The Dark at the End of the Tunnel

This morning they imploded the cooling tower to the Trojan nuclear power plant.  Given that the plant was closed in 1993 it's a sensical sort of thing to do, as there is no longer a need for the tower, but I'm still a little bit sad about it. 

Trojan was located outside of Rainier, Oregon, across the river from Longview, Washington.  For the last 30 miles of I-5 in Washington you are just a few miles from Oregon, and can often see it across the Columbia River.  (Go to mapquest to see what I'm talking about.) 

Therefore, when making the drive from Seattle to Portland Trojan was a VERY important landmark along the way.  You start out 172 miles north of the Washington/Oregon border.  Until you get to milepost 100 you're in the Puget Sound Corridor, and Seattle bleeds into Tacoma which bleeds into Olympia, so you've got traffic to deal with the whole way.  And cop traps, especially in Fife.  So nary a chance to get bored on the drive.

Then you're a mere 18 miles from Centralia, the halfway point and where you stop for gas, or a big gulp at the AM/PM or a quick meal at the northernmost Burgerville on the planet.  Then you're in the middle of a cop trap to end all cop traps and a mere 10 miles from the roadside republican.  (Crazy guy has a billboard with Uncle Sam on it that he posts crazy right-wing messages on.  Used to be kinda witty and entertaining, but the last few years I think he's gotten old and senile so now they're just harsh). 

Now you're 72 miles north of the border, and you've got nothing but freeway until you get to Portland.  It's easy to just go insane with the highway and the trees.  But then, just half an hour later, you can see it.  Trojan!  Oregon!  It's a light at the end of the tunnel!  You can SEE the other state, so that must mean you've almost entered the other state!  Soon you will be done with that trip in the car!

But now, not so much.  Since you can't actually see the river from the highway, it's impossible to tell when you actually see Oregon, and when you just see more of Washington to the west.  Be warned my Portland friends, next time I make the trip South I may just snap around milepost 20 without that beacon of hope to greet me into the Beaver State.

Comments

[kaphine]

I would have liked to see that.

[Jessica]

It happened really fast, so it wasn't all that impressive (all the Portland TV new stations covered it from every angle). The slow-mo replays were a little better, and the thermal imaging shot was interesting.

Jess.

[swankette]

Did the explosion at all resemble a nuclear cloud? Because that would have simultaneously really cool and really freaky.

[Jessica]

Not really, but the dust/smoke did kind of come up through the top of the tower as it imploded from the middle.

We drove past there yesterday, and it does look really barren without the cooling tower.