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.All Trips / North America / Oregon / Pacific Northwest / Washington
The Amazing Columbia River Gorge!
One of the most scenic road trips anywhere in the world is on the Oregon side of the Gorge, on the Columbia River Highway (I-84), between Portland and the Dalles. Besides a smooth drive on the freeway, an excellent diversion here is to head up the old Historic Columbia River Highway, a narrow road that twists its way through the mountains and cliffs, past dozens of waterfalls, including the beautiful 620-foot (190 m) Multnomah Falls.
The Columbia River is one of North America’s longest, at 1200 miles (1930 km) long, starting in southeastern British Columbia, Canada. The Columbia River Gorge was carved by glacial floods (especially the Missoula Flood) thousands of years ago and is the only sea-level passage through the Cascade Mountain range. …
Tagged Cliffs, Columbia River, Columbia River Gorge, hiking, mountains, nature, waterfalls
“Pic of the Week”, August 29, 2014: Vista House and the Columbia River Gorge
One of the most dramatic road trips one can make in the United States is through the Columbia River Gorge. The Columbia River, the mightest river in the American West, originates in British Columbia but near its entry to the Pacific serves as a dividing line between Washington and Oregon State. This historic river route was traveled by the Lewis and Clark expedition over 200 years ago. The drive along the Gorge just to the east of Portland is breathtaking!
A favorite stopping point along the way on the Oregon side is Vista House, constructed on the Crown Point Promontory. Once called “Thor’s Heights,” Crown Point is a basalt rock formation created by volcanic lava and sculpted by the elements. …
Aug 28, 2014
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.All Trips / North America / Pacific Northwest / Washington
A visit to Washington state’s Long Beach Peninsula
For most travelers, the southwestern corner of Washington state is easy to bypass. It lies well over an hour’s drive from the busy I-5 Interstate Freeway. The broad mouth of the Columbia River limits access from the Oregon coast and the geography of the peninsula limits access from northern Washington. The peninsula is several hours drive from airports in the nearest major cities, about 2 hours (110 mi) from Portland and 3 hours(180 mi) from Seattle. So you really have to plan to visit here and can’t just drop by. My wife and I were definitely motivated to go as the Long Beach Peninsula was the last major region of Washington State we had not visited.
The Journey to Long Beach …
.All Trips / North America / Pacific Northwest / Washington
Walla, Walla: “So nice they named it twice!”
What’s a Walla Walla? It’s a Indian name meaning “many waters”. It’s also the name of a charming town in southeastern Washington; nestled close to the Columbia and Snake River valleys, and with a river of its own, the name is appropriate. This town of just over 30,000 offers visitors an interesting destination for a few day visit as it was witness to key events in the history of the American Northwest and is an important agricultural region, with wine production rising geometrically over the past decades.
A brief history of Walla Walla
Walla Walla and Cayuse Indians lived in the Walla Walla Valley when the Lewis and Clark Expedition arrived on their return journey from the …
Tagged Columbia River, Pacific Northwest, vineyard, Walla Walla, Washington
.All Trips / North America / Pacific Northwest / Washington
Wild Horses Monument & Gingko Petrified Forest
The Columbia River is one of the most interesting and beautiful geographic features of the Inland Northwest, from its headwaters in British Columbia to the dramatic Gorge just east of Portland. When you look at the river remember, as I do, that this was a major portion of the road Lewis and Clark took to the Pacific under President Jefferson’s sponsorship. While it lacks the dramatic forest of the coast, the Columbia River Gorge in Central Washington is still an impressive place to visit — or at least to stop on your journey east from Seattle. There are two locations on either bank that I’d driven by on I-90 dozens of times, traveling between the coast and my home in Spokane. I’d seen signs …
