Week 206 - Columbia River Photo Collection - 07-25-2010

Columbia River Photo Collection:

The Columbia River is our favorite river. It brings life to many of the arid regions of Northwest. The 1,243 mile river begins life at British Columbia's Columbia Lake, elevation 2,690 feet. The river dumps more water into the Pacific Ocean than any other North American river. It moves from British Columbia heading north and then south before flowing through Washington and Oregon and reaching the Pacific. However, the drainage basin encompasses British Columbia and seven western states. Its largest tributary is the Snake River which originates in the Grand Tetons of Wyoming. The total drainage basin consists of over 60 rivers combining for over 12,000 miles of water.

This view of the Columbia River is Roosevelt Lake, water backed up behind the Grand Coulee Dam.

The Grand Coulee Dam is a hydroelectric gravity dam. It is the largest electric power-producing facility and the largest concrete structure in the United States. It is the fifth largest producer of hydroelectricity in the world, as of the year 2008. (Excerpt from Wikipedia.com). The dam tour is great and if you stay after dark, there is a fabulous laser light show viewed from the parking lot and park shown below.

This is a small section of the 27 mile long Banks Lake. Banks Lake occupies what was a "coulee" or dry or shallow riverbed. This "Grand Coulee" stretches from the dam and the cities of Grand Coulee and Electric City in the north 27 miles to Coulee City in the south. Water from the dam is pumped uphill 280 feet to fill the Banks Lake, which provides a majority of the farming irrigation water for eastern Washington.

The Banks Lake goes south from the dam while the natural flow of the Columbia River flows to the north and then the west to one our favorite campgrounds at Beebe Bridge.

Beebe Bridge Park has huge sites with grass that rivals a golf course. The park camping is first-come, first-served with no reservations. We are parked in one of the very best sites with a great view of the river. To get this site, you first take any site available. Then you schmooze with neighbors in a better site and let them know you want their site when they leave. After a few moves, you're in!

This park has camping, tennis, volleyball on the beach, a boat launch and boat docks.

Beebe Bridge is a two lane steel bridge on Hwy 97 taking you from the east side of the river to the city of Chelan, Washington. Our first stay at Beebe Bridge Park was in July of 2008. We were headed for our second visit on August 31, 2009 when we received news that on that very day a big rig truck crashed on the bridge falling into the river. The bridge was closed for many weeks before it could be repaired for vehicle travel. We had to fore-go Beebe Bridge Park as we wanted to visit our friends in Chelan. Without the bridge the 5 mile trip to their house would have be over 100 miles.

These following photos were taken on our July 2008 visit. Activities on the river included experimental aircraft . . .

swimming and water skiing. This afternoon photo shows the ripples in the river.

However, each morning the river is as smooth as glass yielding a great series of photo reflections.

Ellen took dozens more showing the mirrored images and they are all great. Why is water so beautiful to view and photograph? Thank you Lord!

These two pictures are taken from Alternate Hwy 97 on the west side of the Columbia River on the way south to Wenatchee.

Another one of the 14 hydroelectric dams on the Columbia, three in Canada and 11 in the United States.

1) The Columbia River passing through Portland, Oregon on its final leg before dumping into the Pacific Ocean. Unlike the Colorado River which is tiny by the time it reaches Yuma, Arizona and becomes a dry stream in Mexico, the Columbia River is still huge as it enters the ocean. 2) Columbia River RV Park in Portland. A nice park that is walking distance to the Columbia.

We have visited perhaps a hundred miles of this grand river and look forward to following it more in the future.

Have a great week, love, Pete and Ellen