This morning found us at the John Day Dam. As we entered the lock, we had a brief shower from the water dripping off of the huge cleaver-shaped gate. As you can see by the picture, it resembles a giant guillotine. In this lock, we experienced the highest single lift in the world, 113 feet. The dam itself is over a mile long.
We passed barges aiding smolt salmon in their journey to the Pacific Ocean. The sighting of mule deer on the green hills, among clumps of purple flowering lupine and the bright yellow sunflowers of arrow-leaf balsamroot, was a first for many of our guests. McNary Dam came later in the day and the distinctive shape of Hat Rock, a geological feature named by the Lewis and Clark Expedition, could be seen on the Oregon side of the river. By the end of the afternoon, we had entered the Snake River and traversed Ice Harbor Dam, the first of four locks we will pass tonight as we navigate the Snake River.
