Rt 30 and Crown Point in the Columbia River Gorge

There is so much to see on the Columbia River Gorge!  We continued our afternoon drive and made a couple more stops along the scenic byway.

Even through the windshield the beauty shows.

Our next stop was at Bridal Veil

We walked down the trail to the overlook

Below, we could see the Columbia River, I-84 and the Union Pacific Railroad

We continued on up the road past another water falls

And then we made it up to Crown Point

Inside it looked like it was all marble

From Crown Point we could see a long way

It was a great drive and a nice day for a lot of pictures!

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  And thanks for the comments!!

Route 30 and Multnomah Falls

Months ago we thought it would be interesting to camp along the Columbia River.  I didn't really give it much thought.  At that time, I had never heard of the Columbia River Gorge.  And then we got to see  the beauty of the area and it is really something.

When Lewis and Clark first came up this way in 1805, they were on to something special.  Of course they were not so concerned about the scenery as they were finding a passage to the Pacific Ocean.  

The scenic travels thing did not come along until the early 1900s with the decision to build America's first highway for tourism became a goal with the building of the Historic Columbia River Highway.  Also now know as U.S. Route 30, traffic began along the route in 1914.  

Interestingly enough, a major proponent and advocate for the scenic highway was Samuel Hill - owner of 60,000 acres across the Columbia River on the Washington side and builder of the Stonehedge WWI memorial.

My mother grew up in Kennewick, Washington.  I heard her say many times, "What in the Sam Hill….?".  I wonder if the saying came about as a reference to the same man?

Back to the scenic road - 

We got on it near the Cascade Locks.  It parallels I-84. 

Along the way, we stopped for different things.  Like this tunnel that was once used, but is now open only to foot traffic.

And then the majestic Multnomah Falls.  I have heard about this place and it was on our list of things to see.

One of the highest falls in all the U.S. (second highest in fact) at a drop of 620 feet, it one of 77 falls on the Oregon side of the Columbia River.

It is really two falls, with a bridge directly over the lower one.

We took a look from the bridge which was a short 10 minute walk.

From the bridge - 

After Multnomah Falls, we continued on the road-

More next time on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Until next time...

Along the Oregon Trail - Le Page Campground and Columbia Gorge Discovery Center

Another fairly short travel day which I like.  We continued on the Oregon Trail and stopped at the Le Page Army Corps of Engineers Park at John Day Locks.

We picked this place a couple of weeks ago when we decided we needed to make reservations along the way since this is the high summer season and the Oregon Trail/Columbia River is a very popular camping area.

We were in place before noon and got all set up.  The campground was fine - it had asphalt hardstands with water and electric and 50 amp power.  It is still hot in this part of the country in the low 90's.

The campground was pretty full for the middle of the week.  It has a nice picnic/day use area with large trees and a small beach for folks to enjoy.

It is right on the water and some campers brought their boats.

The biggest issue for us was lack of cell phone or internet coverage.  I had to go 10 miles down the road to check in a couple of days for work.  Since I support a group on the East Coast, I had to be up early and get to the combined Petro Truck Stop/McDonalds for my 8:00 A.M. Eastern DST telecon!

We were glad to be able to get DirecTV for the start of the PGA Championship.  And to see a MLB baseball game or two in the evening.

During our two days there we made it over to the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center.  That was a great one!  It was one of the best we have seen in a while.  Definitely worth going to.

Inside, the displays were well done.  Informative and interesting.

But the highlight was the live raptor demonstration.  Before the bird handler came out, they had a slide show of birds of the region.

Then the handler came out with three birds.  It was really something.  And she knew her stuff.  She has been at it over 20 years.  She talked about their habitat and was a steady stream of facts.  

All the birds were 'educational birds'.  They had been damaged in some way (broken wing, no eyesight in one eye, etc) and were in the refuge living the good life.  And working everyday educating us non-birders.
She took each one from the cage and held them, gave them a treat, and then put them on a perch while she got another one out.  One was a Red-tail hawk, another was an owl and I forget what the third one was.

Afterwards we had a chance to ask some questions.  It was all new to me so I didn't know what to ask.

It was definitely a treat!

Thanks for joining us on the Roadrunner Chronicles!  Until next time...