It''s 32 degrees and sunny when we awake so we defer our start until 8:00 to let it warm up. It does warm somewhat but clouds cover the sun. And unfortunately we have head winds all day.
We follow the Columbia all day and are on Columbia River Road for 40 miles. If fact, there is nothing for 40 miles other then a few ranches. Mile after mile of nothing (see photo upper left) which is what I expect to find frequently on the cross country ride.
Our destination is Coulee, home of the Grand Coulee Dam, one of the largest concrete structures in the world containing nearly 12 million cubic yards of concrete. Grand Coulee Dam is the largest hydro power producer in the Us with a total capacity of 6,809 megawatts. The top producing dams are in China (20,000 mw), Venezuela (10,000 mw) and on the Paraguay/Brazil border (12.500 mw). As many as 7,000 men worked for 8 years to build the original Coulee Dam. In 1941, the Interior Department payed Woody Guthrie $266.66 to write songs about the northwest. In a month he wrote 26 songs including "Roll on Columbia", the name of this tour.
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