Two hundred years ago, this very day, Lewis and Clark passed by the most significant spot on the Columbia River. At Celilo Falls, the Great River of the West leapt down twenty feet. Imagine the roar and visual feast of such a place. In season, salmon rose to meet this watery obstacle. Perhaps it was the rigors of these falls that created “June hogs,” Chinook salmon that weighed up to 125 pounds. For ten thousand years, people have lived by the Columbia in order to fish at these rapids. For ten thousand years, travelers have come here to trade where the Northwest Coast and the Inland Empire meet. Lewis and Clark documented this great nexus of history with one conspicuous observation – here was an extraordinary profusion of fleas.
We hoped for remarkable events on this day, but reality – largely flea free – exceeded expectation.
As we awoke, alpenglow illuminated Mount Hood. The first of our Cascade volcanoes, Hood, was framed by the towers of John Day Lock and Dam’s guillotine gates. Passing through the lock chamber – the world’s highest - we soon saw a bizarre feature on the hillside. Standing midst the rolling hills and angular basalt walls of the gorge was a full-sized, concrete reproduction of Stonehenge! This strange edifice was the work of Sam Hill. Quirky visionary, pacifist, and philanthropist, this entertaining anomaly left his mark on much of the Columbia River Gorge. After a brief stop at the henge, we went on to Sam Hill’s drive-in mansion overlooking the gorge. Neither Sam’s wife, Mary Hill, nor his daughter, Mary Hill, were able to occupy the place, so Sam was inspired to make it into a museum. Dedicated in 1927, the museum opened in 1940 to display a harmonious blend of Native American basketry, Rodin sculpture, and royal Romanian furniture. The collection of this museum, truly as fine as it is peculiar, was outdone by the special events on the museum grounds. A group of Yakima Indians had set up a tipi, a mat lodge, and tables with various crafts displayed. While we were there, a ceremony was going on, in part to commemorate Lewis and Clark’s passage. The congregation, facing east, heard songs and the beating of the sacred twelve drums.
Downstream, we stopped at Horsethief Lake State Park. Here we saw a collection of petroglyphs moved above the flood of The Dalles Dam. Ready to board our Zodiacs, we again encountered a serendipitous event commemorating the L&C bicentennial. At the water’s edge was a dugout canoe, the craft of a group reenacting the explorers’ journey? The leader of the group spoke, though most of us liked best a great black shaggy Newfoundland, Seaman redux. By boat we were able to view Tsagaglalal, or She Who Watches, the most famous of the Columbia River petroglyphs.
Passing through The Dalles Lock and Dam, we stopped at The Dalles, perhaps the longest continuously occupied site in North America! We bussed off to the Columbia River Gorge Discovery Center, a museum focused on the region. Then, by bus, we saw the abrupt vegetative transition zone of the eastern gorge. Within a few miles we moved from grassy steppe, through oak and pine scrub, and into Douglas-fir forest. Winding along Sam Hill’s historic hiway, we stopped briefly at Rowena Crest for a grand view of the river before descending into Hood River. Here, from the ship’s bow, we enjoyed a spectacular display of the hip new water sport called kite-boarding. Using airfoil kites for power, sailors were able to zip back and forth across the river at tremendous speed, and regularly to “catch air”, leaping high into the air with the kite’s lift.
Today was filled with interesting sights and events, but this is no surprise. Deep though it is, the Columbia River Gorge is brimming with geological, natural and cultural history.
