An August River and Gorge - Saturday, August 1, 2020

Bob and I made the Pacific Northwest our home for over 30 years. During that time, the august* Columbia River Gorge played an important role in our lives. And since the month is August, I thought it would be fun to use the other meaning of the word august in my opening salvo.

[*august (adjective): 

1. inspiring reverence or admiration; of supreme dignity or grandeur; majestic.
2. venerable; eminent.]

The Gorge (as it is affectionately and commonly known in the Pacific Northwest) started forming 17 million years ago when hundreds of fissures opened up in northeastern Oregon and lava floods poured out covering 60,000 square miles with lava up to 100 feet deep. 

Six million years ago, the lava floods ceased. The lava cooled and hardened into basalt rock which accumulated up to a mile in depth throughout the region. 

Fast forward to two million years ago, give or take. There was a change in the climate. Global cooling and increased precipitation caused massive ice sheets to form, advance, and retreat. Long story short, the ice sheets blocked rivers causing huge lakes to form behind them in what is now British Columbia (Lake Columbia) and the panhandle of Idaho (Lake Missoula). Huge, deep valleys in western Montana stored water to a depth of 2,000 feet equaling over 500 cubic miles of water (the combined volumes of Lakes Erie and Ontario!). 

At the end of the Ice Age (15,000-17,000 years ago), a huge ice dam holding back Lake Missoula broke, sending a scouring wall of water, rocks, and ice southwest through what is now Idaho, Washington, and Oregon. It is thought this cycle of ice and flooding occurred over 40 times. [The information above was paraphrased from this most excellent website: http://hugefloods.com/Express.html - if you would like more info on the geologic wonder that is the Columbia River Gorge, I highly recommend you read more at the link provided!]

You can imagine how all that water and rock would eat away at the basaltic lava and create the geologic wonder that is the Columbia River Gorge. August, indeed!

A great portion of our drive today was along the mighty Columbia River, the largest river flowing into the Pacific Ocean from the North American continent. The Columbia is one of the world's largest sources of hydroelectric power as evidenced by dams along the waterway. Today, we saw the John Day Dam, The Dalles Dam, and the Bonneville Dam. (I have photos on my cell phone, but our internet coverage is so terrible in this RV park that I cannot put them into my blog until we order high-speed internet, probably on Monday. I can, however, put in photos that I took on my camera.)

What makes The Gorge so important in OUR lives is that one of our first dates was a hike to the top of Beacon Rock, a monolith on the Washington side of the Columbia River. According to OregonHikers.org, "Beacon Rock is one of the most prominent and distinctive geological features in the Columbia River Gorge, an 848-foot landmark that was once the core of a volcano; what remains is what was not washed away by the massive force of ice-age flooding. It is one of the tallest monoliths (singular piece of rock) in North America, along with California's El Capitan, Georgia's Stone Mountain, and Wyoming's Devils Tower."

The hike to the top of the rock is 1.8 miles round trip with an elevation gain of 680 feet. There are approximately 50 switchbacks going up the trail, but who's counting. What you'll really be doing is looking at the views of the river and the switchbacks below you. Bob thought taking me to the top of Beacon Rock would test my mettle. Ha! Little did he know, my sister Janyce and I had been hiking trails in the Gorge for years. I love this kind of stuff. Just call me Nature Girl.

Anyway, driving along the Gorge today, we reminisced about the role this area has played in our lives. The anniversary of our first date is almost exactly 37 years ago (July 30, 1983). We've hiked to waterfalls on both sides of the Gorge, taken the boys to see the dams along the river, watched windsurfers in Hood River, and have gone boating with our friends Charlie and Debbie. 

In addition to the Columbia River, the dams, and Mt. Hood, we also saw Mt. Adams and Mt. Rainier today. What we didn't see today were all the spectacular waterfalls that line both sides of the Gorge. It's grand to be back in the Pacific Northwest! (Unfortunately, Multnomah Falls parking lot off I-84 was closed due to the coronavirus. That is one of the top attractions in Oregon. We had planned to stop for a break to view the waterfall, but it was not to be today. Bob was able to see it from the driver's side as we headed west.)

When we reached I-205, we headed north into Washington. I wanted to take a phone of the Welcome to Washington sign, you know, like so many other state sign photos I've posted along the way. There was just a bit of disappointment when all I saw on I-205 was this measly little sign...

It says, "Entering Washington."

