Day 144: (Zero Miles)

After a glorious nights sleep we toddle off to breakfast next door with meal tickets in hand. 

We have an awesome view of the mighty Columbia River and the Bridge if the Gods that connects Oregon and Washington, and upon which we will travel to cross into Washington.  We resupply for this next leg at the local store, do laundry and soak as often as we can in the jacuzzi.  We run into the UK couple we met at Kennedy Meadows (north) who we find out are Yo-Yo-ing the PCT (from one end to the other and back again) and who are about to leave and continue SOBO.  They tell us that the snow in
Washington should be completely gone when we go through and that while there are lots of ups and downs it’s not anything we haven’t already done…so we got that going for us. 

We finish our zero with pizza, beer and ice cream, and walk to the locks park where we see the original steam engine that portaged the boats around the unnavigable rapids. 

Once the lock was built, portage was no longer necessary.  Once the Bonneville Dam was built (1938) it changed the depth of the river, rendering the lock obsolete as the rapids now became less treacherous.  The engineering feats of the portage rail line (mid 1800’s), the lock and the Dam were awe inspiring.  Time for another soak and a good nights sleep.