Columbia River Historic Highway
This morning we awoke near the Dalles dam on the Columbia River. Due to delays from the night before we were a little behind schedule and so got another chance to ride in the Zodiacs, even if it was a short trip. We took the Zodiacs ashore so we could catch busses for a trip to the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center. We enjoyed the dynamic displays of the natural and cultural history of the river gorge through geologic and human time. From there it was a quick trip to a lookout called Rowena Crest. Along the way we noticed the quick change of the botany along the river as we headed west into the gorge and towards the wetter side of the Cascade mountain range. The change was dramatic as we encountered gary oaks, pine trees, and big leaf maples as well. One group then went to the town of Hood River, well known for its orchards and windsurfing, for some shopping before returning to the ship. The other group got a chance to walk along the Columbia River Highway designed and built in the early part of last century. This beautiful road had fallen into disrepair after the large interstate highway 84 was built. Now there has been a great deal of effort, money, and time put into resurfacing and improving the access to the road. This was not done for cars but for pedestrians and bicyclists of the area. The views of the river were spectacular from the path as we got a little exercise.
This morning we awoke near the Dalles dam on the Columbia River. Due to delays from the night before we were a little behind schedule and so got another chance to ride in the Zodiacs, even if it was a short trip. We took the Zodiacs ashore so we could catch busses for a trip to the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center. We enjoyed the dynamic displays of the natural and cultural history of the river gorge through geologic and human time. From there it was a quick trip to a lookout called Rowena Crest. Along the way we noticed the quick change of the botany along the river as we headed west into the gorge and towards the wetter side of the Cascade mountain range. The change was dramatic as we encountered gary oaks, pine trees, and big leaf maples as well. One group then went to the town of Hood River, well known for its orchards and windsurfing, for some shopping before returning to the ship. The other group got a chance to walk along the Columbia River Highway designed and built in the early part of last century. This beautiful road had fallen into disrepair after the large interstate highway 84 was built. Now there has been a great deal of effort, money, and time put into resurfacing and improving the access to the road. This was not done for cars but for pedestrians and bicyclists of the area. The views of the river were spectacular from the path as we got a little exercise.
