Multnomah Falls, The Columbia River Gorge
What is it about a waterfall that elevates our spirits?
Our passage through the heart of the diverse and spectacular Columbia River Gorge was during a rare calm, wind free day. Standing atop Rowena Crest with its panoramic view of the Columbia and just the top of distant Mount Adams poking up to the north, we saw trees flagged by constant up canyon gales. Today, there was no need to warn people to hold on to their hats. Cruising by Hood River, Oregon, (the town bills itself as the “Wind Surfing Capital of the World”) with not a soul on the water it was a unique experience for many of us who have seen this area under many conditions, but not dead calm.
Evening brought us to our final lock transit of the voyage, the new lock at Bonneville dam. Bonneville was the first lock in the system and this original was smaller than the seven built in the following decades. Until the mid-1990’s, a tug with a full set of barges could pass through the entire system intact until coming to Bonneville. Here, the tug crew would need to tie off part of its load above the lock, take the remaining barges through the lock, tie them off below the dam, pass back up through the lock and retrieve the barges that were originally left behind, lock back down and finally reassemble the load.
Whatever the reasons, it was a joy to view the water of Multnomah Falls plunging towards its meeting with the mighty Columbia and eventually the Pacific Ocean.
What is it about a waterfall that elevates our spirits?
Our passage through the heart of the diverse and spectacular Columbia River Gorge was during a rare calm, wind free day. Standing atop Rowena Crest with its panoramic view of the Columbia and just the top of distant Mount Adams poking up to the north, we saw trees flagged by constant up canyon gales. Today, there was no need to warn people to hold on to their hats. Cruising by Hood River, Oregon, (the town bills itself as the “Wind Surfing Capital of the World”) with not a soul on the water it was a unique experience for many of us who have seen this area under many conditions, but not dead calm.
Evening brought us to our final lock transit of the voyage, the new lock at Bonneville dam. Bonneville was the first lock in the system and this original was smaller than the seven built in the following decades. Until the mid-1990’s, a tug with a full set of barges could pass through the entire system intact until coming to Bonneville. Here, the tug crew would need to tie off part of its load above the lock, take the remaining barges through the lock, tie them off below the dam, pass back up through the lock and retrieve the barges that were originally left behind, lock back down and finally reassemble the load.
Whatever the reasons, it was a joy to view the water of Multnomah Falls plunging towards its meeting with the mighty Columbia and eventually the Pacific Ocean.
