Today was jam-packed with fun activities! The day began with a bus ride to Rasmussen Farm, a family-run affair which has been in Hood River for generations. We were greeted by a field of flowers, and photographers went nuts shooting bright colors and interesting angles with the light. Shoppers wandered among the fresh produce, and Halloween was in the air with decorations set up everywhere. Pumpkins sat in a field with Mount Hood high and regal behind. After the farm visit we walked around the historic downtown district of Hood River.
Following lunch we boarded the buses and drove to Multnomah Falls, one of the most scenic and visited locations in Oregon. The falls leapt from a sheer cliff in two legs of white water. Exercise walkers zipped uphill, working up a sweat and almost reached the top of the waterfall. Photographers played with tripods, slowing down shutter speeds to get a silky water effect.
After Multnomah we headed to Bonneville Dam, where we received a tour of the facility. The highlight was a window into the fish ladder, where salmon, sturgeon and lamprey swam upstream. The male salmon were developing kype (curved jaws used for fighting and playing the field on the spawning grounds) and all the salmon were beginning to disintegrate in their upstream journey.
Before dinner we went through the Bonneville Lock and enjoyed a rousing chorus of "Roll on, Columbia, Roll on," the official folk song of Washington State. We watched the video chronicle preview and headed to dinner, which was chased down by a presentation on Lewis and Clark by our historian, Jim Rawls.
