At the dam we drove along the road directly beneath the dam, and parked near the Visitor Center. They have a large parking area reminiscent of the one just outside of Disneyland. I imagine that on some summer days the lot is full. On this day there was a cluster of cars near the entrance to the building; maybe fifty vehicles.

The Visitor Center has free information on the gorge and series of dams and locks, a gift shop (of course), rest rooms, viewing decks on the roof, displays and exhibits, an area where you can watch the fish being counted, and an underwater chamber where you can view the salmon as they swim against the strong current. That is one of the most fascinating, and most popular, features. The strength and determination of those fish is amazing. We were told that this was a record year for the salmon, and that in one recent day they had counted over 45,000 moving upstream.

Outside you can view the entire length of the fish ladders, from the Columbia River, below the dam, to the reservoir above the dam. There are various types of ladders along the course, and you can watch the fish make their way up the different "rungs," some of which they had to leap over. It was a clear, sunny day, with comfortable temperatures, so there were a good number of people stretched out along the length, having a good time watching the fish do all of the work.

We were fortunate enough to be there when a tour of the dam began. Apparently in the past a portion of one of the power plants was open to the public. But since September 11th, 2001, the tours must be supervised. We were given a brief lecture on power generation, then led about .25 miles to the power plant and let into an observation deck above the generators. All very interesting ... and loud.