Robin Cody

I bought this book expecting an adventure-on-the-river story, but it's so much more. As the author says, it's the story of the Columbia River, told while Mr. Cody is also describing his epic canoe trip from its source in Canada all the way to the Pacific. It is full of fascinating historical information, priceless conversations with locals, descriptions of the myriad of dams and the impact they have had on man and nature. Anyone who lives in Oregon/Washington will enjoy this book immensely, and I think it should be mandatory reading for area high school students.
My favorite line involves Cody's exchange with an elderly native woman, who recalled a time before the dams, before her people learned English. He repeatedly has to ask her how to pronounce their word for this river, and when he cannot reproduce the sounds she makes, he asks, 'How do you spell it?' She replies, 'We don't.'… (mais)