Columbia River Gorge
When Lewis and Clark arrived at the place they called Rock Fort near what is now The Dalles, Oregon, they had warm sunny weather. They were able to lay out all their supplies to dry in the late autumn sunshine. Today our fortunes of weather have been somewhat different and the rains have come. This has hampered us little, for due to the use of motor coaches, we are able to travel in comfort.
We first visited the Columbia River Gorge Discovery Center and Museum. It is a superb facility for describing the area we have traversed today. The Lewis and Clark exhibit shows us graphically the cargo they carried as they made their way to the western sea. Our understanding of this portion of their journey has been enhanced by this experience.
We traveled next on a portion of the Historic Columbia River Highway that winds its way to Rowena Crest for a panorama of the river. Afterward we took a walk in the rain on the portion of the Historic Highway that is available for bicycle and foot traffic only. The colorful leaves will fade as the season changes, but following these rains, the rocks and hillsides will turn green again with grasses and ferns.
Our remaining adventure, after returning to the Sea Lion and traveling down a windswept portion of the river as we had lunch and dried out, was to visit Multnomah Falls. Due to the amount of rain falling, the waterfall swelled to a mighty roar. From its base the spray of the falls and the falling rain were blended. There was no way to sort out which moisture droplets fell upon us, and it was an experience we shall not soon forget.
When Lewis and Clark arrived at the place they called Rock Fort near what is now The Dalles, Oregon, they had warm sunny weather. They were able to lay out all their supplies to dry in the late autumn sunshine. Today our fortunes of weather have been somewhat different and the rains have come. This has hampered us little, for due to the use of motor coaches, we are able to travel in comfort.
We first visited the Columbia River Gorge Discovery Center and Museum. It is a superb facility for describing the area we have traversed today. The Lewis and Clark exhibit shows us graphically the cargo they carried as they made their way to the western sea. Our understanding of this portion of their journey has been enhanced by this experience.
We traveled next on a portion of the Historic Columbia River Highway that winds its way to Rowena Crest for a panorama of the river. Afterward we took a walk in the rain on the portion of the Historic Highway that is available for bicycle and foot traffic only. The colorful leaves will fade as the season changes, but following these rains, the rocks and hillsides will turn green again with grasses and ferns.
Our remaining adventure, after returning to the Sea Lion and traveling down a windswept portion of the river as we had lunch and dried out, was to visit Multnomah Falls. Due to the amount of rain falling, the waterfall swelled to a mighty roar. From its base the spray of the falls and the falling rain were blended. There was no way to sort out which moisture droplets fell upon us, and it was an experience we shall not soon forget.
