Spokane and the Grand Coulee Dam

[pdedse]

Day 3: Wednesday. Google says it takes a little over 5 hours to get from Spokane back home to Gresham, but the plan was to visit the Grand Coulee Dam 1.5 hours west and slightly north of Spokane. The wind had been blowing pretty good the last few days, but as it was a west to east blast, it made for fairly comfortable riding NE to Spokane. I wouldn't be so lucky returning home.

Left a a nice thank you note for my son who is able to sleep till 730 before heading into work. I was on the road west on hiway 2 by 715. Just a mile into the wind and I realized I forgot to put in my ear plugs. Felt a morning chill but was riding with shorts and t-shirt under my mc pants and coat.

Somewhere before Reardan on hiway 2...


Wind blasts would keep me from wanting to go more than the posted 60mph. Gripping the handlebars tight, had to remind myself to let loose from time to time. Started to feel the cold so at Wilbur it was time to put the heavy gloves on and add a long sleeve shirt--was expecting it to get warmer with a full sun, but while the outside temperature did rise some, mine did not. Noticed that my average mpg of 50-51 to Spokane was dropping to about 45 into the wind. I always feel a bit nervous when I get to 70 plus miles after filling. You ride by a gas station thinking you'll fill at the next one, and then you realize the next one might be 40-50 miles away, and then you start wondering if you're still getting decent gas mileage. Then I start crouching down low to improve my chances...then I realize I'm being an idiot.

After Wilber, took hiway 174 NW to the Coulee area. My first sighting of the Columbia backed up by the dam.


I hope nobody minds lots of pics of my cb1100 exploring this area...


Part of the reservoir right before one gets to the dam proper


What the dam holds back...lots of water!



I didn't know that the Columbia river has 14 dams, 3 in Canada and the rest in the States. The Grand Coulee is the largest: 550' in height and just shy of a mile in length.

Construction on the Grand Coulee Dam started in 1933 and was completed in '41.





More to follow...