ROUTE 66 (DAY 21)

The weatherman said it was going to be a killer hot day and he was right. It always starts out very  gently and just builds from there.
By the time I'd gained consciousness Angie had left for her morning class and Alicia was off getting their car services across the river in Vancouver, Washington.
Cavan woke in very good spirits after a great deal more sleep than he normally gets. We fixed some breakfast and then walked to a nearby bank. I had agreed with Barbara to give Cavan and Angie $500 to help them through this rough spot until Cavan can get back to work.
Once back at their place I showered and shaved and packed up the camper. We said our goodbyes and I was off. The first half of the day was relatively nice as I cruised along the Columbia River Gorge with it's huge cliffs bordering the mighty river.
Having spent two years living in Gresham, OR (only two blocks from where Cavan now lives) I had visited Multnomah Falls more than a couple of times but I had to stop for a photo.

I liked this shot too.

I hadn't driven very far when I saw a sign for the Bonneville Dam and Power Plant. I had never taken the tour so I decided that this was going to be the day. This is only one of about six dams and power plants along the Columbia river which divides Washington and Oregon states. The river is full of salmon among other fish so they built several structures to allow the fish to survive the generating plant and have access to their spawning beds up river. Additionally huge river barges carry grain and other commodities up and down the river and so each hydro generating plant also has navigational locks.

Here are a series of shots that depict the various elements of this facility. Here is the spillway which lets water that is not being used for power generation to flow freely.

Here is a schematic of the generating plant.

Here is the big turbine that sits at the bottom of the above schematic (1) and is turned by the water passing over it. It in turn turns a giant magnet (2) that passes copper windings that produce the electricity.

Here is the giant generator (2) inside the plant.

Here is the fish ladder. There is a shot showing the salmon milling about as they swim from one step to the other. I also included an underwater shot of the fish ladder that shows the lamprey eels that also travel through the ladder.   They are about 20" long and have some serious teeth in that sucker mouth of theirs. Gross!

By the time I had reached Hood river it was getting quite toasty and the lush tree covered cliffs had turned into dry grass and shrub covered hills.

The temperature had already hit 100'F (35'C) and riding was getting quite uncomfortable. My goal was to get as far as the Tri Cities in Washington State (Richland, Kennewick and Pasco).
By the time I arrived the temperature had hit 108'F and I secured the very last tent site at the KOA campground.
I had stopped just before arriving to pick up more ice and groceries because I was really looking forward to my vodka and tonic following such a hot and dusty ride.
It was too hot to eat so after getting settled in and pouring myself a drink I just lay on my bed and listened to some tunes. It felt so good. I may try to get an early start tomorrow so I can lay down some miles before it really gets hot.