When I was younger...much younger...in the era of family vacations, my dad took Mom II and I on a Dam Vacation. It has become the now famous David Lenzen Dam Vacation. Our vacations typically consisted of car vacations, I'm sure I didn't appreciate them back then as much as I do now, but this vacation was no different. In the car we ventured, my mom's first brown Honda Accord if memory serves me right, our first stop...Bonneville Dam, next stop the next dam, next stop another dam, you can see where this is going. Every stinking dam on any river big or small from here to Big Sky Country....Montana. I believe this was actually our trip to Glacier National Park, but all I really remember is all these dams.
My dad was kind of a dork. When he found something that bugged us girls, he kept doing it until we screamed "Uncle". But even then, he kept doing it....he loved getting under our skin. And thus the dam vacation was born I believe, it got under our skin so let's keep stopping at every single dam. One dam after another. Finally my mom was lucky enough to just stay in the car long about the third or forth dam (at least that's how my memory serves), but not Lizzie. Off I went to the Visitor Center, then down into what felt like the center of the earth to look at generators and turbines - wowiiee, just what every pre-teen girl loves to do on her summer vacation.
This brings us to today, or rather this summer. This past weekend Mike was gone on his golfing trip and Jackson and I had a free day, so what did I do....told that kid to get a water bottle, charge his ipod, we're going on an adventure (adventure is probably a term I use when I want him to think it's going to be a lot of fun, but I'm not sure if it really will be). East we head on 1-84 and low and behold the mighty Columbia and the Bonneville Dam, signal on, exit taken.
We checked in with the gate security officer (oh yeah, heavy protection these days), and across the dam we travelled to the Visitor Center. We checked out the historical marker.
Then went inside and looked at the fish ladder.
Trying to explain this concept to Jackson was a little challenging, I think he got it. But these poor dam fish...makes me glad I don't have to swim to where I was born through numerous dams to lay some eggs to have the daddy fish come fertilize them. We saw the same fish trying to get through the same section of the ladder for at least 20 minutes, and that is just what we were willing to watch. Makes me tired just thinking about it.
We signed the guest book. I wonder who exactly reviews the guest book?
We checked out the view.
And took a self-portrait.
Then we stopped to see the big daddy fish at the hatchery, Herman - the 10 foot, 70 year old sturgeon. (Mom, what's Interpretive?)
As we drove back over the dam to leave the Visitor Center, Jackson and I had the following exchange:
JD: Where is the dam?
ME: This is the dam, right here. We are driving over it right now, those big turbines and generators are right below us making electricity for our house.
JD: Dam
A classic Jackson-ism to say the least. Then we headed east to Cascade Locks for a burger and ice cream at Eastwind...oh so yummy! Well worth the wait (with a very patient almost 7 year old I might say).
It wasn't the David Lenzen Dam Vacation; I didn't subject Jackson to the inner workings of the dam, but I will, I didn't take him to the next dam up the Columbia, but I'm sure we'll do that some time too. And when we go on these adventures similar to the adventures my dad took me on it's my way of connecting these two important people in my life to one another. I can just see my dad watching over us with that little smirk on his face as if to say...I did something right with that girl, dam right.
Totally enjoyed your Dam story! I miss David too. He was one of my favorite cousins. Brad
Posted by: Bradford I. Brunson, Ph.D. | August 04, 2010 at 08:16 PM
Great story Lizzie....Miss your dad too. Been thinking of you and your dad the last couple weeks. Thanks for sharing.
Posted by: tanya | August 04, 2010 at 11:15 PM