We kept looking for a "real" welcome sign but didn't find one on I-205. I think there's one on I-5.

After a slog up I-5 in Washington, we made it to Gig Harbor shortly after 1:00 p.m. and checked into our home for over a month. Our site is a huge pull-through at the end of a row. We have a view of the forest out of our dining room window. The temperature was 69 degrees at 1:00 in the afternoon. Eat your heart out, San Antonians. Later this afternoon, it was sunny and in the high 70s. Wonderful.

This will do!

Plenty of room for social distancing.

We love being on the end.

Sunnie (our cat) is entertained because one of the park's dog walks is across the road from us. He likes to watch them out the window.

After setting up, we opened all the windows to let in the fresh air, sat in our recliners, and promptly fell asleep for 1-1/2 hours. Then it was off to Taco Time for lunch and Safeway for grocery shopping. 

Over-the-air TV is terrible here, so in addition to signing up with Comcast for high-speed internet, we're also going to get cable TV! 

Bob went bike riding this afternoon to check out the route to where he'll be working. He came back completely exhausted. The bike path has really long, steep hills. He said the roads are easier to ride than the bike path. Tomorrow, he is going to walk 1-1/2 miles to his workplace and see if that's better than riding his bike. I know he wants the exercise and he is also kind enough to let me use his truck during the day while he's working.

At one point, we were going to drive both vehicles here from San Antonio so I could have my Escape Pod. However, we like to ride together, share the driving responsibility, and talk along the way. It would have been hard for both of us to drive five-to-eight-hour days to bring both vehicles. Neither one of us would have had a break driving. As it stands now, if both of us need a vehicle in the same day, we can rent one. That will be a lot cheaper than the gas it would have cost for us to bring the Escape!

Okay, has this now become an august blog? Or just the first of August blog? That's all for now. Have a great Sunday.

Sunday is Angel's Rest Day - Sun., June 19, 2016

First, Happy Father's Day to Bob and all the other father's, uncles, and granddads.

Happy Father's Day, Bob!

What would we do without our dads? Mine taught me how to fish, how to dance, how to make pancakes, how to grill, how to make ice cream, how to camp, how to compromise, how not to fight, and how to be in love. I miss my dad.

At 6:45 a.m., I was on the road to Oregon's Columbia River Gorge. An early start was mandatory today because the crowds are insane in the gorge on the weekends. The parking lot for today's hike is very small. I figured I should be there before 8:00 a.m. When I got off the freeway and drove past the trailhead parking there were four spots left in the lot. However, there were no restrooms at the trailhead so I had to drive 1/2 mile to Bridal Veil Falls area to use their facilities. When I returned to trailhead parking, there was one spot left. Mine, all mine. I was very lucky.

Today, I did not take a coat because the temperature was supposed to be in the mid-70s. However, I was questioning that decision when my car thermometer showed an outside temperature of 49 degrees. Brr! I geared up with hiking poles, and in the backpack had a hat with wide brim, trail mix, water, suntan lotion, extra pair of socks, first aid kit, and callous cushions. People were already circling looking for a parking space.

At 7:55 a.m. I crossed the street to the trailhead and pulled out my camera to take a photo of the trailhead sign. I forgot to put my disk back in after I downloaded photos yesterday. Arrgh! I couldn't take photos with my camera today. How frustrating is that? So, once again, I took photos with my cell phone, but can't get them to send to my email. I think the phone is too old. I tried to download the latest version of Firefox, but it failed: server is not supported. Sigh.

The day was mine to enjoy. I was not hiking with buddies today as they chose not to do this hike. And I didn't have to worry about taking many photos. At least I know I have some in the phone, maybe Verizon can get to them and send them for me. I'm at a loss as to what else to do to get those photos to my email.

An early start meant tranquility on the trail. I saw very few people on the way to the top. As an aside, even though we lived in Oregon over 30 years, this is one hike in the gorge we have never done. I was a little intimidated by the elevation gain (1,450') and the description that the trail steepened as it got closer to the top.

I started up that trail with no coat in the 49 degree weather and was sweating within 10 minutes. All my worry about a steep trail was for naught. The trail switch-backed up gently and I kept going and going, not feeling winded or overly tired. If I needed to, I stopped and breathed deeply for a couple of minutes. (Either the trail was less steep or I was in better shape than earlier in the week.)

