We were most fortunate as the wind was behind us with blue sky and mid-80 temperatures.  We rode past the Stonehenge, the Maryhill winery and near Goldendale we got a great view of the aluminum smelter.  I made a mental note to do a bit of research on this plant as I recalled it belching smells in full production a few years ago, but on this day it looked abandon.  It turns out that Brett Wilcox purchased the plant in 1996 for $67M.  It needed to be temporarily close (as the workers were told) in 2003, however, the owner of the plant sold off the power it purchased from producing aluminum on the open market at a hefty profit that went directly into the pockets of executive management.  Everyone was laid off and retirement funds disappeared. (Source: HERE)
Finally we arrived at the Red Lion in Pendleton and picked up our HOG packet, signed the release forms and then headed downtown. Â Pendleton is located in Umatilla County and is situated along I-84. Â For reference it’s south of the tri-cities (Richland, Pasco, Kennewick) area of Washington. Â Beside being labeled by the National Drug Intelligence Center (PDF)Â as a major distribution stop for many drug traffickers en route to the tri-cities from the Southwest Border it’s also home of the Blue Mountain Enforcement Narcotics Team (BENT)Â and home of the famous Pendleton Roundup. Â
