Celilo Railroad Bridge, Columbia River
This morning we woke up on the Columbia, the “Great River of the West,” near the McNary Dam. After descending about seventy-five feet, we proceeded down river through the wine region of eastern Washington and Oregon. Basalt cliffs and golden grasslands were interspersed with irrigated vineyards and orchards.
At about one hundred five feet, the lock at John Day Dam has the greatest vertical lift of any lock chamber in the world. The downriver closure is a massive guillotine gate, used extensively during the 1960’s (John Day was opened in 1968), but not often used since due to high maintenance costs. It weighs over seven hundred tons but is finely counterbalanced, thus requiring little energy to lift and lower.
On this major artery of commerce, products and people are moved by ships, trains and trucks. Pictured is the Celilo Railroad Bridge lifted for the Outlaw, a tug pushing barges filled with grain, scrap metal, containers and juvenile fish. A freight train is just out of the scene, waiting for the bridge to lower.
During the day, naturalist Lisa Sette gave her presentation about “Salmon,” a topic central to cultural and economic life up and down the Columbia River system. In the evening, Hotel Manager Judie Blewitt presided over a tasting of wines and foods unique to the Pacific Northwest. Nobody ever went hungry on a Sea Bird voyage. This was followed by a festive Farewell Cocktail party during which we shared memories of waterfalls, golden eagles, magnificent columns of basalt, engineering marvels and great fellowship.
This morning we woke up on the Columbia, the “Great River of the West,” near the McNary Dam. After descending about seventy-five feet, we proceeded down river through the wine region of eastern Washington and Oregon. Basalt cliffs and golden grasslands were interspersed with irrigated vineyards and orchards.
At about one hundred five feet, the lock at John Day Dam has the greatest vertical lift of any lock chamber in the world. The downriver closure is a massive guillotine gate, used extensively during the 1960’s (John Day was opened in 1968), but not often used since due to high maintenance costs. It weighs over seven hundred tons but is finely counterbalanced, thus requiring little energy to lift and lower.
On this major artery of commerce, products and people are moved by ships, trains and trucks. Pictured is the Celilo Railroad Bridge lifted for the Outlaw, a tug pushing barges filled with grain, scrap metal, containers and juvenile fish. A freight train is just out of the scene, waiting for the bridge to lower.
During the day, naturalist Lisa Sette gave her presentation about “Salmon,” a topic central to cultural and economic life up and down the Columbia River system. In the evening, Hotel Manager Judie Blewitt presided over a tasting of wines and foods unique to the Pacific Northwest. Nobody ever went hungry on a Sea Bird voyage. This was followed by a festive Farewell Cocktail party during which we shared memories of waterfalls, golden eagles, magnificent columns of basalt, engineering marvels and great fellowship.
