Columbia River Gorge
This morning we began our day on the east side of the famous Columbia River Gorge at the town of The Dalles. After boarding busses for the Columbia Gorge Discovery center we were very impressed with the incredible displays of the history of Wasco country as well as the discovery center that explained the formation of the gorge from a geologic, cultural, biological and meteorological point of view. We even got a chance to see the Sea Lion, our home for the week, pass us heading down river to our afternoon pickup at the town of Hood River. Some of us then walked varying lengths along the old Columbia River Historic Highway while others enjoyed some time in town.
After lunch we made our way down river to Bonneville Dam, the last of the dams on the Columbia we would navigate through, and on to the free-flowing portion of the river out to the seaside town of Astoria. Once we left the lock at Bonneville there were great views of some fascinating examples of Pacific Northwest geology. The photo shows Beacon Rock, a volcanic plug left over from a Cascade volcanic eruption that partially plugged up the river when it erupted. The state park is now a great place to hike up and get a view of the gorge. The other mountain is Fallen Leaf Peak where half of this mountainside gave way and slid across the river to damn it up completely over 800 hundred years ago. The subsequent erosion of the landslide and replenishing of the river gave rise to the native legend of the "Bridge of the Gods." All tolled it was a great day enjoyed by all.
This morning we began our day on the east side of the famous Columbia River Gorge at the town of The Dalles. After boarding busses for the Columbia Gorge Discovery center we were very impressed with the incredible displays of the history of Wasco country as well as the discovery center that explained the formation of the gorge from a geologic, cultural, biological and meteorological point of view. We even got a chance to see the Sea Lion, our home for the week, pass us heading down river to our afternoon pickup at the town of Hood River. Some of us then walked varying lengths along the old Columbia River Historic Highway while others enjoyed some time in town.
After lunch we made our way down river to Bonneville Dam, the last of the dams on the Columbia we would navigate through, and on to the free-flowing portion of the river out to the seaside town of Astoria. Once we left the lock at Bonneville there were great views of some fascinating examples of Pacific Northwest geology. The photo shows Beacon Rock, a volcanic plug left over from a Cascade volcanic eruption that partially plugged up the river when it erupted. The state park is now a great place to hike up and get a view of the gorge. The other mountain is Fallen Leaf Peak where half of this mountainside gave way and slid across the river to damn it up completely over 800 hundred years ago. The subsequent erosion of the landslide and replenishing of the river gave rise to the native legend of the "Bridge of the Gods." All tolled it was a great day enjoyed by all.
