For every monster BPA dam, 100 little ones plug little canyons made lush by the very rain they harness. TunnelRunner33 and I headed into the mountains to look for some long-forgotten hydro facilities.
Easy at first, the woodcutters' road deteriorated from faintly-striped asphalt to a faint trail thru hummocky forest. The way was garnished here and there with industrial relics; a bit of thick cable, pipes, a dessicated power pole.
A penstock to a generator further down once connected here. A decrepit platform above it holds a handwheel to open the valve.
Exhausted by the exuberant forest, we fell back to a generator at the head of a pleasant meadow that we'd visited on our way in.
Inside, we found a single pair of turbine and generator. Between them, an empty space; what machine might once have rested here?
We had a fine picnic on the roof of the building, savoring the beautiful wilderness setting. If somebody fixed this place up and listed it on airbnb; it'd be a hit.