marker 35. To see more scenic views of the region, though, be sure to exit I-84 at exit 69 near the city of Mosier.

There you can pick up US Highway 30 again and continue on your way. You won’t find any waterfall stops on this section, and you will find only views of the countryside and that beautiful Columbia River. It’s only about 17 miles (27 km) of the scenic highway from Mosier to The Dalles where Highway 30 ends and you can rejoin the Interstate on your way eastward.

There are two scenic pull-offs that you must not miss. The Rowena Crest Viewpoint provides spectacular views of the gorge. The opening photo features a westerly view from there. You can also see how closely US Highway 30 parallels the river at some points.

If you look in a direction opposite the river, though, you will find what is probably the most photographed section of the scenic highway. At this point, the highway makes a large horseshoe bend as it winds its way through the Oregon countryside. I may have implied that the scenic highway travels in parallel to the Columbia River, but much of US 30 is inland at this point, part of which is in or near Mayer State Park. The park entrance is and, from there, much of the remaining ride on US Highway 30 is again along the river.

At another viewpoint near Rowena Crest, the Memaloose Overlook, you can see an island on the Columbia River with a tall monument on it. Memaloose Island Rest Stop on I-84 has a plaque with the history of the island. Of course, you won’t see the plaque because you’ll be on Highway 30, the scenic byway. I am happy to share the story with you, information about the island via the Internet.

In 1805 and 1806, Lewis and Clark’s expedition explored islands along the Columbia. They found many islands contained the remains of Native Americans. At that time, their dead were not buried but were wrapped in robes, placed in canoes or cedar vaults, and placed in the woods or on islands in the river.

On this island, when Lewis and Clark passed by, they found thirteen sepulchers on the rock. They named the island “Sepulcher Island.” Eventually, the name was changed to “Memaloose” which is derived from a Chinook word meaning “to die.”

Quoting from that placard, “The lone monument visible on Memaloose Island marks the grave of Victor Trevitt, a pioneer printer, businessman, state legislator, and friend of the Indians. Trevitt requested burial here among the people he loved. Ironically, water rising behind the Bonneville Dam prompted the relocation of Indian graves during the 1930s, but Victor Trevitt’s grave remains.”

For hikers, across the road from the parking lot at the Memaloose Overlook, there is a 3.5 mile (5.6 km) trail. The trailhead is unmarked, but the path and hike details are here. The out-and-back hike is rated Easy and it is open year-round, but the article recommends April or May for spectacular views of wildflowers in bloom.

John Steiner

Columbia River, Washington.

Washington state depends upon its many rivers for both irrigation and electrical generation. There are over 1100 dams in Washington, mostly small, under 50 feet (15 m) tall, earthen, and used for irrigation. According to Wikipedia, there are 49 dams in the state that are hydroelectric, mostly operated by Public Utility Districts (PUD). In addition to electric generation, many PUDs also provide other community services such as communications, water, sewer, and other typical utilities. The PUDs serve about a million residents of the state in 26 counties. My opening image this week features the Rocky Reach Dam on the Columbia River.

The dam, located about 7 miles (11 km) north of Wenatchee, Washington, features a beautiful park and visitor center. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, the visitor center is closed and the children’s play areas are cordoned off, however, the park is open and on a beautiful day, we stopped and wandered through the well-manicured gardens.

One of the items on display is a turbine blade that was removed at the end of its useful life. A complete set of placards surround the turbine that describes details of how the electrical generation system operates.

A wider view of the dam shows a larger view of the park. Some of the more interesting displays feature facts about the environmental impact of hydroelectric dams and the mitigations they provide to ensure the safe passage of fish as they migrate on the river.

About an hour north of Rocky Reach Dam on the Columbia River, another PUD park at Chelan features the Wells Dam. The dam is a Corps of Engineers responsibility that generates about 800 megawatts. Contracts provide for the sale of power to several of Washington state’s utility providers. The design of the Wells Project is unique in that the generating units, spillways, switchyard, and fish passage facilities are combined into a single structure referred to as the hydrocombine.

In 1990, the plant went through a turbine replacement project that upgraded the design of the ten turbine blade sets for a more efficient and (safer for the fish) improved design. One of the older blades was mounted in the park for display. In addition to safer turbine designs, a “fish ladder” system was added that allowed better passage for juvenile fish. Adjacent to the dam,  the Wells Hatchery raises many types of fish native to the area that are introduced into the state’s ecosystem. The hatchery has been in operation since 1967.

The operation is successfully replenishing many varieties of fish. According to the Douglas County PUD website, “Currently, annual production at the Wells Fish Hatchery includes 408,000 yearling ESA-listed summer steelhead, 804,000 yearling and sub-yearling summer Chinook, 5,000 juvenile white sturgeon, and 20,000 pounds of trout, kokanee and land locked Chinook.” You can read more about the dam and hatchery here.

The largest of the power generating dams in Washington state is the Grand Coulee Dam. To give you some comparison, Grand Coulee generates over 6,800 megawatts of power, actually three times the output of Nevada’s Hoover Dam. We didn’t get a chance to stop at Grand Coulee, and given the current state of the pandemic, we wouldn’t have been able to go through the visitor center anyway. We’ll save that trip for another year. In the meantime, I submit for your review a gallery of images captured at both Rocky Reach and Wells Dam parks.

John Steiner