Great Book - A River Lost

[chameleon]

I just picked up a great book. It's called A River Lost: The Life and Death of the Columbia by Blaine Harden. I had run across it a couple months ago when I was researching, but couldn't find it again...until today. It basically tells the story of the Columbia River, all the dams, Hanford, etc... written by a very talented journalist. It's easy to read, incredibly informative, and just plain fun. For all who love local history, I highly reccomend this book. I found my copy today at Borders.
-Zach

[Jane]

Oh that sounds like a wonderful read Zach, thanks! Another book of the Columbia's stories is
Voyage of a Summer Sun: Canoeing the Columbia River by Robin Cody.

..."On June 17, 1991, Cody launched his 16-foot, 47-pound Kevlar canoe on Columbia Lake, high in the Canadian Rockies. Eighty-two days later, (1200 miles) he beached the canoe at Astoria, Ore., completing his voyage on the Columbia River. Robin Cody gives a sparkling account of his adventure, interweaving historical detail and natural history with childhood memories of the river"...

I met the author a few years ago at a book signing of a different book he has re-released, and his humbleness in this amazing feat accomplished still didn't dim the deep respect and experience he was able to share of this journey. If you can't find the book anywher, let me know, I will gladly loan you my copy.

[chameleon]

Jane, that does sound like a good book! It would be very interesting to compare his observations with some of the accounts from various eras I've been coming across. Did you realize that at one time, the Columbia River actually appeared fairly "clear." There's even an old indian legend about why the Columbia River 'sparkles' - a term I don't exactly see as descriptive of the river. The dams, logged shorelines, etc... have transformed the river into what we know today. It's amazing to read accounts of what the shores looked like, the water was like, etc...

I might have to take you up on borrowing that book. It sadly seems that books like that aren't published in great numbers. I'll look for it though! Thanks again!

-Zach

[Stefrobrts]

It's available on Amazon for a penny - $4 after shipping. Ships from Oregon

[backcountryhunter]

Abebooks.ccom

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/BookDet ... D0%26y%3D0

[backcountryhunter]

A River Lost from Abebooks.com

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchR ... ia&x=0&y=0

[chameleon]

Oh man - $1!!! I paid 15. Oh well - I don't mind doing my part to pay this writer for his work. The book (A River Lost) is phenomenal. I'm referencing it a lot for my Gorge waterfall/stream book. It uncovers how the river has changed from the coldest, fastest, clearest large river in America into a long mud puddle. It tells the story of Hanford..., the salmon, the economic forces behind development along the Columbia, etc... It's incredible. Did you know that only a hundred miles or so from the Gorge is 2/3 of our country's nuclear waste...or that what was once perhaps the world's greatest salmon fishery has been decimated thanks to the warming of the water, the slowing of the current, and the fact that the salmon have to brave not one, but many turbines, which can burst their swim bladder and cause a painful death. It's insane. And its a transformation that has taken place over only the past two hundred years. While Lewis and Clark noted that they could look straight down some twenty feet in the river (it originally was very clear because its channel is largely volcanic, plus it was very swift), we now can see perhaps an inch...??...if we're lucky, below its surface. Crazy stuff, exceptional writing, fun (but tragic) read!!

[Peder]

It's available on Amazon for a penny - $4 after shipping. Ships from Oregon

If that is too dear, both books are available from the Multnomah County libraries! I would assume the same applies to the Clackamas County libraries - I cannot search their inventory from Yemen, there must be some anti-terrorist filter on their search engine... I have put “A River Lost” on my list of books to read. Thanks for the recommendations.