Merica Road Trippin! Chapter 2 "On The Road Again"

 I'm a little delayed in releasing the second chapter for the Road Trippin blog.  Remember that storm I told you about that happened on July 1st when we left on our trip?  Well, apparently mother nature thought since we wern't here to enjoy her fury, she would pay us another visit on the 12th.  More trees down and power knocked out again!  

So I have been spending some time doing cleanup and getting the tree off my shed!  This storm took out some huge older growth trees.  Ripped them out right at the base of the tree.  Good thing is we are all safe.  The cleanup is not done but thought I would come in and cool off.  I'm missing those cooler temperatures we were experiencing in Montana and South Dakota.


Mother nature is not happy!
Base of the tree that hit the shed!
  
Thankfully, this old oak was leaning on about a 30-degree angle away from the shed.  The limbs that did make contact on the shed only did minimal damage.  The tree would have done some serious damage had it been a direct hit.

So much for issues at home, let's get back to the Road trip!  We left Portland on the 5th. We will make our way to Spokane, Washington on this day. Pronounced spo-can not spo-cane as my co-pilot corrected me on more than one occasion.

The Columbia River Gorge in the Pacific Northwest runs along I-84, with the Columbia River serving as the border between Oregon and Washington state.  It's a scenic drive, and what makes it even more enjoyable are the number of waterfalls along the way.

Views from the Vista House at Crown Point
Looking out over the Columbia River at Vista House


Haze from wildfires burning in Washington State.
.








 


 The Vista House was built as a rest stop observatory for travelers on the old Columbia River Gorge Highway and a memorial honoring Oregon's pioneers—particularly those who made their way down the Columbia River.  Our view on this day was obstructed by the smoke from active wildfires burning in Washington.  

Wind gust of over 100 MPH have been detected on Crown Point.  The first time I visited this spot was with my son and Daughter-in-law. The wind was so strong that day, it was hard to open the car door.  On the trip this time the wind was not so bad but still breezy.

To enjoy the waterfalls, you need to travel the Columbia River Gorge Scenic Highway 30.  There are pull offs where some of the waterfall are visible right from the road, or a short hike will get you even closer.

Latourell Falls 249 foot drop

I think it sounds much more romantic to pronounce this "LAtoorEL" in french, but apparently locals pronounce it as "Lateral".  Regardless how you say it, it is a stunning waterfall.  Since we are on a road trip, we didn't have time to explore all the hiking trails in this area.







Short .2-mile hike down to the base of the falls




Ugh! Me and the tree comparing bulges.  My six-pack has turned into a half barrel, LOL!









Bridal Veil Falls 2-tier 120 foot drop













Wakeena Falls 242 foot drop













OneOnta Gorge




As you can see in the picture, the trail through the gorge is closed due to fire damage





Discouraging to see the vandalism at this spot!  Grow up people!

So the premiere Falls in the area is Multnomah falls.  I have been there before, but my co-pilot had not.  It's the highest waterfall in Oregon at 620 feet. It's also the most popular.  We were not aware that we would need a timed entry pass in order to see it, but parking is a premium in this area.  Cost was only $2 to park, but we were not able to get a time pass till later in the afternoon.  Since we are on a road trip and already made reservations for a hotel in Spokane, we couldn't wait around that long. My co-pilot managed to get a drive-by photo.  You may have seen this waterfall in the movies before, most notable would be Twilight.

Partial view of Multnomah Falls


Horse Tail Falls 176 foot drop

Our last waterfall stop along the scenic Highway 30 byway was Horsetail falls.  This one is easily seen from the road.  While we were there, some ambitious young fella decided to strip down to his skivvies and swim out to the falls.  From the sounds he was making, the water was cold enough to raise his voice a couple of octaves.

Looking for an early morning testosterone boost?  Try a cold shower!



 Since we were on a road trip, we barely scratch the surface here.  I would say we were in this area for about 3 hours.  It's a beautiful part of the country.  We need to make our way back on to I-84 and head towards Washington.



Running On Empty.  There was a $2.00 per gallon swing on gas on this road trip. The highest was in Oregon at $5.09 and cheapest in Missouri at $3.09. Not to mention the 5lb. bag of ice and Bag of Doritos for $9.  Money, so they say, is the root of all evil today.

There were active wildfires in Washington, right along the Columbia River.  We saw air tankers battling the fire as we were driving along I-84.


 



If you look close you can see the air tanker dropping water



Picture of the fire taken at night (Jurgenhessphotography/columbia Insight)


Making our way into Washington



Comments

JimBob said…
Very cool pictures!
July 16, 2023 at 11:27 AM
Angela said…
This was hard!
1. Jackson Browne "Running On Empty"
2. Jean Shepard "Root of All Evil"
July 17, 2023 at 11:03 PM
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