I set off by mid-afternoon the next day from Mary’s house to
visit the famous Multnomah Falls (now that
crowds had died down). It is quite impressive at 600 some feet. I charged up the steep 1.2 mile incline to see the view from the top. I don't consider myself scared of heights but the windy switchback-like trails with were cliffs off to the side were a bit dizzying.
Next stop was just down the road, Bonneville Fish Hatchery and Dam.
The hatchery was pretty darn cool – I hadn’t ever really spent time thinking
about how one works, all the details, functions, tracking devices, etc. There were different kinds of salmon (Coho and Chinook mostly), rainbow trout, steelhead
and sturgeon, which I was able to view up close. There was an area where the adult salmon where trying to
jump a wall which was neat to see but also made me sad for the salmon – I
suppose fisheries are a necessity here though. Here's a video I took of them trying to leap over the wall:
The dam itself was interesting and
learning about the fish ladders, the purpose of the dam and other dams on the Columbia River. But I left with many questions. The Columbia has 12 dams
which, I would assume, make the life of a salmon, and other fish, challenging.
The visitor center focused on showing how the dams don’t impede a
fish’s life…but I couldn't help but wonder truly what the environmental impacts were. I needed a beer after that! Off to Full Sail Brewery in Hood River - where I remembered how much I enjoyed gyros and beer. It was good day. I camped at Eagle Creek Campground and was lulled to sleep by the nearby Route 84 and smells of the neighbors smoking pot --- oh Oregon.
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| Multnomah Falls, OR |
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| the top of Multnomah - see the itty bitty cars? |
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| Rainbow trout |
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| Underground fish observatory - those were Chinook salmon |
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| Fish ladder...ugh |
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| Doesn't need a caption really |
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| Back to camp |
2 comments:
Poor salmon...
i feel sorry for those fish as well.
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