11/13, Saturday. Rain is not expected until after noon. Dad and I headed out ~10am for
Stave Falls Dam and Powerhouse.
The power house, now a visitor center is sparkly clean, especially consider its 110 year-old age. 5 turbines (one open on the side to reveal its innards) with speed regulator (controlled by water and human) and a crew of 7 in the old days to produce ~52MW energy. Around 2000, it was decommissioned after the newer power house (with 2 45MW turbines, but so twice as much output) went online. Public is not allowed into the new power plant.
A nice big picnic balcony overlooking the placid water below. We saw two SUPs here. A small tug boat fixed in the middle of the water.
This visitor center also has some donated old home electrical appliances. Many hands on (pushing a button) experiments for kids.
One lady demo-ed a high voltage
Tesla Coil. Dad and I were the only visitor today. $8 entrance fee is a bit stiff. For propoganda, why not run it as a free facility, like most dams.
More cars were parked in the lot. We walked south to Hayward Lake, a recreation area with a boat launch, and a large bathroom. The lake isn't intereting. Stave Lake, however is pretty. Probably looks even better if it's clear. By then, it started to drizzle.
We continue the drive on Dewdney Truck Rd for a bit to Steelhead Falls. On the way, saw high pressure water released from the dam/new powerhouse. The parking lot was half full for this rainy day. Quite a few kids. The trail is short and with good tread. A nice bridge over Brown Creek, and a smaller bridge over Steelhead Creek.
Continue after the bridge, and going down to a view platform. A bit wet and rocky this part. The waterfall is quite big and gushing. Well worth the short hike. Going back to the car is hiking up, which tied dad.
I drove to another waterfall in the area. Rolley Falls in Rolley Lake Provincial Park. The lake isn't interesting. A big camp ground with many RVs. There's a short trail at the end of the campground. We parked in a campsite, and walked in. The trail is narrow and muddy. Dad gave up quickly. It's not worth the trouble of seeing this small drop, especially in the rain.
A note on border crossing. Recently US and Canada border has allowed fully vaccinated visitors to enter. However, Canada requires a negative COVID-19 PCR test within 72 hours of reaching the border. I had to apply via ArriveCan.ca, where I upload a photo of my vaccination card, book a day/time to cross the border, apart from entering passport info. I was issued a code.
No public land transportation going across the border, so I rented a car. I arrived at the Canadian border around noon. 3 lanes open, only 1 car. So it was very fast. I did stop by the duty-free shop. I was the only customer. When I returned around 9pm to the US border, only 1 lane open, no car. This is my first visit since the lock-down. However, the requirement of a recent negative test is rather a hinderance to frequent travels.
The power house, now a visitor center is sparkly clean, especially consider its 110 year-old age. 5 turbines (one open on the side to reveal its innards) with speed regulator (controlled by water and human) and a crew of 7 in the old days to produce ~52MW energy. Around 2000, it was decommissioned after the newer power house (with 2 45MW turbines, but so twice as much output) went online. Public is not allowed into the new power plant.
A nice big picnic balcony overlooking the placid water below. We saw two SUPs here. A small tug boat fixed in the middle of the water.
This visitor center also has some donated old home electrical appliances. Many hands on (pushing a button) experiments for kids. 
One lady demo-ed a high voltage Tesla Coil. Dad and I were the only visitor today. $8 entrance fee is a bit stiff. For propoganda, why not run it as a free facility, like most dams.
More cars were parked in the lot. We walked south to Hayward Lake, a recreation area with a boat launch, and a large bathroom. The lake isn't intereting. Stave Lake, however is pretty. Probably looks even better if it's clear. By then, it started to drizzle.
We continue the drive on Dewdney Truck Rd for a bit to Steelhead Falls. On the way, saw high pressure water released from the dam/new powerhouse. The parking lot was half full for this rainy day. Quite a few kids. The trail is short and with good tread. A nice bridge over Brown Creek, and a smaller bridge over Steelhead Creek.
Continue after the bridge, and going down to a view platform. A bit wet and rocky this part. The waterfall is quite big and gushing. Well worth the short hike. Going back to the car is hiking up, which tied dad.
I drove to another waterfall in the area. Rolley Falls in Rolley Lake Provincial Park. The lake isn't interesting. A big camp ground with many RVs. There's a short trail at the end of the campground. We parked in a campsite, and walked in. The trail is narrow and muddy. Dad gave up quickly. It's not worth the trouble of seeing this small drop, especially in the rain.
A note on border crossing. Recently US and Canada border has allowed fully vaccinated visitors to enter. However, Canada requires a negative COVID-19 PCR test within 72 hours of reaching the border. I had to apply via ArriveCan.ca, where I upload a photo of my vaccination card, book a day/time to cross the border, apart from entering passport info. I was issued a code. 
No public land transportation going across the border, so I rented a car. I arrived at the Canadian border around noon. 3 lanes open, only 1 car. So it was very fast. I did stop by the duty-free shop. I was the only customer. When I returned around 9pm to the US border, only 1 lane open, no car. This is my first visit since the lock-down. However, the requirement of a recent negative test is rather a hinderance to frequent travels.
