Bonneville Dam National Monument

     The Bonneville Dam was built by the U.S. Corps of Engineers and Franklin D. Roosevelt during the Great Depression.  It took 4 years and 70 million dollars to build it.  Now, it generates electricity for over 2 million people.

The Powerhouse at the Bonneville Dam

     There is a fish ladder at the Dam.  Adult salmon fish swim upriver to lay eggs.

The fish ladder

     There is also a window where we can see the fish in the fish ladder.

Lamprey fish sucking on the window

Other fish in the window.

We also saw salmon fish.

     At the fish ladder window, there was a interactive screen that helped us learn about the life cycle of a salmon fish.  Throughout your (the salmon's) life you could choose what happened next.  For example, you see a shiny object dangling in the water.  You can choose to eat it or leave.  If you eat it (it's a fishing hook), you die and get to try again.  If you choose to leave it, you continue your life.

My sister learning about the life cycle of a salmon fish.

     Again, we did the Junior Ranger program.

Junior Ranger booklet, pin, and badge.

     Our family has been studying Hebrew (Biblical and Modern) these few years, and we can all speak a little bit Hebrew.  While we were doing the Junior Ranger Booklet, I heard someone behind me say "At medaberet Ivrit?" (a Hebrew sentence which means in English, "Can you speak Hebrew?").  I was shocked and managed to answer in Hebrew, "Some/A little" (I'm not sure how to spell it in Hebrew transliteration).  Seeing the look on my face, she answered, "Anachnu mi Israel" (meaning, "we are from Israel").  We talked some more with her and her husband (though now mostly in English).  They are Israelis.  The man's name is Raphi (I think it means "my healer") and the woman's name is Ora (light).  They also asked me some other things in Hebrew such as "Bat kama at?" (How old are you?).  I realized that although I could 'speak' Hebrew, I couldn't answer people quickly enough.

     I later learned that my Dad had talked with them and told them about our trip to Israel the previous year, and about how we were learning Hebrew.