Columbia River
Today, the Sea Lion spent the entire day sailing upstream on the Columbia River. This famous river originates in the Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia and flows 1,243 miles to the Pacific Ocean. The drainage basin covers nearly 260,000 square miles and includes the states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, as well as western Montana, parts of Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada, and of course, British Columbia. The largest tributary is the Snake River (where we will be tomorrow), which rises in Wyoming, south of Yellowstone National Park, and flows 1,038 miles westward through southern Idaho and southeastern Washington until it joins the Columbia River southeastern Washington. There are now numerous hydroelectric dams along the river system and its potential waterpower is estimated to be 40 million horsepower, or about one third that of the entire U.S. We transited numerous locks today, including the Bonneville Dam miter lock (built in 1937), The Dalles Dam miter lock (built in 1957), the John Day Dam guillotine lock, which has the highest lift in North America (perhaps the world) at 113 feet, and the McNary Dam miter lock (built in 1953).
In addition to enjoying the scenery, wildlife, and interesting dams and locks, we learned much about the incredible Lewis and Clark Expedition, which lasted from May 1804 until September 1806 and passed through these very waters. This great adventure was officially known as The Corps of Volunteers for Northwest Discovery. It was aptly named, because the discoveries and excitement and adventure and adversities and accomplishments and success of this venture almost defy description. We had fun learning all about it with our historian JoAnn Roe. Some of the little-known historical details were quite fascinating, such as the fact that the enlisted men received $10 per month and were paid primarily with Spanish dollars, since this was the common currency used in the young United States at the time. See photo. All this talk of Lewis and Clark is especially interesting to us now, because we are enjoying the 200-year anniversary of the famous expedition.
Today, the Sea Lion spent the entire day sailing upstream on the Columbia River. This famous river originates in the Selkirk Mountains of British Columbia and flows 1,243 miles to the Pacific Ocean. The drainage basin covers nearly 260,000 square miles and includes the states of Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, as well as western Montana, parts of Wyoming, Utah, and Nevada, and of course, British Columbia. The largest tributary is the Snake River (where we will be tomorrow), which rises in Wyoming, south of Yellowstone National Park, and flows 1,038 miles westward through southern Idaho and southeastern Washington until it joins the Columbia River southeastern Washington. There are now numerous hydroelectric dams along the river system and its potential waterpower is estimated to be 40 million horsepower, or about one third that of the entire U.S. We transited numerous locks today, including the Bonneville Dam miter lock (built in 1937), The Dalles Dam miter lock (built in 1957), the John Day Dam guillotine lock, which has the highest lift in North America (perhaps the world) at 113 feet, and the McNary Dam miter lock (built in 1953).
In addition to enjoying the scenery, wildlife, and interesting dams and locks, we learned much about the incredible Lewis and Clark Expedition, which lasted from May 1804 until September 1806 and passed through these very waters. This great adventure was officially known as The Corps of Volunteers for Northwest Discovery. It was aptly named, because the discoveries and excitement and adventure and adversities and accomplishments and success of this venture almost defy description. We had fun learning all about it with our historian JoAnn Roe. Some of the little-known historical details were quite fascinating, such as the fact that the enlisted men received $10 per month and were paid primarily with Spanish dollars, since this was the common currency used in the young United States at the time. See photo. All this talk of Lewis and Clark is especially interesting to us now, because we are enjoying the 200-year anniversary of the famous expedition.
