You can see the John Day Dam on the river, as well as that aluminum plant over to the left.
Day 141
Such great heights
August 14th, 2010
I'm walking across America.
That's the idea, at least. I'm walking westward from New York City for nine months or so. If everything goes according to plan, I'll be in Oregon when the clock runs out. If nothing goes according to plan, maybe I'll end up in Peru or Mongolia or Pennsylvania. You can read all about the details of my trip if you're so inclined.
Email me at matt@imjustwalkin.com
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Here's my progress so far:
Oh my! wow – does this view make you feel small?
Looks like plenty of Water and Wind power in the area!
Huh, my uncle is a John Day! Probably no relation. But this is cool.
Melissa
The TEMPTATION got the best of me.
I have an uncle named John Night! – No – it was just my imagination!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M5Z9-QCmZyw
ugh.
Not really! It makes me feel pretty dam sad actually!
“…about 70%-95% of the human-induced kills of salmon in the Columbia Basin are dam related. According to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service “the major decline of the runs coincides with the construction and operation of dams for electrical power, irrigation, and flood control. Between 1930 and the late 1970’s about 200 dams, including 19 major hydro-electric dams, were constructed in the Columbia Basin to provide water for irrigation, flood control, barging, and cheap electricity for the aluminum smelters and cities of the region. Hardly any major stream was left untouched. For example, the 1214 mile Columbia River was turned into a series of back to back dams and reservoirs. Less than 200 miles of the Columbia River in the United States remain free-flowing today.”
wow. That’s pretty sad in a lot of ways. I often wonder why dams are built in the first place. I mean, wasn’t it okay in the first place before the dam was built? I don’t understand sometimes changing the natural order of nature that way(the dams).
Clarify: natural order of nature-the water flow. Why put in a dam to mess up the natural flow?
The Mount Morris Dam, here in Western NY was put in place to prevent flooding downriver such as in Rochester. (Genesee River flows north). Don’t some of those dams on the Columbia have ‘ladders’ on the side for the salmon now? like this http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vWG_y7WwAmI
Forgot this one
http://www.lrb.usace.army.mil/WhoWeAre/MMD/MMD.html
http://www.villageofmountmorris.com/visit.htm
This song comes to mind when I look at the pic ..
You’ll feel part of every mountain, sea and shore
You can hear from far and near a world you’ve never heard before
And on a clear day, on that clear day
You can see forever
Wow! I had no idea that the landscape of Washington state looked like this! Beautiful!
The very flat land on this side of the river with the mountains on the other side makes for an interesting photo. We have an aluminum plant in Alcoa which is the ajoining town to Maryville where I live. It is a plant for ALCOA aluminum. The plant opened in 1913 when TVA built dams to provide electricity for the area and for plants like this. At one tine the plant employed over 6,000. Now it employs abut 1,000-1,200.
History – http://www.cityofalcoa-tn.gov/content/view/full/817
the union pacific rail train 844 crosses this river around this point. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kJ4VzxG-fUo
Matt you are stuck in washington….cross over and let Oregon begin.
WOW! What a gorgeous view. I love your elevation in this shot. It really shows the beauty of the river flowing and meandering through the mountain/hills.
If this is a reference to a song by The Postal Service, I am even more intrigued by you :)
Amazing view! You must be 10 stories up at least. What a climb for you!
I sure hope that dam isn’t made of aluminum!