Friday, September 27, 2013

The Gorge and Vista House

 
The Columbia River Gorge has some of the most spectacular views of any place I have ever seen, and the views from the north are quite different from those from the south. We drove the north side a number of years ago and now we are torn as to which is the most beautiful. We were mostly on the south side on this trip.

 
The structure you see on top of the ridge on the right is Vista House. More photos below.

 
Looking west toward Portland.

 
Looking east.
 


 
Approaching Vista House and were surprised at what we found!

 

 
Tourists with a tripod. Most self portraits these days show at least one person without arms as they hold up their iPhone to snap the photo.

 
Smoke coming out of the hills.
 


 
These photos are not in the right order. Blogger is not letting me re-arrange them. This is the ceiling of the interior of Vista House, a magnificent structure built at the turn of the century and immaculately maintained to this day.

 
Marble arches, stained glass, chandeliers, and brass fittings, all built to last and look gorgeous for all time.

 
The marble and porcelain washrooms reminded me of my days in Ocean Falls, living in a dwelling that was constructed in the same era.

 
Did I mention this was the Men's washroom?

 
The man who engineered the incredible roads in these parts. They are a work of art and an engineering feat.

 
Brass, oak, marble and stained glass stair cases. Wow!


 
This is a very impressive structure which has free admission. If you want a home made cookie you can have one for a small donation.
 
 

 
The arched stone guard rails are everywhere along this highway. They have stood the test of time and are beautiful to look at, just like  busylizzy.

 
A  parting shot as we leave one of the highlights of our trip.


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