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.

As The Water Falls

 

The Heritage Scenic Route on the south side (Oregon side) of the Columbia River is an absolute delight. I could not recommend it highly enough for those who like to do road trips. Warning: If you do not like spectacular waterfalls, do not proceed down this road or proceed viewing this blog post.

 

Undoubtedly, there are challenges photographing any of these falls, not the least of which is hiking up to some of them. A wide angle lens is a must, a tripod for the slow shutter speed due to low light and trying to attain that misty look, and trying to  keep the camera lens dry are just a few issues that I ran into. I rejected many of my photos due to water spots on the lens ruining the photo. There was a bit of a stiff breeze that day which made things worse.

 

The world famous Multnomah Falls and the bridge at mid-falls. This place is spectacular.

 

I strongly suspect that the flow of water over these cliffs is carefully controlled. The influx of thousands of tourist everyday would dry up if and when the falls would ever dry up in a period of no rain.  

 

There are numerous falls along the route, with names like Bridal Veil and Horsetail. I would like to come back here in Autumn when there is colour on the leaves. The various types of moss and lichen did add colour but mostly different shades and hues of green.

 

Sometimes, the small ones are the most beautiful.

South Central Oregon

 

This photo was taken between the touristy little town of Three Sisters and the big touristy town of Bend. The two largest sawmills in North America were located in Bend and when that industry fell into decline, some enterprising businessmen built a ski resort or two and this area has now become a destination for both summer and winter sports enthusiasts. After staying the night in Bend in a very pleasant hotel called Three Sisters Inn and Suites, we rose early and rescinded the decision of the night before to explore the shopping districts of Bend. When you have been to Whistler, more of the same is not our idea of a good time. Neither of us are 'shoppers' and besides, the beautiful sunny day and the wonderful landscapes were beckoning.

 

I have seen this scene in many photographs in the past, and now I have my very own version of it. What a bonus to have the fluffy white clouds lingering over the distant rocks. A reminder to see these photos large with a click of the mouse.

 

We were not the only Canadians in southern Oregon. These Canada Geese were gleaning where a wheat harvest had just taken place. We were sorry to have missed the harvest, but the golden fields of stubble were still photogenic.

 

This enterprising yet nostalgic rancher lined his driveway with vintage farm implements, all of them giving in to a heavy coat of rust. He has a lovely 'back 40'.

 

A short row of abandoned jet liners at the Bend Airport. We missed the shower by a few minutes.

 

Almost the same photo as above. It is late an I am getting repetitive.

 

 

 

 

We headed straight north from there and spent the night in Gresham, just east of Portland and a stone's throw from the Columbia Gorge, a good starting point for the next day's waterfall adventures. The photo is actually on the historic Oregon Highway 3 just out of Gresham.

Kaneeta Bound

 

We made a quick decision to swing through the Warm Springs Indian Reserve on our way to Bend. When our children were young we spent a Spring Break here with my sister and her family at a resort called Kaneeta.  

 

This is dry and barren land. Last time we came here it was from the north through the mountains.

 

We found that there had been a devastating fire here earlier this year and thousands of acres were blackened and charred. It was also evident that a few houses were destroyed.

 

The fire raged right over this small stream and the road, but left the green shrubs growing on the banks.

 

 

I spotted my first abandoned barn/farmhouse. We found many more.

 

And an abandoned church.

 

The resort was open but was all but abandoned by tourists. We had a good time there, in the hot pools and on the golf course. It has a warmer climate than the surrounding land in the winter, and is sometimes referred to as the poor man's Palm Springs.

 

Then, heading to Bend, we crossed a massive lava field. It went on forever and was most interesting.

 

In the distance are the mountains known as the "Three Sisters".

 

There is a National Monument built at the top of the pass, commemorating the engineers and construction workers who first blazed a trail through this formidable territory. In the middle of the observatory is this brass directional indicator, telling the curious observer  which mountain is which.

As you can see by the photos, the weather was improving greatly.