We fired up The Bullet and headed south of the border for a full day adventure. No, not to Mexico, but south of the Washington state line across the Columbia River and into Oregon. Our destinations were all along the eighty mile stretch of the Columbia River as it passes through the Cascade Mountain range forming the Columbia River Gorge.
From Rosburg to our first destination, Bridal Veil Falls was a little over a two hour drive. Rarely was the river out of sight. First on our right as we traveled towards Longview, Washington, under us as we crossed over into Oregon and then on our left as we headed along I-84 into the gorge. It was a very enjoyable drive and once we reached Bridal Veil Falls all of our other destinations were within 45 minutes.
Bridal Veil Falls has two sections that appear to be close to the same height. Thanks to the recent winter storms and rains there was plenty of water cascading over the falls. With a little imagination, it looked like...........a bridal veil. We enjoyed both short hikes from the somewhat small parking lot. The first one was a half mile loop trail on the ridge. This flat, paved trail offered some great views of the Columbia River and several large waterfalls coming off the steep cliffs across the river on the Washington side. The Falls View Trail was slightly longer and steeper but gets you very close to the base of the falls. I learned that there is a post office near the falls that is named Bridal Veil Falls. Engaged couples looking for the complete wedding experience ship their wedding invitations here for mailing so their wedding invitations show the post mark is "Bridal Veil Falls". I don't want to rain on their parade or take away any business from the Bridal Veil Falls Post Office, but I doubt too many people pay attention to the post mark.
After a picnic feast (love that chicken from Popeyes), which we backtracked a little to enjoy, it was on to the small city of Cascade Locks. The city got it's name from a set of locks that were built there in the late 1800's to improve navigation on the river. It must have been a challenging project. Construction began in 1878 and wasn't completed until 1896. After the long construction period, the locks use was somewhat limited and in 1938 they were taken out of service. What remains is a very scenic and historic small town with a population of a little over 1,000 people and one main road running through it. There is a really nice marina park with a connecting bridge over to a small island known as Thunder Island which offers great views of the Bridge of the Gods. In the park there is a small historical museum that unfortunately is closed at the present time (not sure if it's covid related or seasonal). We have a somewhat interesting connection to the museum. It's director is the daughter of one of Beth's good friends from way back when we lived in Port Charlotte, Fl.. Oh yeah, Beth and I were younger back then as well!
Next up was Hood River, which was our turn around point for this day's adventure. Hood River is along the Columbia River but is appropriately named. The city, which has around 10,000 residents is located at the confluence of the Hood and Columbia Rivers. We had visited Hood River many years ago and enjoyed watching the windsurfers and kite surfers on the river. We could see a few kites in the distance as we walked along the waterfront but at this time of year I'm sure participation in those activities is somewhat limited.
The last stop on our Columbia River Gorge Day Trip was a stop at the very impressive Multnomah Falls. This waterfall is so conveniently located to I-84 that the parking area is actually in between the east and westbound lanes. From the parking area there is a short tunnel under the highway that takes you to the base of the falls. Like Bridal Veil Falls, there are two sections to Multnomah Falls. The combined drop of the two sections of the falls is 620 feet, with the longest drop being 542 feet. At this height, Multnomah Falls is the tallest waterfall in Oregon.
The recent rains and snow provided plenty of water for us to enjoy watching fall into the pools and streams below. The last time Beth visited Multnomah Falls was on one of her "old lady trips" with her mom and two sisters. It would have been in the early fall and she told me that while the waterfall was beautiful both times, there was much more water flowing this time.
It was a long day, but a fun day nonetheless. We arrived back at the cozy confines of the Coho Cabin just as the last rays of sunlight were fading away. A little tired but very happy for the time we had spent in the Columbia River Gorge.
Now about that retiree mistake. I'm rapidly approaching the five year mark as a retiree. Time of day and day of the week have become pretty much irrelevant. Before we headed out, we really didn't think about the fact it was the weekend. That, combined with pleasant weather and the gradual lifting of restrictions related to Covid made for somewhat large crowds. Nothing was over crowded and it was certainly manageable but there's a good chance that if we had gone on Friday or waited until today (Monday) we would have had most places to ourselves. Also, we would have been able to get an ice cream treat at the Eastwind Drive-In in Cascade Locks. There were a couple of dozen cars lined up both times we passed. It must be really good. We'll have to come back sometime!
