July 4th 2008: Rodeo,Bonneville Dam and BBQ(看西部鬥牛，參觀水電站，烤排骨)

July 4th 3-day-weekend 2008: Rodeo, Trip Bonneville Dam and BBQ at home

July 4th, Friday Independant Day: Shopping, dining out, Redeo
７月４日 星期五， 美國獨立日: 購物，外出晚餐，看Rodeo
Woke up late in the morning. Oops, don't want to delay the big plan for the day. Had egg, bacon and cheese sandwich for breakfast at home. Simple and easy then headed out to catch good deal in the shopping mall. I never get tired of shopping........
After shopping, it is time for dinner. Looked around, went in an American Cuisine restaurant. I had an American signature burgher with Swiss cheese. Food was good but the service was so slow. We were starting to get worry that we couldn't catch the Rodeo on time. Finally, here is the Rodeo.
糟糕，早上睡過頭了。今天的計劃可不能耽擱了。簡單做了一頓煎蛋，bacon，芝士三明治早餐。好多家商場都有特別的 deal，出門去大搶購。說起購物，我的精神頭十足。。。。。。
搶購結束，接近晚飯時間，還真的餓了。左右看看，進了一家美國菜餐廳，我要了餐廳招牌芝士漢堡包多加瑞士芝士，配當地的生啤酒，還不錯。就是服務生太慢了。我們都擔心會趕不上Rodeo了。還好，趕上了。
We are all ready for the National Anthem.
場上每個人都準備好唱國歌了


The real game has begun. Here is the Bare back horse riding. It is so exciting.
真正的比賽開開始了。下圖是沒有馬鞍的騎馬比賽。



Look, these are one of the most beautiful animals on earth.
看看這些美麗的馬，世界上最漂亮的動物之一，我認為。。。。



It is getting dark. But the games are getting more exciting. Here is the Stage Coach racing. After a glass of beer, I started to cheer laud with the people around me.
夜幕降臨，但是比賽更加精彩了。這是馬拉車比賽。一杯啤酒後，我也和觀眾們一樣大聲喝彩了。。。。。。。

Rodeo was over then fireworks began. By the time we got home it was almost midnight. Got to have some sleep after all that excitement........
Rodeo結束了，焰火開始了。晚上到家已接近午夜。結束了一天的興奮，該呼呼了。。。。。。

July 5th, Saturday: Trip to Bonneville Dam, dining out
７月５日 星期六，
參觀北美最早的水電站，外出晚餐
Oops, over slept again. It was kind of cloudy that day. It is unusual this time of the year. Checked out the weather at beaches. It was raining. Definetely not the place I wanted to go. Well, let's go East and head out to Columbia Gorge: Bonneville Dam - the oldest dam in North America

Beautiful senic road along the Columbia River. Not very long, we arrived the oldest Dam in North America: Bonneville Dam. It was built in 1933. It only had two generators when it was built. Only one was operated because of the usage demand. It started to use both generators in 1941 after WWII started. Then it was added 8 more generators in 1980s. I forgot when they had buit another power house.
糟糕，早上又睡過頭了。看看外麵天陰陰的，天氣不太象這裏的夏天。查了一下海邊的天氣，陰陰的雨天。不想去了。那我們就往東走，去哥倫比亞峽穀，參觀Bonneville水力發電站，北美最早的水力發電站。
沿著美麗的哥倫比亞河一直向東走。沒有很遠，我們就到了北美最早的水力發電站， Bonneville水力發電站。Bonneville水力發電站建於１９３３年。當時僅有２台發電機。由於耗點量有限，隻有一台發電機工作。直到１９４１年，二次世界大戰開始，２台發電機才同時開始工作。到了八十年代，又添加了８台發電機，後來又建了第二個供點站。

Here is the Amy Corp. Engineer main building

Here is one of power houses. Don't remember it is the new one or the old one. Both of them are very similar.