Along the trail were tiger lilies in various stages of blooming and the columbine was at its peak. The air was butterscotch-and-vanilla scented making the experience even more delightful. I wish I could share the sound of the wind in the trees and the rushing gurgle of  one small creek. Supposedly Coopey Falls was near the start of the trail, but I did not see it. That may have been the creek I heard.

A few people passed me on the way up: a mom with her 15-year-old son, a young couple, some hale and hearty young men, and a few twenty-something young ladies. I enjoyed my own pace.

As I neared the top, the winds became quite strong and chilly, but it felt good because I had become quite warm from hiking up the hill. When I came out of the forest close to the top, there was a field of large flat rocks and big boulders. I thought I had arrived at Angel's Rest. Folks were sitting on the rocks eating yogurt and settling in. I was so focused on not tripping on rocks, I didn't look around. But I saw others looking to the west and taking photos. When I turned around, the world was my oyster. The view toward Vista House, Portland and the West Hills was fantastic. Clear blue sky with the sun behind us made it even more magical. I can't recommend this hike enough.

What made me feel especially proud was looking across the Columbia River and seeing that I had hiked higher than the hills on the other side of the river. Wow. Pretty impressive accomplishment for so early in the morning. (As many of you know I am NOT a morning person.)

I quickly realized I was not at Angel's Rest. A number of through-hikers behind me kept on going. I followed. Soon we were through the rock field and back into lush forest. Angel's Rest certainly couldn't be too much farther, could it?

My Volksmarch instructions said just before reaching Angel's Rest I was to take a trail that veered off to the right. It didn't look quite right to me because it was a narrow ridge with a teensy trail through thick brush (including the dreaded poison oak), AND I could see drop offs in a couple of places through some rocks. Yikes!

I asked a lady if there was a trail there and she said, "Yes, it goes for miles." Alrighty then. My adventurous spirit took over and I braved the short stretch of ridge, then presto-chango I was back in deep forest.

My next walk instructions were to go left at a Y in the trail. The first Y I came to had a left turn that would take me off a cliff. A young couple was coming from that way and said not to go that way. Then I told them about my walk instructions. They said they had seen a Y in the trail ahead and had gone to the right on it, but the trail petered out into a bunch of branches. They hadn't tried the left fork. So I did.

The trail was absolutely beautiful. Soft, fine bark and pine needles made a cushioned path underfoot that was most welcome after all the mud, rocks and roots on the rest of the trail. I was up high, walking through a tall pine forest with views of the Columbia River far below. I was completely by myself and, I must admit, a little spooked. One of the Volksmarchers we hiked with had seen a bear on a different trail earlier in the week. Spring is when the bears wake up hungry and also may have cubs. So, I clanked my hiking poles together a lot so I wouldn't startle any bears unexpectedly. Didn't see any...it must have worked.

The tiger lilies were in full bloom; a lush understory of ferns and moss was a feast for the eyes, and tall trees kept the wind at bay. Did I mention it was really windy in the exposed areas I had already walked through?

The next instruction on my walk sheet was "Go 0.2 mi until you come to a makeshift bridge. Turn around and retrace your steps to the main trail." I walked and walked and walked. The last I checked 0.2 miles is 1/5 of of a mile. Not very far when you're hiking 6.2 miles. I'm a pretty good judge of distance and I can tell you there was no makeshift bridge. There wasn't a place on this part of the trail that needed a bridge. I heard no running water indicating a creek, and the trail and forest were pretty level. I finally got frustrated, turned around and went back to the main trail.

Holy cow! The place was packed. I found a flat bench-like rock to sit on. I wanted to change my callous cushions and put on dry socks. I was able to get one changed, but then a group of people with two dogs decided to hang around me and chat, so I ate my trail mix, waiting for them to move on. They kept talking and talking. I kept eating my trail mix.

They obviously weren't going anywhere soon. They didn't want to go the rest of the way up some boulders to Angel's Rest. The chill wind was blowing pretty strong in the exposed place I was sitting. I thought it felt great. The guy standing there chatting put on his coat.

Anyway, the people just wouldn't leave, so I changed my other callous cushion and sock, drank some water, then I scrambled up the boulders to Angel's Rest. Wow, impressive.

There is a 270 degree view of the Columbia River, Washington state hills and mountains, and it was glorious. Angel's Rest is a large outcrop of rock with brush and a flat area you can walk around. It's quite large. I heard if you walked out toward the end and followed a faint trail to the left, there was a bench. Really? Hmm, okay, I'll go see.

