That Amazing, Electrifying Converter Station

Another highly charged thought from the team at http://www.travelthegorge.com/

On an otherwise barren hill southeast of The Dalles, overlooking the Columbia River and Mt. Hood, sits a complex worthy of Star Wars.  One of the least known "attractions" in The Gorge, the Celilo Converter Station positively hums with power, the power that lights the stars in Hollywood and Los Angeles.

Celilo is the northern end of the nation's longest and biggest direct-current power line, known as the DC intertie.  In the spring and summer, it converts excess alternating current generated by the Bonneville Power Administration grid - such as The Dalles Dam, The Bonneville Dam and the Columbia Gorge wind turbines - into direct current and sells it to the Sylmar Converter Station in California.  This reduces California's dependence on fossil fuels and helps pay for the Northwest's federal dams and transmission system. In the winter and at night when California plants generate more electricity than the Golden State needs, they return the favor.

Most of the Eugene Starr Complex, of which the converter station is only a part, is conductor cables, control grids, arc valves and surge arresters, but there is also a very modern meeting center with soaring ceilings, sweeping stairways and a glass wall overlooking the world.  Extremely effective security staff  make sure the building and its vital purpose are respected around the clock.

Since "911" tours of the facility are no longer conducted, but look up to the east from highway 197 south of the Dalles to get a glimpse of this unsung modern marvel.  For more information call 541-296-3615.
(Information taken from Bonneville Power Administration publications.)

A Spot That Should Be Hot

Another  pithy posting from http://www.travelthegorge.com/

The Windseeker Restaurant down by the port in The Dalles, Oregon is a too-often-overlooked treasure.  A new chef has come on board recently and we expect good things.  However, what is already noteworthy is the location, the view, the outdoor seating, the ample free parking, and the restaurant's proximity to The Dalles' Riverfront Trail.  Prices for local wines aren't bad either!

On a recent sunny afternoon in the Gorge - yes, sun in winter - the Team and a friend or two took a Saturday walk along the mostly-level  Riverfront Trail. Starting in the SE corner of the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center parking lot (leave one car at the Windseeker if you only want to walk one way), the River Walk takes you along not quite 4 miles of the Columbia River, through Taylor Lake Park, along the back of the Google Campus, to the patio at the Windseeker Restaurant.  You share this gentle walk with river birds,  a few power walkers and polite cyclists, and a whole lot of pretty. 

Our destination was an excellent bottle of Cathedral Ridge Chardonnay and assorted appetizers on the Windseeker's garden patio.  The owners have taken great care with their garden of indigenous flowering trees and perennials, rose bushes, Dutch bulbs and water elements.  The fenced patio offers ironwork tables and springy ironwork arm chairs.  The elements are hard on them, but they are comfortable and kept as clean as being outdoors permits. 

The best thing about the Windseeker is just being there - at the edge of the river, looking over at low basalt cliffs and greening hills.  Amtrak's Empire Builder follows the north side of the river, and the occasional freight train moves across the view.  Seagulls announce the arrival of a loaded barge headed downriver and pleasure boats move languidly out of the way.  There is seldom much wind in this protected location and the sun warms your shoulders much more often than west-of-the-Cascades dwellers would believe.

The TTG Team strongly recommends this experience - and a groundswell of local support to make this a really hopping spot.  You'll thank yourself!  For a complete listing of casual dining in The Gorge, go to http://www.travelthegorge.com/casual.asp. 

Keeping the Old New

It's hard to find something more current and with-the-trend, than a new boutique brew house, and a new one, Clock Tower Ales, has just opened in The Gorge.  What many of us find really special about this new endeavor, is the building in The Dalles that Mark Powell chose to spend a fortune restoring/remodeling for the purpose.  Most recently the Masonic Lodge, this venerable structure began life as the Wasco County courthouse and jail.  (The last public hanging in Oregon took place in its courtyard in 1905.) It also passed a number of years as a mortuary and a funeral home - to say nothing of surving 125 years of minor earthquakes, weather extremes and changing tastes.

The macabre aside, the building has been beautifully restored where possible and remodeled tastefully where necessary, to create a rich and warm atmosphere for imbibing the frothy cold stuff.  At the corner of Union and Third Street, The Clock Tower is downtown convenient with plenty of parking in the area.  The Travel The Gorge team strongly recommends treating yourself to this not-so-guilty pleasure!

For more great brew pubs in The Gorge, visit http://www.travelthegorge.com/brewpubs.asp