Frank-ness, Restoration and Renewal

Site of the Elwha dam and Power House

Frank Novosel and I just returned from a brief road trip to the Elwha, the largest dam removal project in the nation.  One can only stare at an empty dam site for so long, i.e., the Lower Elwha, and they have closed off hiking access to the upper, the Glines Canyon dam site, because it's still too dangerous -- so we had plenty of time to explore some other wonders of the Olympic Peninsula, to relax in Bravo (the RV he and I lived in during the 2010 Vancouver Winter Olympics,) to cook some great meals and to explore each other's thoughts.  Frank is a great talker; I am a good listener (my family members might disagree, but then....) And so our conversations rolled on, wandering from what we were seeing, to removal of obstructions, to metaphoric restorations and renewal, to personal histories, to fatherhood and husbanding, to any and everything that came to mind.  But renewal was the closed loop theme. 

A wee drop of single malt

Such conversation is too rare for me.  I make friends slowly, too superficially in the sense of not allowing time for candor and trust to ripen and self consciousness to wane.  And there are too few opportunities to just hang out for a few unscripted days and nights so that obstructions to openness melt away, reflection is restored, and renewal blossoms.  I think gals are quicker at this than guys; for guys, renewal of the spirit can't be rushed; it takes unscheduled time. 

The Elwha below Glines Canyon

The Elwha is not being restored but 

Crescent Beach

renewed. No one can predict how the river and the salmon will turn out.  It will take four or five years before success or failure can be measured.  But already signs are excitingly promising: five species of salmon have appeared in the river since the dams began to come down last year!  Whether their spawn will survive in the dark grey silt remains to be seen.  It covers everything outside the swift currents, is building a large new delta off Port Angeles, and is soiling the beaches of Crescent Bay well to the west.  But life abounds; mountain lion pug have been seen on Crescent Bay; deer, otter and mountain goat are ubiquitous; and Dungeness crab are turning up on the new Elwha delta.  Hurricane Ridge still looms over all. Geologists tell us it, too,  is constantly being renewed by subduction; the end result of that humans will never see. 

In the meantime, we wander about in the natural world (even cocooned in an RV) to unblock, remove obstructions, restore and hope for renewal.  

Hurricane Ridge  

PS: to see more pics of before, after and the removal process, Google Elwha Dam and click on the More Pictures screen.  It also will show the Glines Canyon dam which is really dramatic.