July 4th 2008: Rodeo,Bonneville Dam and BBQ(看西部斗牛，参观水电站，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， 美国独立日: 购物，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，早上睡过头了。今天的计划可不能耽搁了。简单做了一顿煎蛋，bacon，芝士三明治早餐。好多家商场都有特别的 deal，出门去大抢购。说起购物，我的精神头十足。。。。。。
抢购结束，接近晚饭时间，还真的饿了。左右看看，进了一家美国菜餐厅，我要了餐厅招牌芝士汉堡包多加瑞士芝士，配当地的生啤酒，还不错。就是服务生太慢了。我们都担心会赶不上Rodeo了。还好，赶上了。
We are all ready for the National Anthem.
场上每个人都准备好唱国歌了


The real game has begun. Here is the Bare back horse riding. It is so exciting.
真正的比赛开开始了。下图是没有马鞍的骑马比赛。



Look, these are one of the most beautiful animals on earth.
看看这些美丽的马，世界上最漂亮的动物之一，我认为。。。。



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.
夜幕降临，但是比赛更加精彩了。这是马拉车比赛。一杯啤酒后，我也和观众们一样大声喝彩了。。。。。。。

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结束了，焰火开始了。晚上到家已接近午夜。结束了一天的兴奋，该呼呼了。。。。。。

July 5th, Saturday: Trip to Bonneville Dam, dining out
７月５日 星期六，
参观北美最早的水电站，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，早上又睡过头了。看看外面天阴阴的，天气不太象这里的夏天。查了一下海边的天气，阴阴的雨天。不想去了。那我们就往东走，去哥伦比亚峡谷，参观Bonneville水力发电站，北美最早的水力发电站。
沿着美丽的哥伦比亚河一直向东走。没有很远，我们就到了北美最早的水力发电站， Bonneville水力发电站。Bonneville水力发电站建于１９３３年。当时仅有２台发电机。由于耗点量有限，只有一台发电机工作。直到１９４１年，二次世界大战开始，２台发电机才同时开始工作。到了八十年代，又添加了８台发电机，后来又建了第二个供点站。

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.
下图是拦水大坝。图中右侧是发点机零件。


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.
这是一个很有趣的能源循环图。从前面的镜子看去是个卡通片。


This is a real deal: the generator. It is huge. We were lucky to see that one of the generators was getting maintenance.
这可是货真价实的东东：发电机。 我们很幸运，看到一台发电机正在维修保养。


庞然大物


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.
猜猜这是什么？上面的是马达，下面的是发电机。知道他们的区别吗？好了，不想在这里上课。只是真的很兴奋看到真的零件。



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.
猜猜这是什么？这是古老的Electric control system。可以说是古董了。好多词我都不认得。我们花了好多时间研究它。一转身，整个参观中心只剩下我们了。导游还在耐心地等我们。。。。。。


Here is an Antique hunting gun in early 1900s. Someone wanted this for his birthday. Yeah, right! Where am I going to find it?
这是１９世纪初的猎枪。我家有人喜欢得不得了，要它做为生日礼物。humm，我去哪买啊？



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.
每年春天三文鱼（大马哈鱼）都回哥伦比亚河产卵。为了让鱼顺利通过电站，政府修建了这个鱼梯。通过它可以统计每年有多少鱼回归哥伦比亚河。


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)
参观过电站，我们还参观了旁边的Bonneville Fish Hatchery 。这个Fish Hatchery 建于１９０９年。好大的Sturgeon .....这里不是做鱼子酱的地方，是育鱼苗的地方。



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



Here is the rainbow trout from the viewing pond. They are big! I thought it was Salmon. :-)
这是彩虹鳟鱼，好大一只，我还以为是三文鱼呢。


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，看完了大鱼，喂完了鳟鱼，开车打道回府。回家的路上还是没完没了地谈水力发电，发电机，新的，旧的，将来的。。。。当然不想回家做饭了。当然晚饭也不想吃鱼。很快大家达成了协议：墨西哥餐。

July 6th, Sunday BBQ at home
７月６日 星期天 在家烧烤
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，又睡过头了。今天是长周末的最后一天。连续两天在外吃饭，今天再也不想出去了。我们在家烤排骨！
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，配好抹的干佐料和烤肉酱。排骨抹上干佐料，用锡纸包好放入２７５F烤箱， 烤２小时。然后放如明火烤炉上边烤边刷烤肉酱。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.
意面色拉
我发过多次了。这里就不说了。


Side dish 2: Sweet corn
They are from our garden from last year. So sweet!
配餐２：甜玉米
这些玉米是我家菜园去年收获的。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.
面包：家做玉米面包
很多人都会做，不用我来教你。不过告诉我如果你要我的配方。



Here is my plate. 我的盘中




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