NW Vacation: Day 5

Today, we went to Grand Coulee Dam, the 2nd largest concrete structure in the world. Until a couple of years ago, this dam was the largest in the world since its completion in 1941. Now, the Three Gorges Dam in China is the largest.For my husband, a bridge builder and concrete expert, this was a fun day! The amount of concrete in this dam could make a sidewalk around the equator--twice! It was built not long after the Hoover Dam. In fact, many of the workers on the Hoover Dam built this structure as well.
We went down into the dam where the huge turbines are located. Here are the kids on the elevator going down.
Okay, more educational info...

The Grand Coulee Dam is a gravity dam, which means that it needs to be a large size and shape so that it will resist overturning. Therefore, it has a VERY large base under water. The Hoover Dam is an arch-gravity dam, which means that it is a combination and directs most of the water weight against the canyon walls and can be thinner than a gravity dam (not as much bulk).

On the way back to Chelan, we stopped at Dry Falls, which (although it is now dry--and has been for thousands of years) is ten times the size of Niagara. Dry Falls is thought to be the greatest known waterfall that ever existed.The geology is very interesting in this part of the country!

Of course, when we returned home around 5:30 PM, the kids got in a few hours of swimming! Jimmer fell asleep on the way home and for the rest of the day...and now is sleeping through the night. Another full day!