The Columbia River Gorge is a canyon on the Columbia River. The eighty-mile long canyon is up to 4,000 feet deep as it winds through the Cascade Range making its way to the ocean. It forms the boundary between the state of Washington to the north and Oregon to the south.
The Columbia River Highway runs along both sides of the river, Washington on one side and Oregon on the other, making it a great driving loop. It was one of the first US highways designed for scenic touring.
I love rivers, especially riverboat tours but because of covid or maybe because it is too early in the season, the Columbia River boat tours are not operational but a drive along the river is a wonderful substitute. My son, Jim, and I drove up the Washington side of the Columbia River crossed over and returned on the Oregon side. The weather was perfect and the scenery beautiful.
The Lewis and Clark Exposition followed the Columbia. Jim has explored the area and read about it so he knew the exact spot where the exposition knew they were approaching the ocean because there was a slight tide in the river but the ocean was still a long ways off.
I love legends that people used to explain happenings around them. Such is the case with The Bridge of the Gods. Around 1400 a massive landside damned the Columbia River creating a land bridge. According to legend of the Klickitats the two sons of the chief traveled down the river from the north in search of a place to settle. They found the land so beautiful they argued over it. The chief, to settle the dispute, give one son the land to the north and the other to the south and then built the Bridge of the Gods so that the family would be able to meet. Over the years the land bridge wore way. The Native Americans made the area their home for generations before others arrived.
For those who have trouble believing in the changing environment they only need to travel and learn about some of the dramatic changes that have taken place over the eons. Beacon Rock is an 850-foot basalt volcanic plug. The native Chinook called it Che-che-op-tin, “Navel of the World.” Seems logical since it was once part of a volcano. The volcano has eroded away leaving a plug of basalt that was once in the volcano. On the drive we could see places where layers of basalt had been uplifted eons ago.
I have always loved museums so we were happy that the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center Museum was open. It was excellent and we were the only visitors.
The museum covers many diverse aspects of the area including the First Peoples known to live in this area of the Gorge, the Cascade Chinook. There is a collection of many artifacts. The largest gallery in the museum is Harvesting Resources, which focuses on the timber and fishing industries in the Gorge. Most impressive was the huge fishwheel used to scoop of the fish from the river. There were several on the river. Amazing that any fish were left! In DeGroote Theater the video vividly shows the formation of the Gorge. There were some unexpected finds including the Dan Brown Rosary Collection. According to “Ripley’s Believe It or Not” it is the largest collection in the world. Many were used or were the property of famous people including Lawrence Welk, Father Flanagan, Lou Holtz, and President Kennedy.
The area is a hikers’ paradise but my serious hiking days are over, sadly, but there is a variety of hikes from short and easy to difficult. An easy one in the spring is a short paved walkway at Catherine’s Creek to admire the wild flowers. The area was once where cattle grazed now it is part of a Nation Scenic Area where they are trying to restore the area’s wildflowers.
Along the way there are several waterfalls. One of the most spectacular with easy access is Multnomah Falls. The 611-foot cascade has a paved walkway that allows visitors to experience power of the falls. According to Native American lore the falls was created to win the heart of a young princess who wanted a hidden place to bathe. Along the drive we were awarded with glimpses of picturesque Mt. Hood, a potentially active volcano.
