END OF THE TRAIL

This was the worst travel day of our journey. We only had to go 140 miles but the winds along the Columbia River Gorge were very strong with gust up to 50 mph. I can see why they use wind turbines here.

We stopped at the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center. It tells all about this area with exhibits from prehistoric times up to today with highlights about the Lewis and Clark expedition.

This ranger gave a very interesting talk about a American kestrel and a horned owl. Both are rescue birds and can't be released into the wild. The owl is blind and the kestrel is a falcon that a person was trying to teach to hunt and found it took way too much work. Unfortunately by then the bird had bonded to humans.

We were staying at a state park right on the Columbia River. The next day we took a ride along the Gorge. We stopped at Bonneville locks and fish hatchery. The salmon were spawning and it was fascinating to see them swimming up the fish ladder. Looked lot a lot of work to me.

The area after the fish ladder before they go on there way again, remember they are swimming up stream.

You could see the salmon going up the ladder outside and also from this view looking through glass in the building.

The dam had been built to control the flooding, give hydroelectric power and locks for all the river traffic. It really kept the country going during World War two.

The locks.

At the fish hatchery they will take the eggs from up to 2,000 of the salmon (this kills the fish but it also dies when it does it naturally)The eggs are fertilize with milt from the male salmon. They raise the fry (baby fish) till they are able to be let go into the ocean. Years later the salmon will return back here to lay their eggs. This insures the cycle keeps going and that there are healthy salmon for the future.

The sturgeon pool, Herman is a 70 year old surgeon.

He is a big spoiled fish.

We went back to Cascade Locks and had a delicious bowl of salmon chowder at the Pacific Crest Pub.

We drove to exit 17 on I-84 and then headed back on Historic Columbia River Highway.

Historic route 30 once again.

This was a rest stop built for travelers on Route 30 in 1912.
A very beautiful building.

The view down the Gorge from the Vista House.

There are many beautiful falls along this drive. We got out and hiked to or up a few of them.

Latourell Falls. We hiked to the bottom of this one.

This is the most famous falls in the area Multnomah Falls.

It is in two parts.The bridge goes over it so we took a steep walk up to the bridge.

Larry and I have hiked to the top but time and energy didn't allow for it today.

On Saturday we left for Mount Hood. We passed through an area known for its fruit orchards, so we stopped here and got Bartlett pears and blaze apples. We had gotten cherries from a road side stand at the locks yesterday, but they are at the end of their season.

That is two ears for $1.00 not two dozen. Definitely not the corn wagon!

Our last campground. It was having a huckleberry festival (sort of like a blueberry but not as sweet) Food, crafts and music. I had a huckleberry shake.

For some fun they had a watermelon launch. All sorts of machines were used.

These didn't go too far.

For our end of the trail celebration we went to the Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood. It was a little cloudy at the peak.

A few days before they had just recovered the body of the two climbers lost in the avalance in January .
The Timberline Lodge.

Timberline lodge is at 6,000 feet, the summit is 11,245. It was cold (42) and windy.

We enjoyed a very elegant dinner - just not quite sure what we were eating or half the words on the menu.

I had buffalo steak topped with a hard boiled duck egg.

The salmon with a crab and corn cake was enjoyed by most of others.

A beautiful sunset as we drove home, the summit was still covered with a cloud.

Time to say farewell to Lynda. She had a 12:30 a.m. Sunday flight so we took her to the Portland airport at 10:30. Leaving made me think of how the pioneers must have felt when they left to come Oregon, leaving their families knowing they may never see them again. At least I know Lynda and I will be together again in the future, but maybe not for a year if we stay west this winter. I'm sure glad we had this month to be together.

Bye Lynda we enjoyed having you travel with us. Miss you.

We will be on the road the next week going to Scottsdale, AZ to the Mayo clinic. I need to have the basal cell on my nose taken care of, so I may not be blogging for a week.

WILD HORSE

Monday morning we went back to the Oregon trail Interpretive center. Flagstaff Hill is another hill the wagons had to come over. You can walk out to see the wagon ruts.

Signs in the center.

Our first RV trip was in 2005 along the Oregon Trail. We have been on the road camping ever since. Oregon is a beautiful area to go camping.

We heard David Jason portray "Probably" George Malvern telling of his adventures as a Mountain Man and leading a wagon train to Oregon.

Tuesday morning we drove to Pendleton, OR. We passed large herds of cattle.

We are camped at the Wild Horse Casino and RV park. It also has a golf course and Tamastslikt Cultural Institute. Larry played some golf while Lynda and I toured the culture center. (Jim, Larry is anxious to play golf with you, as long as his instructor gives him the OK:).

This is a native-owned interpretive center and it tells much of how the trail changed Indian's lives, and how they are taking back their culture today. It also had a special exhibit on the Pendleton Round Up, since this is the 100 year for it.

This evening we all went to Tamastslikt cafe for an Indian taco. It was on corn fry bread, very tasty.

Wednesday morning we went into Pendleton to have an Underground tour.

Old sign on the side of the building for the Shamrock Card room and under it for a cleaner the best in town, both were underground.

Bottle glass grates you see on the sidewalk that allowed light into the tunnels.

The grate from inside the underground. It really did allow a lot of light to come in.

Many of the stores had rooms underground. Here is the Empire meat company. The temperature was always 40 in this room and it kept the meat much fresher then in other meat markets.

The speak easy was a big part of the underground story.

the Ice cream parlor made and stored its ice cream down here. It was sold in little rectangle pint boxes.

There was a large gaming room. It has a very nice tin ceiling.

Above the buildings on the second floor were cozy rooms or brothels. They were legal until 1953 and then a few stayed here illegally until 1967. The cowboys and herdsman had to have some where to go to spend their money and have fun. We had an interesting tour of Stella's cozy room.

Our next tour of the day was to the Pendleton Woolen Mills.

Lynda bought a beautiful Pendleton blanket. It is the chief Joseph pattern, the longest running pattern they make. The blanket is a pretty shade of green although it looks a little grey here.

Our tour guide through the mills. A blanket is made every 25 minutes. on this loom.

We had earphones to hear her talk over the noise of the looms.

The arena for the Round Up. This town will fill up the second week of September. I bet it gets pretty wild, but I would love to see it sometime.