Here is the part that backing up the water. The blade in below picture is the actual part of a generator.
下圖是攔水大壩。圖中右側是發點機零件。


Here is the interesting presentation of the water cycle & Electricity. It is a nice way to present to the people who has limited knowledge of how the energy was generated. Look the picture on the wall thru the glass will become a cartoon. It was really interesting.
這是一個很有趣的能源循環圖。從前麵的鏡子看去是個卡通片。


This is a real deal: the generator. It is huge. We were lucky to see that one of the generators was getting maintenance.
這可是貨真價實的東東：發電機。 我們很幸運，看到一台發電機正在維修保養。


龐然大物


Do you know what this is? The top is a motor. The bottom is a generator. Do you know the difference between the motor nad generator? I don't want to lecture you here.............. It is just fun to the real part of the machine.
猜猜這是什麽？上麵的是馬達，下麵的是發電機。知道他們的區別嗎？好了，不想在這裏上課。隻是真的很興奮看到真的零件。



Do you know what this is? It is an old or I should call it as Antique electric control system. I even couldn't recognize some of the words. We had so much to talk about. Next thing we knew, we were the only people left in the show room. The tour guide was waiting for us patiently.
猜猜這是什麽？這是古老的Electric control system。可以說是古董了。好多詞我都不認得。我們花了好多時間研究它。一轉身，整個參觀中心隻剩下我們了。導遊還在耐心地等我們。。。。。。


Here is an Antique hunting gun in early 1900s. Someone wanted this for his birthday. Yeah, right! Where am I going to find it?
這是１９世紀初的獵槍。我家有人喜歡得不得了，要它做為生日禮物。humm，我去哪買啊？



Every spring, salmon goes back to columbia river to have next generation. In order to let fish go thru the dam, they had to build fish ladder. This is the place they counts how many fish come back to river each year.
每年春天三文魚（大馬哈魚）都回哥倫比亞河產卵。為了讓魚順利通過電站，政府修建了這個魚梯。通過它可以統計每年有多少魚回歸哥倫比亞河。


Here are the fish passing by the fish ladder.




After visiting the Bonneville Dam, we visited Bonneville Fish Hatchery next door. The fish Hatchery was built in 1909. It has Sturgeon pond, rainbow trout viewing pond, etc..
Here is the Hermon Sturgeon in the Sturgeon viewing center (underwater viewing)
參觀過電站，我們還參觀了旁邊的Bonneville Fish Hatchery 。這個Fish Hatchery 建於１９０９年。好大的Sturgeon .....這裏不是做魚子醬的地方，是育魚苗的地方。



coming close........ It is huge.遊近了，好大啊！



Here is the rainbow trout from the viewing pond. They are big! I thought it was Salmon. :-)
這是彩虹鱒魚，好大一隻，我還以為是三文魚呢。


Okay, after viewing the gaint fish and feeding the trout, we were heading out home. The discussion of the hydrolic power and generator was continue on the way home.
Don't feel like to cook at all after the trip. Fish didn't sound good at all, of course. Then the agreement was the Mexican.
好了，看完了大魚，喂完了鱒魚，開車打道回府。回家的路上還是沒完沒了地談水力發電，發電機，新的，舊的，將來的。。。。當然不想回家做飯了。當然晚飯也不想吃魚。很快大家達成了協議：墨西哥餐。

July 6th, Sunday BBQ at home
７月６日 星期天 在家燒烤
Can't help it. Had to sleep in in the morning because it was last morning in the weekend. Didn't want to go out at all. Had simple breakfast and did some yard work. Then, what's for dinner? Let's have BBQ spare ribs!

忍不住，又睡過頭了。今天是長周末的最後一天。連續兩天在外吃飯，今天再也不想出去了。我們在家烤排骨！
First, made my own dry rubs and BBQ sauce. Pork spare ribs was rubbed with dry seasonings I made. Wrapped tight and baked in the 275F oven for 2 hours. Then ready for BBQ on the grill with homemade BBQ sauce. Now the spare ribs are ready.
首先，配好抹的幹佐料和烤肉醬。排骨抹上幹佐料，用錫紙包好放入２７５F烤箱， 烤２小時。然後放如明火烤爐上邊烤邊刷烤肉醬。很快就烤好了。




Side dish 1: Pasta salad
I have posted few times already. Don't want to go any more details here.
意麵色拉
我發過多次了。這裏就不說了。


Side dish 2: Sweet corn
They are from our garden from last year. So sweet!
配餐２：甜玉米
這些玉米是我家菜園去年收獲的。好甜！


Bread: Homemade corn bread
A lots of people know how to do it. I don't have to show you. But let me know if you need my recipe.
麵包：家做玉米麵包
很多人都會做，不用我來教你。不過告訴我如果你要我的配方。



Here is my plate. 我的盤中




3 days weekend went by so fast. Tomorrow is a working day. Oh well, few days later, another weekend will be here again.
三天的長周末很快就過去了。明天又是工作日了。好在５天後，周末又到了。