Columbia River Gorge (East End)
As we retrace the journey of the Corps of Discovery we have come to appreciate the extreme value of the Columbia and Snake Rivers. Every morning has embraced a special beauty of a new day at a "new place" along this mighty river system. Today found us docking at The Dalles, a small agricultural city at the eastern doorway to the Columbia River Gorge. The Dalles is a community not too distant from the ancient but extinct fishing and trading site, Celilo Falls. The mist and thundering roar of this massive torrent of white water has been silenced by this community’s most significant landmark, The Dalles Dam.
Our enriching schedule today found us visiting the Discovery Center and Wasco County Museum, then traveling on a segment of the original Columbia River Highway to Rowena Crest Viewpoint. This elevated promontory provided an excellent view of the folded basaltic flows that comprise the east end of the Columbia River Gorge. By late morning our group was either hiking or biking the Mosier Twin Tunnel segment of the old highway or shopping in Hood River – the wind-surfing capital of the Pacific Northwest.
By mid-afternoon we were cruising through the Bonneville Slide Complex and approaching Bonneville Dam. From this point westward most guests were on the bow enjoying the special beauty offered by such sites as Beacon Rock, Multnomah Falls and Crown Point. It was this beauty that Sam Hill, the father and motivator for the Columbia River Highway, used to promote this historic engineering masterpiece. He once said, “We will cash in, year after year, on our crop of scenic beauty, without depleting it in any way.” Today, in the splender of a warm September afternoon, we ‘cashed in’. Wouldn’t it be great that future generations have the same opportunity?
As we retrace the journey of the Corps of Discovery we have come to appreciate the extreme value of the Columbia and Snake Rivers. Every morning has embraced a special beauty of a new day at a "new place" along this mighty river system. Today found us docking at The Dalles, a small agricultural city at the eastern doorway to the Columbia River Gorge. The Dalles is a community not too distant from the ancient but extinct fishing and trading site, Celilo Falls. The mist and thundering roar of this massive torrent of white water has been silenced by this community’s most significant landmark, The Dalles Dam.
Our enriching schedule today found us visiting the Discovery Center and Wasco County Museum, then traveling on a segment of the original Columbia River Highway to Rowena Crest Viewpoint. This elevated promontory provided an excellent view of the folded basaltic flows that comprise the east end of the Columbia River Gorge. By late morning our group was either hiking or biking the Mosier Twin Tunnel segment of the old highway or shopping in Hood River – the wind-surfing capital of the Pacific Northwest.
By mid-afternoon we were cruising through the Bonneville Slide Complex and approaching Bonneville Dam. From this point westward most guests were on the bow enjoying the special beauty offered by such sites as Beacon Rock, Multnomah Falls and Crown Point. It was this beauty that Sam Hill, the father and motivator for the Columbia River Highway, used to promote this historic engineering masterpiece. He once said, “We will cash in, year after year, on our crop of scenic beauty, without depleting it in any way.” Today, in the splender of a warm September afternoon, we ‘cashed in’. Wouldn’t it be great that future generations have the same opportunity?
