The Columbia River Gorge & Maryhill
Today we passed through our first locks and viewed magnificent scenery and eclectic art. We made our way up the Columbia River this morning past the Multnomah Falls and Beacon Rock. We arrived at the Bonneville Dam shortly after breakfast and experienced the first of the eight locks we will transverse. The Bonneville Lock was once a bottleneck for river traffic as it was smaller than the other seven we will pass through up river. The lock that lifted us up 70 feet today was built to alleviate this problem and was completed in 1993.
After lunch we arrived at Hood River. This small town is the base for many windsurfing operations and we were able to watch some of their frolicking as we came into dock. A beautiful drive toward the The Dalles took us along the Historic Coastal Highway. Completed in 1922, this was the first major paved road in the Northwest. The highway was inspired by European roads such as those in the Rhine River Valley and was intended to compliment the natural landscape of the gorge. This intention was apparent at Rowena Crest where we stopped to take in the stunning views.
Our next stop was the Columbia River Gorge Discovery Center. This beautiful museum houses an incredible collection of movies, displays and artifacts on the cultural history of Wasco County and the natural history of the river gorge. The information presented provided a fabulous foundation for understanding the landscapes we will see this week including the dramatic effects of the Missoula mega floods.
We crossed over the Columbia River near The Dalles Dam and headed to the
Maryhill Museum of Art. This castle like building was the vision of Sam Hill and lodges a bizarre collection of art including Rodin sculptures, Native American baskets, international chess sets and artifacts from Queen Marie of Romania. Nearby, we visited a memorial to Veterans of Klickitat County that was designed to be a replica of Stonehenge. Before returning to the ship we stopped at Horse Thief Park to see a variety of petroglyphs moved before being lost under the rising waters of The Dalles Dam.
Today we passed through our first locks and viewed magnificent scenery and eclectic art. We made our way up the Columbia River this morning past the Multnomah Falls and Beacon Rock. We arrived at the Bonneville Dam shortly after breakfast and experienced the first of the eight locks we will transverse. The Bonneville Lock was once a bottleneck for river traffic as it was smaller than the other seven we will pass through up river. The lock that lifted us up 70 feet today was built to alleviate this problem and was completed in 1993.
After lunch we arrived at Hood River. This small town is the base for many windsurfing operations and we were able to watch some of their frolicking as we came into dock. A beautiful drive toward the The Dalles took us along the Historic Coastal Highway. Completed in 1922, this was the first major paved road in the Northwest. The highway was inspired by European roads such as those in the Rhine River Valley and was intended to compliment the natural landscape of the gorge. This intention was apparent at Rowena Crest where we stopped to take in the stunning views.
Our next stop was the Columbia River Gorge Discovery Center. This beautiful museum houses an incredible collection of movies, displays and artifacts on the cultural history of Wasco County and the natural history of the river gorge. The information presented provided a fabulous foundation for understanding the landscapes we will see this week including the dramatic effects of the Missoula mega floods.
We crossed over the Columbia River near The Dalles Dam and headed to the
Maryhill Museum of Art. This castle like building was the vision of Sam Hill and lodges a bizarre collection of art including Rodin sculptures, Native American baskets, international chess sets and artifacts from Queen Marie of Romania. Nearby, we visited a memorial to Veterans of Klickitat County that was designed to be a replica of Stonehenge. Before returning to the ship we stopped at Horse Thief Park to see a variety of petroglyphs moved before being lost under the rising waters of The Dalles Dam.
