Upper Midwest Tour Day 1, July 10th

Betsy and I are off on another adventure -- a driving trip to the Upper Midwest (North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Illinois and Iowa).  Our two primary destinations, meaning longer stays, are Isle Royale National Park in Lake Superior and Mackinac Island.  We have camping gear with for a few campground overnights, bicycles to try some Rails to Trails routes, plans to visit many State high points, and walk a couple of Volkswalks in State capital cities.  And, of course lots of driving, but with frequent stops for sightseeing.

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We made it to Lewiston, Idaho today, after an early afternoon departure from Portland.  We shared the driving covering about 350 miles; the first portion was along I-84 next to the Columbia River.  We passed three Federal Columbia River System Dams (Bonneville, The Dalles, and John Day), all spilling water (to aid salmon downstream migration), then turned northward to Tri-Cities, and through the Palouse region into Lewiston.  The photos show the rolling hills of this region, and some of the multitude of wind turbines atop those hills (yeah, this is windy country).  We passed turnoffs for all four Lower Snake River Dams, which some people believe should be removed, i.e., breached.  I hesitate on the benefits of that action, though I am probably biased, having worked for BPA.