The historic Columbia River Scenic Highway offers an alternative to the bustle of the Interstate. Built about the time of World War I, this road was an aesthetic and engineering marvel in its day. Stone masons were imported from Europe to build the guard fences and pullouts. Portions of the road are still usable. Today we traveled up one section to Rowena Crest, which offers a spectacular view up the mighty Columbia River, just west of its famous Gorge, which cuts through the Cascade Mountain Range. The elevational perspective gives a wonderful view of the commercial corridor which is the Great River of the West.
The vegetation here is a transitional forest; the principal trees are Douglas fir, bigleaf maple, and Garry oak. A rich understory includes many species of shrubs, and the openings and uplands are resplendent with a great variety of wildflowers.
After surveying the river we bussed to Parkdale, Oregon, near the base of Mount Hood. Then we rode the Historic Hood River Railroad down through orchards and forests, returning to the Sea Bird at the town of Hood River. The afternoon's course was through Bonneville Dam, then west through the Gorge, where we admired the cliffs and waterfalls on the Oregon side of the river. We also passed 800-foot high Beacon Rock, named by the Lewis and Clark expedition on their way to the sea in late 1805.
