We spent the day in the near-desert grassland of eastern Washington and Oregon. The wide-open, grass-covered country was a bit of a surprise to those who pictured the Pacific Northwest as everywhere conifer-clad.
Macnary Dam and its lock are in many ways typical of those on the Columbia and Snake Rivers. Completed in 1953, this awesome engineering feat has provided cheap power and transportation to the Northwest. It also has contributed to the near destruction of the once-incomparable salmon runs of the Columbia River. Overlapping layers of history, competing points of view, and up-to-the-minute controversy provide much food for thought as we get to know this diverse and compelling region.
