June 17, 1981 to June 18, 1981
The Grand Coulee Dam
Arlotta Concreta
Statistics:
June 17, 1981 - Pateros to Coulee Dam - 59 miles;
June 18, 1981 - Coulee Dam to Spring Canyon Campground - 5 miles.
Description of Events:
June 17, 1981: We awoke in Pateros at 5:00 AM to a beautiful sunrise. The whole sky turned orange before the sun actually came over the horizon, adding more splendor to the scene. My journal says, "You can't sleep through something like that."
A hobo made our acquaintance and ended up joining us for breakfast. In exchange for some oatmeal, he regaled us with stories from his extensive travels on the road. According to him, he has been bumming around his whole life. From the stories he tells, I would believe it.
The thought of taking a swim in the Columbia crossed my mind but after putting one foot into the icy water, that plan was a non-starter. Our surroundings might have been warming up but that river had a ways to go before becoming comfortable.
I'm not now nor have I ever claimed to be like Wim Hof. I like a nice hot tub myself.
By 8:00 AM, we were rolling across the Columbia River on a bridge near Brewster. We arrived to Bridgeport by 10:00 AM. Since there was a 38-mile stretch, without services, between Bridgeport and Grand Coulee, we took a break there. From a young city employee, we learned that work in the apple orchards had not yet begun for a very good reason... the apples were not yet ready to be picked!
It took us 4 hours to cover the very hilly terrain between Bridgeport and Grand Coulee. SR-17 had turned away from the river, requiring us climb the rolling hills in the area. The climate was definitely a lot drier here than it was to the west of the Cascades. Vegetation was sparse and the hills were brown. There wasn't much else out there. For the final 6 miles, we descended back into the river valley and into Grand Coulee. Since there was no legal place to camp there, we went 2 miles further to Coulee Dam.
There we got a good look at the awesome structure that supplies hydroelectric power to much of the Pacific Northwest. The Dam is taller than the Prudential Building in Boston. The water coming over the dam falls a long way. We can see it and hear its low roar from our campsite this evening. The sound is not offensive, rather it is pleasant and should help with getting to sleep. Tomorrow will be a day off to rest, to re-organize, and prepare for heading onward to finish off Washington and get on to Idaho.
A nice surprise today was picking up a General Delivery "care package" and a letter that was sent to us by Sue and Debbie (Mark-H's wife and sister). Inside was a loaf of nut bread, a couple dozen brownies, a birthday card for Paul, and a letter bringing us up to date on all of the news on our friends back in LA. A few simple acts of kindness like this bring tremendous joy when you are on the road and away from the people you know and love for so long. It was really great getting that package at this point of the trip.
June 18, 1981: Although we rode 5 miles to get to a better campground, called Spring Canyon, this was essentially a day off. Last night, we camped at the old Columbia School, located right next to the dam. After the fact, we found out there is a city ordinance prohibiting camping there. Nobody bothered us but we weren't going to tempt fate by trying to stay there again. Besides, it doesn't get dark here until after 10:00 PM. We didn't want to have to wait around that long to try and stealth camp again somewhere. It would be better to pay for a sanctioned campsite, so we rode over here to Spring Canyon.
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We rode 2 miles, back to Grand Coulee and then 3 miles out of town to get to the campground. It lies on the shore of Franklin D. Roosevelt Lake, which was created by the dam. The park, campground, and lake are all beautiful. But before we get ahead of ourselves, a few things happened earlier in the day.
We made Huevos Rancheros for ourselves this morning. Cooking our own meals has not only been tasty but it is saving us money too. We're coming up with good ideas and are always looking forward to the next meal.
It started raining shortly after breakfast so we sought cover underneath a canopy near the front door of the school. We remained there for about 2 hours, until the rain stopped. By then, we were cold and wet so we went to a cafe. Once inside, it started raining again. The rain lasted for another hour and a half so we drank hot coffee wrote post cards, had a sandwich, and caught up on our journals.
Once it stopped we headed over to the dam. On the way, 3 teenagers stopped us, curious about our trip. They offered to show us around but we were skeptical. One of the kids seemed relatively normal but the other two were hoodlums. Apparently, one of the hoodlums asked to borrow Paul's knife. Before we knew it, the police came and apprehended them using Paul's knife to try and break into a Coke machine.
Paul got his knife back, the hoods were hauled away, and we went for a tour of the GCD. We were part of a big group of people who were guided through the inner workings of the dam structure by an entertaining host. He had many facts and stories about the complex to share. Those spinning turbines are huge! At one point, he told us there was enough concrete in the dam to build a highway from the GCD to Miami. Alternatively, he said there was enough concrete in the dam to cover the entire state of Texas. A fellow in our group said they should have done (the coverage of the Lone Star State).
Staying here at Spring Canyon turned out to be a great decision. After getting settled in, we made acquaintances of several neighboring campers. Two of them asked us to keep their campfire going while they went into town to see the evening light show. That was a job we could do and so we accepted. When they returned, we all sat by the campfire talking and trading stories until Midnight.
The fellow, named Ron, gave Paul some fishing line and a few lures so he could do a little fishing in one of these beautiful rivers by which we had been passing. We have met the best people on this trip, so far. This was a good stop for us.
Today's ride: 64 miles (103 km)
Total: 1,830 miles (2,945 km)
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