When French Canadian voyagers saw the tilted basalt tiers on the north side of the Columbia River they were reminded of the flat flagstone rain gutters back home. The term for these features in French is “Les Dalles” and the name has stuck, though it has been Americanized to “The Dalles.”
We began our day at the Rowena Crest Overlook. We enjoyed a rare windless day with bluebird skies and clear views of the Columbia River Gorge and the mouth of the Klickitat River. We continued to the Columbia River Gorge Discovery Center where we took in the museum and the surrounding grounds. Walks and bike rides downhill and back to town were a great way to wrap up the morning.
After lunch we boarded coaches and drove upstream to the Maryhill Museum. Housed in the luxurious home of Sam Hill, an early Washington entrepreneur, and overlooking a spectacular curve of the Columbia, this museum houses a large and eclectic collection of art, including over 80 sculptures by Rodin.
A stop a local fruit stand for fresh apples, peaches, and ice cream rounded out the day before returning to National Geographic Sea Bird via our expedition landing craft.
We proceeded upstream and passed through the massive lock of the John Day dam. Surrounded by monolithic concrete walls we rose over 100 feet to the upper pool of the dam. From the dark well of the lock we emerged to a sunset that turned the basalt walls of the river to gold. Thank you Columbia River Gorge for another outstanding day.