I asked a gentleman about the bench. He said there used to be one but he hadn't been up there for years. His young son said, "Dad, c'mon you've got to see this." So I followed them. Sure enough there was a bench. Two guys were hogging it. People were talking about taking their photos there with their dads, loud enough for the two guys to hear, but the two guys didn't budge. Jerks.

It was time to head down. My eyes and brain could only take in so much beauty at once. I carefully made my way back to the car. OMG, the parade of people coming up the trail was like a freeway. I'm glad I got there when I did. Unbelievable.

At the bottom I was shocked to see cars parked on both sides of the scenic highway, on both sides of a small side road, and on both sides of the road below the parking lot. When I got to the car, people were waiting for a spot. Two guys in a small car looked at me expectantly and no one else was around. I pointed to the spot and they were overjoyed. They got the spot when I left. I had been gone four hours.

The first thing on my mind was the bathroom at Bridal Veil Falls. I made it just in time. Whew.

In order to get to Cascade Locks for my hot dog lunch, I had to go 7 miles east on the Scenic Highway to reach eastbound I-84. Things were going swimmingly until about 1/2 mile before Wahkeena Falls. Traffic was at a standstill. Picture a narrow, two-lane scenic highway with very few turnouts, all available turnouts are filled with parked cars so people could get to Wahkeena Falls. I sat in traffic 20 minutes for that 1/2 mile. I thought surely once we got past the falls, traffic would move again. I saw people ahead of me making five-point turns to come back our way. No one was coming through from the other way.

After Wahkeena Falls, it's 1/2 mile to the granddaddy of the gorge falls, Multnomah. Traffic was again at a standstill. It was my turn to make a three-point turn and head back to I-84 west. I knew a secret. Three miles west on I-84 you can cross over the freeway at Rooster Rock and get onto I-84 east. You can only do this in a car, not an RV.

I made it to my hot dog lunch at 12:50 p.m. I was feeling energized and active, and I decided to do my last walk: a 5k in the town of Cascade Locks. All went well and it was time to go home. I was ready for a shower, a nap, and some relaxation. 

However, when I got back to mom's I washed my hiking poles, and two pairs of hiking boots, then did one load of laundry. My sister was there as well.

Mom asked me to make cod lettuce wraps for dinner and they wanted it before "60 Minutes" came on. I told them no problem, but I was taking a shower first.

We finished dinner just before "60 Minutes." We had cod lettuce wraps served with avocado, tomato and peach-mango salsa, steamed beets, and strawberry shortcake for dessert. The strawberries were from mom's garden and she mashed those, plus cut up the beets. My sister made whipped cream for the shortcake. Mmm.

Now my blog is done and I'm heading to bed to read. We'll see how long I stay awake.

Happy Father's Day again. I hope you all had a memorable day.

Leaving On a Jet Plane - Sat., June 11, 2016

Bob will be holding down the fort while I'm on vacation. Thank you, honey, for letting me fly away for ten days.

After work today, Bob is taking me to the San Antonio airport and I'll fly to Portland, Oregon to visit family, friends, and do the Columbia Gorge Volksmarching Weekend! Yay, waterfall hikes galore.

I will write blogs as time allows. Look for some "gorge"ous nature photography starting June 16. Hopefully the rain will hold off.

During the four-day hiking weekend, I signed up for four hard 10k hikes, one medium 10k hike and one easy 5k walk. My feet will be ready for a rest after all that.

Thank you again, Bob, for taking care of the home front. I love you. 

Columbia River Gorge - Thurs., Sept. 26 - Part 2

A trip to Hood River wouldn't be complete without taking the scenic highway to see many waterfalls. Here is a pictorial of our stops along the Highway 30, AKA the Historic Columbia River Gorge Highway, or simply, the scenic highway...

Jan, Mike, Mom at Horsetail Falls.

Me and my son, Mike.

Wahkeena Falls

Cascades below Wahkeena Falls (photo by Mike G.)

Shepperd's Dell

Shepperd's Dell trail.

Mom, Jan, Mike at Shepperd's Dell.

Shepperd's Dell, end of short trail.

Latourell Falls.

Thirsty?

Bottom of Latourell Falls.

Columbia River Gorge as seen from Crown Point.

Mom and Jan on the balcony at Vista House (built in 1916).

And that concludes our day trip to Hood River and the Columbia River Gorge. I hope you enjoyed it.

Travel Bug out.