The Columbia River Gorge

Heading west on I-84 toward Portland, we travelled along the beautiful Columbia R Gorge. This reminded me of our travels along the St Lawrence on the Gaspe.  We wended our way around beautiful sheer rock cliffs,  past many State Parks and overviews to the Dalles.  The Dalles is a place, where spectacular scenery, outdoor adventure, history, and friendly people all come together. Located in the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, between Mt. Hood. and Mt. Adams, on the south bank of the Columbia River, Large bridges traverse the river in places, joining Oregon and Washington states.
The Dalles Dam (1957)

The Dalles Dam - Built and operated by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, The Dalles Lock and Dam is one of the largest hydropower producing dams in the United States, and extends 1.5 miles across the Columbia River. Powerhouse capacity is 1.8 million kilowatts. Since 1957, The Dalles Dam has provided the Pacific Northwest with a reliable water source for navigation, irrigation, flood mitigation, and recreation.

This dam was built and is managed by the United States Army Corps of Engineers. Electrical power generated at Bonneville is distributed by the Bonneville Power Administration. Bonneville Lock and Dam is named for Army Capt. Benjamin Bonneville, an early explorer credited with charting much of the Oregon Trail. The Bonneville Dam Historic District was designated a National Historic Landmark District in 1987.

The Bonneville Dam blocked the migration of white sturgeon to their upstream spawning areas. Sturgeon still spawn in the area below the dam and the lower Columbia River supports a healthy sturgeon population. Small very depressed populations of white sturgeon persist in the various reservoirs upstream.
To cope with fish migration problems, the dam features fish ladders to help native salmon and steelhead get past the dam on their journey upstream to spawn. The large concentrations of fish swimming upstream serves as a tourist attraction during the spawning season. California Sea Lions are also attracted to the large number of fish, and are often seen around the base of the dam during the spawning season. (courtesy of Wikipedia)