Built across the Columbia at river mile 146 in 1937, the Bonneville Dam can produce nearly 1,100 MW of hydroelectric power. The dam, spillway, navigation lock, and related facilities span about 3600 feet and hold roughly 60 feet of water. (Photo by Matthew Ginn © 2010)

My parents were in town for the long weekend, so we did lots of touring around. We had planned to visit Mt. St. Helens on July 1, but the weather was cloudy and rainy, so we went to the Bonneville Dam instead. The visitor center is very informative, and our guide explained the hydroelectric process quite well. The facility itself doesn’t reveal much, but the underwater viewing stations on the fish ladder were a big hit.

That wasn’t enough fish, though, so we stopped at the Bonneville Fish Hatchery on the way home. They raise coho and chinook salmon there, but most of what we saw were rainbow trout and white sturgeon, including their 70-year-old, 10-footer, Herman the Sturgeon. Pretty amazing.