Near Umatilla, Oregon
There is a big difference between a mere trip and a true expedition. Expedition travel is all about trying something new or doing things in a different way for the sheer pleasure of the adventure. Today, for the first time, the guests aboard the Sea Bird had the opportunity to experience locking through a Columbia River dam in a Zodiac. We got the idea from the crew on our sister ship, the Sea Lion, who tried this novel version of making a lockage last week at a dam on the Snake River. We approached the downstream gate at McNary Dam, located 292 miles from the Pacific Ocean and constructed in 1953, in the late afternoon. Our crew quickly put our fleet of Zodiacs in the water and we were off. The Sea Bird went into the 675 by 86 foot lock chamber first and secured the vessel to a floating bollard (a type of mooring bit) on the north side of the lock. All vessels are required to tie-up to prevent any damage or mishaps. Our Zodiacs followed, securing to four different bollards along the south wall. The downstream miter gates, which swing like barn doors and meet at an angle, closed behind us and we began our ascent of about 80 feet. Slowly, we rose skyward, as millions of gallons of water poured in via a gravity-feed system through huge pipes below us. We marveled at the engineering skill necessary to imagine, build and operate a large-scale hydroelectric dam and navigation lock such as this. Being in a very small craft only made the massive concrete structure around us seem more imposing. We noticed things from our unusual vantage point that were less obvious from the deck of the ship, like the hollow thumping sound of the bollard bumping in its track beside us and the swirl of little bubbles emerging from the depths below. Some of us voiced surprise that the sensation of being lifted was somewhat less than when making a lockage on the ship. When we reached the top, the drawbridge beyond the upstream gates was raised, the gates began to open and the lock master gave us the green light. We kicked the engines into gear and roared out of the lock ahead of the Sea Bird, savoring our success and the fun of this uncommon experience.
There is a big difference between a mere trip and a true expedition. Expedition travel is all about trying something new or doing things in a different way for the sheer pleasure of the adventure. Today, for the first time, the guests aboard the Sea Bird had the opportunity to experience locking through a Columbia River dam in a Zodiac. We got the idea from the crew on our sister ship, the Sea Lion, who tried this novel version of making a lockage last week at a dam on the Snake River. We approached the downstream gate at McNary Dam, located 292 miles from the Pacific Ocean and constructed in 1953, in the late afternoon. Our crew quickly put our fleet of Zodiacs in the water and we were off. The Sea Bird went into the 675 by 86 foot lock chamber first and secured the vessel to a floating bollard (a type of mooring bit) on the north side of the lock. All vessels are required to tie-up to prevent any damage or mishaps. Our Zodiacs followed, securing to four different bollards along the south wall. The downstream miter gates, which swing like barn doors and meet at an angle, closed behind us and we began our ascent of about 80 feet. Slowly, we rose skyward, as millions of gallons of water poured in via a gravity-feed system through huge pipes below us. We marveled at the engineering skill necessary to imagine, build and operate a large-scale hydroelectric dam and navigation lock such as this. Being in a very small craft only made the massive concrete structure around us seem more imposing. We noticed things from our unusual vantage point that were less obvious from the deck of the ship, like the hollow thumping sound of the bollard bumping in its track beside us and the swirl of little bubbles emerging from the depths below. Some of us voiced surprise that the sensation of being lifted was somewhat less than when making a lockage on the ship. When we reached the top, the drawbridge beyond the upstream gates was raised, the gates began to open and the lock master gave us the green light. We kicked the engines into gear and roared out of the lock ahead of the Sea Bird, savoring our success and the fun of this uncommon experience.
