Shasta Dam

    This being a rain filled day is no excuse for sitting around watching TV. The lake is nearly full and congress just passed a bill to raise the height 18 1/2 feet at a cost of 1.5 billion. It will hold 14% more water and allow for a cooler water flow when the salmon need it to spawn.
                   Shasta Dam is only 8 miles away so off we go.

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This "highline" system was unique in 1938 because it had to carry 6.5 million cubic yards of concrete across a 3400 foot gorge for 5 years nonstop. It had 6 other smaller helper towers but this big one is still partly sitting at the bottom of the lake.

Looking downstream from the top of the dam.

Electricity is only the third reason for Shasta Dam. First two were flood control and agriculture.

I remember the Pelton name from college as in the "Pelton Waterwheel". Found that it is the same company although Pelton went belly up in the '40's. Besides the waterwheel in the turbines, they made the governor so the turbines do not spin out of control.

Unlike the Hoover Dam tour that will not allow you to walk around the bottom of the structure, we could here at Shasta and...IT'S FREE!!! I like free.

We were even allowed to walk deep into the diversion tunnel. We felt safe because on the other end, that is below the lake level, there is a 350 foot concrete plug.

While some people understand hydraulics and how electricity is made...I need pictures to help get an idea of it.

These are 4 of the 5 massive penstocks that dive another 60 feet lower into the building as they send water to the turbine waterwheels.

This tiled tunnel is 460 feet long. When you go to the end of it and clap your hands loudly, you can hear it hit the far wall and come back...at the speed of sound.

  Ha ha...you thought I wasn't going to throw in some bird info? We could see at least three Osprey nests just around the bottom of the dam.

This was waiting for us at the end of the tour. The lightning was so close to us that the dam personnel insisted on taking us back to the visitors center with company cars.

 

The hail was heavier at the motorhome, so as a precaution I swept it off the roof and slide canvas.