Multnomah Falls
As we proceed west down the Columbia there are many sights to behold. One of the most amazing of these is the gorge. This windswept, green and brown, high and low, wet and dry place is unique among river canyons in the world. The mighty Columbia has managed to pierce it way through a major mountain range, the Cascades, and in doing so has created a wonderful example of how climate can change very rapidly in a short distance. Our journey began on the east side, the dry, brown, and flat side of the gorge. Rainfall averages barely a foot all year. Summer temperatures are quite high and sustained. Winters can be very cold and windy. We spent the day traveling by ship, bus, foot, and bicycle as we took different options throughout the day to reach the west side, the wet, green, hilly side of the gorge. Rainfall on the west side can be over 7 feet during the year. Summers are moderate; winters are cool but not bitter.
Our furthest point visited during the daylight was the famous Multnomah Falls. The three different stages of the falls equal 620 feet. The rain earlier in the day had given a little more thickness to the falls. We enjoyed the mist, the coolness and the surroundings of the varied botany after having been deprived of the greenery for a few days on the east side. We were also reminded of the great water floods of the ice age that have modified all the regions we have visited on this trip. From Hells Canyon to the gorge all the countryside we have witnessed was changed by water. Sometimes by great deluges and sometimes just by the few drops that occasionally fall even on the dry side.
As we proceed west down the Columbia there are many sights to behold. One of the most amazing of these is the gorge. This windswept, green and brown, high and low, wet and dry place is unique among river canyons in the world. The mighty Columbia has managed to pierce it way through a major mountain range, the Cascades, and in doing so has created a wonderful example of how climate can change very rapidly in a short distance. Our journey began on the east side, the dry, brown, and flat side of the gorge. Rainfall averages barely a foot all year. Summer temperatures are quite high and sustained. Winters can be very cold and windy. We spent the day traveling by ship, bus, foot, and bicycle as we took different options throughout the day to reach the west side, the wet, green, hilly side of the gorge. Rainfall on the west side can be over 7 feet during the year. Summers are moderate; winters are cool but not bitter.
Our furthest point visited during the daylight was the famous Multnomah Falls. The three different stages of the falls equal 620 feet. The rain earlier in the day had given a little more thickness to the falls. We enjoyed the mist, the coolness and the surroundings of the varied botany after having been deprived of the greenery for a few days on the east side. We were also reminded of the great water floods of the ice age that have modified all the regions we have visited on this trip. From Hells Canyon to the gorge all the countryside we have witnessed was changed by water. Sometimes by great deluges and sometimes just by the few drops that occasionally fall even on the dry side.
