Columbia River Gorge
Today was a day of east and west comparisons. Our morning begin on the dry east side of the Cascades and ended on the lush west side. We used the Columbia River Gorge as our easy transit.
Our first stop was the town of The Dalles, on the dry side of the mountains. Here they get only 14 inches of rain per year. This was obvious in the vegetation—rabbit brush, ponderosa pines and Garry oaks were some of the most prominent species. There were also still plenty of open brown grassy hillsides interspersed among the basalt cliffs. In The Dalles we visited the Gorge Discovery Center and traveled parts of the Historic Columbia River Highway that was completed around 1915. Many of us hiked or biked the now restored Mosier Tunnel section of the highway, enjoying the scenery and the blustery wind while marveling at the places where the old road was built.
Our next stop was Hood River. Although it is only 20 miles downriver, its relative lushness tells of the increased rainfall—30 inches of rain per year adds a new greenness to the landscape. Here we were not the only ones traveling by water. The kite surfers were taking full advantage of the strong west winds blowing today. In a race, I am quite sure they would have beaten us.
Our afternoon was spent enjoying our transit through Bonneville Dam, our final lock of the voyage and through the most scenic sections of the gorge. Highlights of the afternoon were Beacon Rock, Multnomah Falls, and the high, forested walls of the gorge. The ever-changing light conditions were as pretty as the scenery itself. By dinnertime the skies in the west were nearly clear and sporting a beautiful sunset. Off to the Pacific we go!
