America and Serendipity


During the summer, my husband and I travel the country in our RV.  We love where it takes us, which is everywhere.   Sometimes, “everywhere” includes a serendipitous adventure that is pure Americana.

            Recently we visited Grand Coulee Dam and explored the Dry Falls area south of Coulee City.  How can you pass up the Ice Age saga of Lake Missoula’s ice dam breaking and a lake the size of a Great Lake draining in 48 hours, scouring out the great coulee and carving out a path for the beautiful Columbia River?  But, the surprise came a few days later when we took a wrong turn and headed toward Chief Joseph Dam 51 miles down river from Grand Coulee. 

            Chief Joseph Dam, named for the great Nez Perce leader, is the 2nd largest electricity producer in the United States.  It is a beautiful dam with the power plant sitting at right angles to the dam itself.  There are 27 penstocks sending water, powered by gravity only, to an equal number of turbines, each generating electricity and helping to keep the lights on in Seattle.  We are both former science teachers, so this stuff is more fun than a day at Disneyland. 

Two things happened that day worth comment.  First, if you want the best dam tour in the whole country (sorry, I couldn’t resist that), go to Chief Joseph.  The security was tight, but in return we got to see the dam from the base to the walkway in front of the flood gates, and up to the top.  We toured the power house, but, instead of standing in a gallery, we walked down to the turbines, viewing each level.  The only thing we couldn’t do was walk all the way down the line because Chief Joseph was busy installing a new turbine.  Guess where they were getting this massive piece of stainless steel?  Yup.  China. 

            This country saved Europe from the Nazis because we could out build the rest of the world when it came to heavy steel products: ships, tanks, cars.  Our electricity produced along the Columbia River powered the production of aluminum for countless airplanes.  Now we are getting our turbines from China?  What happened here? 

            Even the style of turbine, the Francis Turbine, was invented by James B. Francis of Lowell, Massachusetts.  This great little invention, essentially a water wheel spinning a magnet inside a coil of copper, starts exciting those little electrons to 60 cycles (Hertz) per second.  We didn’t invent heavy industry, but we did perfect it.  So, why are we buying our new turbines from China?   It boggles the imagination.  Or does it?

            The second thing worth noting was our decision to drive into Bridgeport for lunch.  We drove down a very small main street lined with huge wooden carvings of all manner of Cascade Range animals.  The biggest signs pointed to Nell’s Café so that is where we stopped.  Nell’s Café is also a laundromat and bait and tackle shop.  It had a menu printed on typing paper.  The waitress was eating lunch at an empty booth and the odd collection of working men and women at the center table were municipal leaders holding a city planning meeting. Oh, and by the way, the food was great. 

            So here we have two interesting views of American.  We have big time industry being brought in from overseas, and small time civic planning still happening the old-fashioned way.  I haven’t thought it all through yet, but I am sure there are lessons to be learned from all of this. 

            Roll on Columbia, and keep the faith.  

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