Today I headed inland along the Columbia River on the Washington-Oregon border. I spent my time on the Washington State side and stopped to enjoy the panorama of Oregon’s wooded hills and of the powerful river that lay at the foot vertical cliffs from Cape Horn Viewpoint.
Beacon Rock State Park
As I made my way east through this breathtaking area, I reached Beacon Rock State Park where Petey and I followed a lovely trail through the lush forest to Hardy Falls, Pool of Winds and Rodney Falls. As we wandered along the trail, we came across a bridge that crossed what was almost a dry creek bed. A thin trickle of water rolled down the steep hillside. I thought to myself, if this is the falls, I’m going to be one disappointed hiker. Much to my relief, slightly further ahead, I came across two signs pointing to the attractions.
Hardy Falls was nothing to write home about as the view was relatively blocked by vegetation, but the Pool of Winds and Rodney Falls was inspiring. A path led us past a boulder and up to a rock outcropping. The falls, tucked in the back of a cylinder of rock, cascaded down a mossy log into a pool of water before it zigzagged down the rocky shelf to the creek. Spray from the falls assisted by a tunnel of wind cooled the air and dampened the rocks where we stood.
Upon return from our two mile hike, we stopped to admire Beacon Rock situated across the road on the bank of the river. This enormous monolith, almost 850 feet tall
and second only to Gibralter in size, is the core of a vanished volcano. Lewis and Clark referenced the rock several times in their recordings of their expedition.
Bonneville Dam
From the park, we traveled about five miles or so to the Bonneville Dam where, along with a cormorant, I got to watch salmon swim up river through the fish ladders to spawn. Humans count each type of fish that passes through the ladders daily and post the counts. The previous day nearly 19,000 fish passed through the ladders and year to date over 2 million. Salmon and Shad make up most of the count, followed by Steelhead and Lamprey. Lampreys look like eels that have a sucker mouth which they use to stick to edges.
Stevenson
After a short time at the fish viewing, we stopped in Stevenson for a stroll along the waterfront. The windy day attracted several kiteboarders and windsurfers to the
white capped river. In addition to the water enthusiasts, a cruise line that offers an eight day journey on the river was in port. When I spotted the paddle wheeler,
I had hoped for a two-hour afternoon jaunt mentioned in my trusty book of travels. The operators told me those types of trips were offered in Cascade Locks on the Oregon side. I will be there in a few days.
Mount Hood
If the drive along the river wasn’t scenic enough, I followed the Cook-Underwood Road Loop up into the hillside for a spectacular view of the Hood River Bridge and the majestic Mt. Hood. Thereafter, I followed Highway 141 north to Trout Lake where I found a county campground for the night. ETB
What wonderful photos. What a special place to be. Thanks for sharing!