Hood River Day - it begins with bus ride, to an amazing lookout over the Columbia River. Looking to the east one sees the Channeled Scab Lands; looking to the west one sees large coniferous forests, gray clouds and the passage through the Cascade range of mountains.
Lewis and Clark made this passage on a much different Columbia River, though at the same time of year! The passage of 1805 was on a river without dams or small scattered communities. The weather was much the same, and as we looked west, we all wondered how much rain we would encounter as we moved from the arid climate of the eastern side of the Cascades to the temperate rain forest of the western side of the mountains. It's fall in the Pacific Northwest, and the trees are turning, bringing reds and yellows from the Vine Maple and Big Leaf Maple trees. The passage by road and also by the Hood River train made its way through a great display of fall color.
