Traveling east up the Columbia River
Having pierced the Cascade Mountain Range during the night, the Sea Lion continued her course heading east along the Columbia River. On the first day of our voyage we were greeted with blue skies and warm temperatures.
From the temperate rain forests of the coast, during the night we passed through the Cascade mountain range and into the high desert step or channeled scablands of Eastern Washington and Eastern Oregon. The Sea Lion had transited the Dalles Lock and Dam before dawn this morning and just before breakfast we were standing by to enter John Day Lock and Dam. This dam holds the record for the tallest vertical lift in the world. From a quarter of a mile away we began to see more of the structure of this dam. The spillways and fish ladders came into view, along with what appeared to be platforms extending out into the river. As our ship approached we could see piles of net, and long wooden poles lying across the platforms. A series of these structures could be found on both sides of the river as we approached John Day lock and dam. As we approached closer to these platforms we could also see small gillnets attached to the sides of the platforms that extended out into the river and were anchored to floats. These fishing platforms represent “usual and accustomed fishing sights” and are recognized by local authorities and passed down through Native American families from generation to generation. These fishing sights were established in the first treaties made with Native peoples when the western part of the Unites States was being not just explored, but very rapidly settled; families, miners, and ranchers all came west to a part of the country that was already home to an enormous diversity of Native American tribes. One small concession given within those treaties, and still honored today was the fishing rights of indigenous peoples.
From our vantage point, on the river, we watched as people began to move from inside campers parked near the fishing platforms and come out to view their world—maybe a cup of coffee in hand—testing the morning air, possibly to watch for “jumpers” in the water. It could be a day where many fish would be caught!
Meanwhile the Sea Lion continued up river, and gradually made her way into the lock chamber of John Day Lock and Dam. Once the deckhands had secured our vessel and the rear chamber was closed down, we began a short twenty minutes journey being lifted 110 feet, and made ready to enter Lake Umatilla. The mighty Columbia River, today is a series of large lakes or reservoirs extending for miles, punctuated by locks and dams. This day would afford us a chance to relax on deck watching the movement up river, while the Sea Lion transited two more locks and dams during daylight hours. Though this great river has been tamed, all around us were the benefits of that harnessed water: orchards, vineyards, miles of wheat, corn and many other crops all nourished by the waters of the Columbia.
Having pierced the Cascade Mountain Range during the night, the Sea Lion continued her course heading east along the Columbia River. On the first day of our voyage we were greeted with blue skies and warm temperatures.
From the temperate rain forests of the coast, during the night we passed through the Cascade mountain range and into the high desert step or channeled scablands of Eastern Washington and Eastern Oregon. The Sea Lion had transited the Dalles Lock and Dam before dawn this morning and just before breakfast we were standing by to enter John Day Lock and Dam. This dam holds the record for the tallest vertical lift in the world. From a quarter of a mile away we began to see more of the structure of this dam. The spillways and fish ladders came into view, along with what appeared to be platforms extending out into the river. As our ship approached we could see piles of net, and long wooden poles lying across the platforms. A series of these structures could be found on both sides of the river as we approached John Day lock and dam. As we approached closer to these platforms we could also see small gillnets attached to the sides of the platforms that extended out into the river and were anchored to floats. These fishing platforms represent “usual and accustomed fishing sights” and are recognized by local authorities and passed down through Native American families from generation to generation. These fishing sights were established in the first treaties made with Native peoples when the western part of the Unites States was being not just explored, but very rapidly settled; families, miners, and ranchers all came west to a part of the country that was already home to an enormous diversity of Native American tribes. One small concession given within those treaties, and still honored today was the fishing rights of indigenous peoples.
From our vantage point, on the river, we watched as people began to move from inside campers parked near the fishing platforms and come out to view their world—maybe a cup of coffee in hand—testing the morning air, possibly to watch for “jumpers” in the water. It could be a day where many fish would be caught!
Meanwhile the Sea Lion continued up river, and gradually made her way into the lock chamber of John Day Lock and Dam. Once the deckhands had secured our vessel and the rear chamber was closed down, we began a short twenty minutes journey being lifted 110 feet, and made ready to enter Lake Umatilla. The mighty Columbia River, today is a series of large lakes or reservoirs extending for miles, punctuated by locks and dams. This day would afford us a chance to relax on deck watching the movement up river, while the Sea Lion transited two more locks and dams during daylight hours. Though this great river has been tamed, all around us were the benefits of that harnessed water: orchards, vineyards, miles of wheat, corn and many other crops all nourished by the waters of the Columbia.
