Columbia Gorge Waterfalls

During Dan's visit last week, he and Irene, and I went to explore the Oregon side of the Columbia Gorge known as the waterfall area. There are over 75 waterfalls on the Oregon side of the Gorge but only a hand full on the Washington side. This is due to the the underground strata leaning to the south. Potential falls on the north side of the river tend to collapse under the weight of the water or give way to landslides.

We headed west from Washougal, crossing the I205 bridge, and took Marine Drive to Troutdale. Once there we took the Historic Columbia River Scenic Highway along the Sandy River, up over the mountains and down to Crown Point where the Vista House yields an awesome view of the west end of the Gorge. From there we wound down the road through rain forest to the bottom land along the river. It is here that you come face to face with some of the prettiest waterfalls in North America.

Our first stop was Latourelle Falls where we hiked into the drop pool. The water plunges 249 feet off columnar basalt cliffs. At the bottom, you can see the underside of the basalt columns where the constant bombardment of the water has worn away the strata around it. All around are flowers and orchids of different sizes, shapes, and colors.

From Latourelle Falls we went next to Wahkeena Falls, a three tiered drop of 242 feet. Wahkeena Falls is unique among the major waterfalls in this section of the Gorge in that it possesses a significant alluvial fan in both size and elevation. The base of the falls lies a good 100 vertical feet above the road.

Next was Horsetail Falls, a 176 foot drop and the epitome of the horsetail form of waterfalls.

From there it was on to Multnomah Falls, the most famous of all the Gorge waterfalls. Being the most famous and having a lodge complete with gift shop and restaurant, it always draws a crowd. That's not usually our cup of tea but the views of this set of falls makes fighting the crowd worthwhile.

Leaving Multnomah Falls we headed east up the Gorge, past Bonneville Dam to Cascade Locks. The locks were originally built to ferry boats around the rapids known as Bridge of the Gods. The rising waters behind Bonneville Dam covered the rapids and made the locks obsolete. We ate at a small cafe here and were witness to what was quite possibly the worst cheeseburger on the planet. Drawing on my 53 years of experience and my active imagination, I simply could not conjure up, in my mind, a piece of meat that could pose as a worse threat to the continued proper functioning of my taste buds. It is difficult to describe but I will attempt to do so. Take an old pair of crutches that have seen considerable use and remove one of the leather pads that rest in the user's arm pits. Soak that in a bucket of warm water that is used to rinse dirty dish rags. Now cook it in a microwave oven for twice as long as it takes to raise and slaughter a new cow, place on a dusty, stale bun, and top with hardened Cheeze Whiz. Amazing...I can ALMOST imagine a worse one but not quite.

After a view of the stern wheel paddle boat that operates out of Cascade Locks, it was a quick trip home up the Washington side of the river and back to decent food!