With a five and a half hour drive at our backs we were embarking on the Hanford Nuclear site. The grounds were nothing more than open desert with a high fence and barbed wire on top. The area had been a top secret government location for the production of plutonium up until the 1980's. The land was picked because it sits adjacent to the Columbia River and the waters could cool the nuclear reactors. The produced plutonium from the four reactors was then used for the Manhattan Projects atomic bomb in world war two. The site has long since been abandoned the the effects are still ever present in the area. today this super fund site is one of the biggest in america. and is still only expected to be fully finished in 2062. Seeing how much power humans can manufacture was an amazing site alone, but seeing also how much mankind can cripple nature without even thinking twice about it was something that cuts to the core of any environmentalist or naturalist. After the lecture at the Hanford site we drove out to Spokane Washington where we met up with one of Taits old colleges from Stockton, Mark. We were able to take a tour of the local city and see an old dam. Food shopping, lectures in some cozy couches, and barbecues was our nights events. followed by another early morning.
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| Spokane River |
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A view of the water that once powered a hydroelectric dam.
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Finally some blue skies and warm weather.
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Things to Note:
- Some lectures will be interesting and some will be dreadfully boring, be conscious of the speakers and be inquisitive.
- Some days the notes will seem to be never ending, make sure you take your time with the journal entries on these days.
- If you stay at Taits friends house, he has a wonderful house and he and his family are the kindest people you will ever meet. Dont do anything stupid here, its not your home. If you have a chance sleep on the couches upstairs, they are amazing.
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