I have seen the very large sections of these wind turbines on trucks heading east on I 84 for the last several years. I didn't know there were so many being installed or where exactly some were going until I recently drove further east in the gorge.  Past The Dalles, towards Hwy 97, it is quite a site to see so many wind turbines dotting the hills and bluffs along the gorge. I learned that one of the largest wind farms in the world is located right in Klickitat County, near Goldendale, Washington. It is called Windy Point and it just recently sold. I was able to get fairly close to one of these massive wind machines. They are amazingly quiet and the turbines don't look like they even turn very rapidly. An entrance at the bottom of each wind tower allows access for workers to get in and climb inside up to the top for maintenance, etc.

Windy Point/Windy Flats will be one of the largest wind projects in the world - 26 contiguous miles of ridgeline along the Columbia River – covering over 90 square miles.  It is expected to be fully completed in 2010. A capacity of more than 500 MW of renewable energy is anticipated. This will generate enough clean electricity for more than 250,000 households per year and displace at least 800 metric tons of carbon dioxide annually.

They definately change the landscape along the ridges and hills as manmade objects, but I didn't find them to be terribly unsightly. I think they are rather interesting and just think of all the clean energy they are creating. They are also helping the economy of klickitat County, Washington with the additional jobs they create.