Columbia River
Dawn breaks a bit before 8:00 a.m. these days around here, and Stonehenge lay off our port side as we waited our turn to transit the lock at John Day Dam. Not the original one, but a Stonehenge replica was constructed by Sam Hill after World War I as a memorial to all the youth sent into battle and subsequently lost. It stands lonely on a hilltop overlooking the glassy Columbia River. Some say it is as neglected as our memories. We pass it slowly, then lose it from sight on approach to the lock. Abandon ship drills over, Tom McAllister gave us an introduction to Lewis and Clark which set the scene for our trip and the days to come.
After lunch, wildlife became the focus of attention as we cruised through the Blalock Islands. These islands are just the tips of what used to be a much more extensive set of islands before the construction of the John Day Dam increased the water level of the river. They still attract hundreds, if not thousands of waterfowl at this time of year. We saw yodels of loons, covers of coots, gaggles and skeins of geese, jubilees of bald eagles, teams and paddlings of ducks, squawks of gulls, ripples of grebes, gulps of cormorants and even mule deer with racks.
As we approached McNary lock and dam we cruised close to several traditional native fishing platforms. These exact locations are passed down within families from generation to generation, always respected, never disturbed. To catch a fish, a large funnel-shaped net is held by a long pole with the mouth facing downstream, and the "tail" kept up-current by a thin line tied to the platform. When the thin line is seen to move in the slightest, an expert can tell if the time has come to lift the mouth of the net out of the water by hauling the long pole hand over hand as quickly as possible. If one is experienced, owns a good site, or is plain lucky, a large king salmon or "Chinook" making its way up stream could be had for dinner.
Not to be outdone, in the late afternoon the geology of the area rose in magnificent tiers of lava flows. Just as the day turned from dusk into dark, Wallula Gap came into view. William Clark of the Corps of Discovery hiked to the top of Wallula Gap in October of 1804, on the northern side of the river. We can only imagine the relief he must have felt upon looking westward and seeing the white crowns of Mt. Hood and Mt. Saint Helens standing tall in the setting sun. These were the two key landmarks on the map President Jefferson had given them when the expedition set out; a map drawn by William Broughton, a Lieutenant with Captain Vancouver, who in 1792 had traveled up river 100 miles to explore and hopefully claim the great Columbia River for Great Britain. Since the longitude and latitude of these landmarks was by 1804 well known, Lewis and Clark no longer had to guess their own location on the North American continent and the entire Corps of Discovery knew there was an end to their travels, that the great western sea was not too, too far away.
Just as night settled over the calm waters around the Sea Lion, a stark geological formation named "The Captains" or "The Twins" glided by as we prepared to enter the warmth of the lounge for an evening of wine and food tasting.
Dawn breaks a bit before 8:00 a.m. these days around here, and Stonehenge lay off our port side as we waited our turn to transit the lock at John Day Dam. Not the original one, but a Stonehenge replica was constructed by Sam Hill after World War I as a memorial to all the youth sent into battle and subsequently lost. It stands lonely on a hilltop overlooking the glassy Columbia River. Some say it is as neglected as our memories. We pass it slowly, then lose it from sight on approach to the lock. Abandon ship drills over, Tom McAllister gave us an introduction to Lewis and Clark which set the scene for our trip and the days to come.
After lunch, wildlife became the focus of attention as we cruised through the Blalock Islands. These islands are just the tips of what used to be a much more extensive set of islands before the construction of the John Day Dam increased the water level of the river. They still attract hundreds, if not thousands of waterfowl at this time of year. We saw yodels of loons, covers of coots, gaggles and skeins of geese, jubilees of bald eagles, teams and paddlings of ducks, squawks of gulls, ripples of grebes, gulps of cormorants and even mule deer with racks.
As we approached McNary lock and dam we cruised close to several traditional native fishing platforms. These exact locations are passed down within families from generation to generation, always respected, never disturbed. To catch a fish, a large funnel-shaped net is held by a long pole with the mouth facing downstream, and the "tail" kept up-current by a thin line tied to the platform. When the thin line is seen to move in the slightest, an expert can tell if the time has come to lift the mouth of the net out of the water by hauling the long pole hand over hand as quickly as possible. If one is experienced, owns a good site, or is plain lucky, a large king salmon or "Chinook" making its way up stream could be had for dinner.
Not to be outdone, in the late afternoon the geology of the area rose in magnificent tiers of lava flows. Just as the day turned from dusk into dark, Wallula Gap came into view. William Clark of the Corps of Discovery hiked to the top of Wallula Gap in October of 1804, on the northern side of the river. We can only imagine the relief he must have felt upon looking westward and seeing the white crowns of Mt. Hood and Mt. Saint Helens standing tall in the setting sun. These were the two key landmarks on the map President Jefferson had given them when the expedition set out; a map drawn by William Broughton, a Lieutenant with Captain Vancouver, who in 1792 had traveled up river 100 miles to explore and hopefully claim the great Columbia River for Great Britain. Since the longitude and latitude of these landmarks was by 1804 well known, Lewis and Clark no longer had to guess their own location on the North American continent and the entire Corps of Discovery knew there was an end to their travels, that the great western sea was not too, too far away.
Just as night settled over the calm waters around the Sea Lion, a stark geological formation named "The Captains" or "The Twins" glided by as we prepared to enter the warmth of the lounge for an evening of wine and food tasting.
