My brother turned 80 years old this spring. I hadn't seen him since last summer, so I really wanted to make this trip. I had hoped to do it in June, but things came up and I wasn't able to get away then. This time of year is a good time for a road trip: the weather is usually still decent, and the tourist traffic has subsided. So on September 15th I headed out.
Seeing a tugboat pushing a barge up the mighty Columbia River is nostalgic for me; I grew up seeing that sight nearly every time my family drove to town.
One of the cruise lines does a tour of the Columbia River, and one of their stops is at Stevenson, the small town where I attended high school. No cruise ships passed through back then, so it's not a nostalgic sight for me. But it sure is a pretty ship!
The light wasn't the best for a good photo, but this is Bonneville Dam. A second powerhouse was added in the 1970s, and the Corps of Engineers wiped out the little town of North Bonneville in the process. Not without a fight, though! The residents demanded a new town site, and they got it. I stayed in a wonderful AirBnB in that little town, with delightful hosts. I sometimes think I could happily move back to that area and live in that "new" town site. It is quiet, full of walking paths, and backs up to a National Wildlife Refuge.
I purposely made few solid plans for the three days I was going to be in the Gorge. I had lunch with my brother, coffee with a former classmate who I hadn't seen for years, and lunch with my nephew's wife. Other than that, I did whatever seemed interesting and/or relaxing at the moment. One morning that included walking part way along the loop path on Hamilton Island. Since the second powerhouse went in upriver, it's no longer a real island; it's more of a peninsula now. The view above is looking west. The mountains are across the river, in Oregon.
This view is looking east. The near mountain appears to have an odd fringe on the slope. Those are dead trees, the result of the 2017 Eagle Creek fire. As explained in this article, the area is making a great comeback, but the naked trees are a reminder of the destruction that happened.
I walked until I had a good view of Hamilton Mountain, which was the view from my back yard as a child. More nostalgia! That walk was about half a mile in, and then half a mile back to my car. As you can see, it was a beautiful day for a walk.
Not far from the Hamilton Island trailhead is the Fort Cascades National Historic Site, which includes a path with markers to indicate historic sites along the way. It became an official historic site after our family moved away, and my older siblings used to explore that area many years ago. I am always amazed by the green-ness and the moss when I go back to visit now. I have lived in much drier climates since those long-ago days when frequent rain and abundant moss were a part of my everyday life.
This petroglyph-covered rock is a replica of the original, which was relocated to somewhere near the court house in Stevenson for safe-keeping. But my older siblings saw the original one when it was still right here, long ago. I was too young to join them on those expeditions.
Another day, I decided to drive to the little community of Mill A. I don't think I had ever been there before, and I wanted to see it. It's not really a town at all; it consists of a school, a church, a fish hatchery, and a few homes. It is accessed by a steep, winding road with a stupendous view of the river and Mount Hood. I was glad to find a turnout for photography and viewing.
My last evening was spent taking another walk on Hamilton Island, this time with my brother. We approached from a different trailhead, and climbed up the hill to obtain a great view of the mountains. We could see (left to right) Hamilton Mountain, Birkenfeld Mountain (way in the back), Cedar Mountain, Aldrich Butte, and Table Mountain. More nostalgia: when a light snow would coat Table Mountain, the cook at our little elementary school would say it had its tablecloth on.
This post seems long enough, so I will save the pictures I took on my way home for another post, another day.
All photos taken on my Android phoe.
