2012/04/27

The Kennewick-Man Expedition, DAY 26


McNary Dam opened all of sluice gates lined up side by side, and discharged copious amount of melted snow water. Water falling from about a hundred feet in height roared everywhere, spray of water was blown up above the dam, and water surface was violently rough. When I came here with Phillip for a preliminary inspection eleven days ago, just one-third of the sluice gates were opened. It would mean that a quantity of water increased.

I went to have a look at a boat ramp in downstream of the dam in advance. Scattered driftwoods indicated that the boat ramp was out of use for a long time. Along a shore of the boat ramp which was covered by rocks around four inches in diameter, irregularly-moving big waves around five feet in height rolled in the shore, and a space where I could put the kayak on and could paddle the kayak out almost disappeared under the water due to increased water level . . .



I agonized and then resolved a bitter dilemma . . . I decided that a detour from the dam by only human power was impossible, and then tried calling Paul Robinson, who I met in a park where I pitched a tent the day before yesterday, and who lived in neighborhood, to ask for support to move the kayak. Paul accepted my request with good grace. I felt that there would be many difficulties ahead of me, because detours of kayak from three dams awaiting me in downstream from here would be more difficult than this dam due to years of constructions of those which were elder than this dam . . .



With support from Paul, Robert and Rob, we could move the kayak by car to a small park which was closest to the dam and had a boat ramp. After pitching a tent in the park, they invited me to dinner and shower into their house kindly.



Next day, it was my pleasure that Mark Tullis who read my article in a newspaper visited my tent, and invited me to dinner into his house.