Wind, water, and wonderful weather guided our explorations today. The famous winds of the Columbia River Gorge were non-existent as we traversed the winding roadway up and into the Hood River Valley. Mount Hood stood radiant in the morning sun and 180 degrees away stood its near mirror image, Mount Adams. Our destination was a locally owned farm where we sampled the fruits of this year’s harvest: crisp pears, juicy apples, and regional jellies and jams. Tomorrow is Halloween, and the pumpkin patch still had a plentiful assortment of potential jack-o-lanterns lying about. Yes, there was frost on the pumpkins.
Leaving the pumpkins, we proceeded to Hood River, the windsurfing capital of the west. There was an abundance of sporting goods shops offering all the accouterments needed to surf with the wind, along with other outdoor activities popular in the area, such as biking and kayaking. We browsed other shops, including the local coffee shops, alpaca sweater store, and the local galleries.
As we traversed the Gorge heading west, we were buffeted by the afternoon winds. Silhouettes of Ponderosa pine trees along the roadside showed the classic “banner” or “flag” tree sculpting effects of nearly perpetual winds. We arrived to the prize of Oregon, Multnomah Falls. From the basaltic bosom of Oregon a stream of water carelessly leaps from the edge and plummets 620 feet into a plunge pool below. Admirers from below capture this ongoing feat with numerous little cameras, each one taking a bit of the beauty home.
For a special treat this afternoon we were allowed to lock through Bonneville, the last lock of our voyage using our handy little expedition landing craft. With three little black boats trailing behind the mother ship National Geographic Sea Bird, we came into the lock and each tied to our own floating bollard. We descended as the lock master operated the valves and verses of Woody Guthrie’s “Roll on Columbia” reverberated in the lock chamber. Exiting the lock we continued past the historic landmark of Beacon Rock before reboarding the Sea Bird. An exhilarating ending to an exceptional day.
