John Day Dam, Columbia River
Around midday, the lock chamber at the John Day Dam lifted the Sea Lion 105 feet, from Lake Celilo to Lake Umatilla as we made our way up the “Great River of the West” towards the confluence with the Snake River. This is the maximum vertical lift of any lock in the world. As a comparison, it takes three locks to raise or lower ships approximately 85 feet as they pass through the Panama Canal.
Guillotine gates, such as the one at John Day, were often used at the down river end of locks that were built in the 1960’s. Use of these gates kept down construction costs compared with miter gates, which open into chamber and therefore require chambers to be built about forty-five feet longer. However, even though guillotine gates are wonderfully counterbalanced and require little energy to lift their seventy-ton masses, these gates are maintenance intensive and more costly over time.
This morning’s air was clear and cold, creating a substantial temperature differential with the river water. The resulting mist danced magically with the wind as it tiptoed over the Columbia. To our starboard, many miles distant, Mount Hood (at 11,243 feet it is Oregon’s highest point) towered over the rolling, forested landscape.
For me, the great joy of the Columbia River is its variety. While walking in the footsteps of many native peoples and their rich cultures, Lewis and Clark and the Bonneville Power Authority, we travel through some of the most striking and diverse scenery in North America.
Around midday, the lock chamber at the John Day Dam lifted the Sea Lion 105 feet, from Lake Celilo to Lake Umatilla as we made our way up the “Great River of the West” towards the confluence with the Snake River. This is the maximum vertical lift of any lock in the world. As a comparison, it takes three locks to raise or lower ships approximately 85 feet as they pass through the Panama Canal.
Guillotine gates, such as the one at John Day, were often used at the down river end of locks that were built in the 1960’s. Use of these gates kept down construction costs compared with miter gates, which open into chamber and therefore require chambers to be built about forty-five feet longer. However, even though guillotine gates are wonderfully counterbalanced and require little energy to lift their seventy-ton masses, these gates are maintenance intensive and more costly over time.
This morning’s air was clear and cold, creating a substantial temperature differential with the river water. The resulting mist danced magically with the wind as it tiptoed over the Columbia. To our starboard, many miles distant, Mount Hood (at 11,243 feet it is Oregon’s highest point) towered over the rolling, forested landscape.
For me, the great joy of the Columbia River is its variety. While walking in the footsteps of many native peoples and their rich cultures, Lewis and Clark and the Bonneville Power Authority, we travel through some of the most striking and diverse scenery in North America.
