COULEE DAM, WASHINGTON: How Could Anybody Want to See a Dam So Much?
Wilbur, being southwest of the fire, was still in the path of the smoke blowing in with the northeast wind this morning. However, I saw my chance for a possible escape. I figured I could ride north to the Grand Coulee Dam and rid myself of this unexpected problem. It turned out to be some pretty good thinking on my part.
The first nine miles were very straight, but with consistent half-mile uphills and quarter-mile downhills at a medium grade of difficulty. From the very start I could see the high point up ahead even though it was still nine miles away. Distances are very deceiving out here.
The smoke is coming at me from the epicenter of the forest fire, but LOOK--a clearing sky to the north.
"Hey Greg, look, it's a partial bottle of thirst-quenching PowerAde," announced G-2. "You look pretty thirsty. I bet it would taste pretty good right about now."
The second half of the ride brought me downhill--at a rapid rate of speed--into the semi-desert environment of Washington's Coulee Country. Landscapes change around here in a matter of minutes--even for a bicycle rider. Washington is a northern state, so it seems kind of odd to see landscapes that are more reminiscent of Wyoming or Colorado or Utah.
The Grand Coulee Dam was one destination I did not want to miss. No whimsical change of route would have diverted me away from it. One way or another I would find my way to the dam and no big hills, high heat, forest fire, closed campground, invading ants, RV drivers, or weird tasting bottles of PowerAde could ever stop me from that inevitable result. I took many pictures of the beautiful area around the dam and its visitor center, but you'll be thankful I edited them down to only five.
Before I post those pictures, I have something else to say. I'm not really much of a museum guy. In truth, I was almost as bored at the Fort Spokane museum as the ranger who was working there. There were a few interesting things, but nothing to write home about (to use a cliche since I couldn't think of a better phrase on my own.)
The Grand Coulee Dam Visitor Center, however, was full of amazing displays of human bravery, technological wonders, heavy-duty industrial magic, and amazing facts and figures. I won't bore you with everything I learned, but here is one thing I found to be astounding. The dam is the largest concrete structure in North America and there is enough concrete in it to pave a 4' sidewalk around the world--TWICE!
As you can see, I am buddies with President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Frank authorized the funding for this dam which provides enough electricity to power a great portion of the northwestern U.S. I wore my best orange biking shirt to meet him, just as I did when I met the other President Roosevelt two years ago.
