"Oh, the Places You'll Go!"

Loading up the bikes to see if everything fits!

"You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go..."
-- Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go!

    I'm staring at the calendar. . . I can hardly believe that it's MAY!  In 33 days, Jack and I will leave for the West Coast!  I bought our train tickets for this trip over a year ago!  Now here we are!  In just 25 days, Jack will graduate as a Mechanical Engineer from the University of Delaware.  Our bicycle trip will celebrate his transition from college life to professional work life.  Both our trip and the anticipation of doing great things in a career hold much excitement and anticipation!
    As a new mechanical engineer and as the Mom of an engineer, we wanted to plan our cross country route  to see many engineering marvels.  Here are a few that we can't wait to see!  Our journey begins along the Historic Columbia River Highway.  This historic highway is the oldest scenic highway in the U.S.  Constructed between 1913 and 1922, the highway was a technical achievement of its time, successfully joining challenging engineering with the careful  treatment of the surrounding landscape.  The Columbia River Basin, is the most hydroelectrically developed river system in the world.   It encompasses more than 400 dams with a  generating capacity of more than 21 million kilowatts. We plan to visit the Dalles Lock and Dam, America's fourth largest power producing dam, and the Bonneville Dam.
    Then in eastern Oregon, we plan to ride the Wallawa Lake Tramway.  This Tramway  powered by a 150 h.p. electric motor at the base, operates on a single continuous-loop cable that is 19,300 feet long, or nearly four miles in length and takes the rider to an 8,200-foot elevation up Mount Howard in only 15 minutes. 
    Continuing our bike ride east, we will travel the Wind River Canyon Highway, another engineering achievement.  The Wind River Canyon is a magnificent channel carved more than 2,000 feet deep by the rushing waters of the Wind River. Engineers designed US 20 to be constructed by literally blasting it from the rock and tunneling through solid granite in three  places.  At the south end of the canyon is Boysen Dam, another engineering accomplishment.
    On the 4th of July, we hope to be at Mount Rushmore.  This sculpture of 60-foot busts of Presidents George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Abraham Lincoln not only represent the first 150 years of U.S. history, but exemplify magnificent engineering ingenuity and clever construction know-how. The artist, Gutzon Borglum, had to employ a variety of mechanical tools and blasting techniques to reach his goal.
    Continuing east, we are planning some fun at Cedar Point Amusement Park in Ohio to ride the Millennium Force Roller Coaster.  This coaster is not only a tribute to its engineers for being the world's largest at 310 feet high and fastest at 92 mph, but engineers also employed a host of new technologies. For example, the elevator cable system, used for first time on a roller coaster, ensures a smooth trip up the hill, and a magnetic braking system replaces the traditional friction approach.  The roller coaster is supported by 226 footers using 9,400 yards of concrete.  It took 175 truckloads of steel make up the frame! 

Can't Wait!!!!!!!!!!!
   
"You're off to Great Places!
Today is your day!
Your mountain is waiting,
So... get on your way!"
-- Dr. Seuss, Oh, the Places You'll Go!