Crater Lake Boat Tour, Sept. 12, 2010

We decided if we were going to take the Boat Tour of Crater Lake we'd better do it today. Soon it will be snowing and the tour boats will be put away for the winter. It was another beautiful day at Crater Lake. The lake was still and the reflections were breathtaking.

Bill was admiring this reflection of the west rim.

The boat tour requires a 1.1 mile walk down a steep trail on the side of the caldera. It is even steeper going back UP!!

They say 1.1 miles down and 11 miles up. This is the only path that goes down to the lake shore.

Our boat awaits us on this crisp, clear morning.

I didn't get my feet in Crater Lake but I did get my hand in it. It wasn't as cold as I though, being the deepest lake in the U.S. at 1946 feet. But then I was in a shallow area along the bank.

The Phantom Ship Rock formation is even more impressive as you get closer to it. It is 16 stories high and so fragile looking; it's a wonder that it survives the harsh winters here at Crater Lake.

One last view of the Phantom Ship from water level. It really does resemble a pirate ship.

The tour boats are kept in these boat houses on Wizard Island for the winter. Notice the piles of lava rock on the shoreline.

This area on the west side of the caldera is strikingly different from other areas that are covered with trees. Notice the multicolored rock on this hillside.

This 30-foot tree trunk has been floating upright around the lake for many, many years. It travels up to 4 miles a day and you never know where it's going to appear. Evidently the root ball is still attached, keeping it in this position. The lake is 5 miles by 6 miles.

After the boat tour and the hike back UP the caldera we were famished so we enjoyed a delicious lunch at the scenic Crater Lake Lodge overlooking the lake.

We took one last view of the lake from the porch of the lodge. Just beautiful!

Bonneville Dam, Aug. 30, 2010

Bonneville Lock and Dam and Fish Hatchery

August 30, 2010

Bill is always interested in power plants so we stopped at the famous Bonneville Lock and Dam located on the Columbia River 40 miles east of Portland, Oregon. Construction began in 1933 by the Army Corp of Engineers and was dedicated by President F.D. Roosevelt in 1937 at a total cost of $88.4 million.

The power house produces over 1 million kilowatts, enough to supply the power needs of nearly 500,000 homes. It takes more than 150 people to operate and maintain the Bonneville Lock and Dam each year.

I found the most interesting part of the tour was the Fish Ladder. Fish ladders planned by Corps engineers, environmental specialists and biologists simulate the waterfalls and pools found in natural streams. These fish ways allow migratory adult fish to continues their migration from the ocean upstream to tributaries of the Columbia and Snake Rivers. The fish jump from one level to the next, much as they would in a natural stream.

Visitors can watch migrating fish move past underwater windows at the visitor center. The underwater lighted windows afford an exciting close-up look at the various fish moving up the ladder. Salmon were passing through when we visited. At each fish way, a worker counts the various species of adult fish moving up the fish ladder. This vital information has been recorded at Bonneville since 1938. Between 700,000 and 1.5 million upstream migrant adult salmon and steelhead, and an estimated 24 to 43 million downstream migrant salmon and steelhead fingerlings pass Bonneville Dam in an average year! Shad, sturgeon, lamprey and other species are also seen.

A visit to the Bonneville Fish Hatchery, located in the same area, was next. The grounds were beautifully landscaped.

There are some huge sturgeon in the Columbia River as seen here. This is the sturgeon viewing area, home of "Herman the Sturgeon." You can see part of the viewing window to the right.

And-along came Herman and another sturgeon. Herman is over 10 feet long, weights over 450 pounds, and is over 70 years old.

We spend an enjoyable and educational afternoon here at the Bonneville Dam-well worth the visit!

Columbia River Gorge, Aug 29-31, 2010

Columbia River Gorge and Mt. Hood Area
Aug. 29, 2010

We hitched up the RV and drove to the Columbia River Gorge area for a few days. Our first stop, after setting up camp at Mt. Hood Village RV Resort was the Columbia River Gorge Discovery Center which interprets the area's geologic, natural and anthropological history.

Bill is standing beside a "dugout" tree trunk that was used as a boat. There were lots of life size exhibits in the museum. The museum told the history of Lewis and Clark and the Oregon Trail.

You know Bill, always looking at trucks or in this case, an old car.

The road to Rowena Crest was quite an engineering feat. There were several miles of these switchback curves on the way to the crest.
Glad we weren't hauling the RV!!

The view from Rowena Crest was stunning looking up (east) the Columbia River.

On the way back to the RV park, we stopped by the Timberline Lodge at Mt. Hood. Mt. Hood can be seen from several different highways in the area but I liked this picture with our flag blowing in the breeze. And, it was COLD up here, about mid 30s and windy. No wonder there's still snow on the mountain.

I didn't get a picture of the outside of the lodge as they were refurbishing it and had scaffolding set up. But the inside was awesome. Huge timbers and fireplaces and this door to an outside porch area were examples of WPA work done in the 1930s. It is a triumph of art and craftsmanship from the soaring lobby to this magnificent door. Notice the huge post to the left of Bill that was at the top of a stairway. Each post on each stairway had a different animal or bird carved on the top.

Tomorrow we'll visit the lower end of the Gorge from Troutdale to Hood River.