The Drive, Day 15, Fri, 9-11 Columbia Gorge Sternwheeler, Visit McCombs...

Day 15 we would spend the afternoon on the Columbia River in the Columbia Gorge Sternwheeler. 

We were out of the hotel at 11am. We stopped for gas and to get Claude something for breakfast. We could again make out Mt. Hood in the distance. 

 

We made it to Cascade Locks where we would board the Columbia Gorge Sternwheeler a little early. We brought out Kindles and had a bit of time to play on them. CJ and Kayla arrived and waited in their car in the shade until we all headed inside to board the Sternwheeler. 

Big Foot was there to greet us. After boarding the boat, I took a look back and saw that very rare sight of the backside of Big Foot. Just sayin'...

This boat does an East Loop and a West Loop. We purchased the East Loop. However, after you finish the tour you purchased, you are welcome to stay on board for the other tour at no extra change. We did just that. CJ and Kayla joined us for this adventure. On this map, Cascade Locks is underlined in red. That was where we parked and boarded the Columbia Gorge Sternwheeler. The East Loop leaves from the dock and goes to the left on the map. This took us under the Bridge of the Gods and to the Bonneville Dam. Both these sites are underlined or circles in blue. The West Loop leaves from Cascade Locks and goes to the right up the Columbia River Gorge. Both routes are stunning. 

Let's shove off the dock. This is a true Sternwheeler and that is its only propulsion. 

Our guide pointed out an eagle on a tree branch. I took a picture of the tree and put a red dot under the branch on which the eagle was perched. It wasn't long before this majestic bird took flight. The two pictures after the tree are of the eagle soaring over the Columbia River. What a great place for him to live!

We also saw an osprey nest on top of a river marker. The osprey is flying in three pictures. 

A huge pastime for local residents is parasailing. There are a couple of different boards on which they do this. One of the boards has them skimming the river, the other board has them actually taking flight. We watched one person fall into the water. Another person sailed over to them to be there if they needed any help. Fascinating to watch. It must be exhilarating to participate in this sport.

There were fishermen on the river. This one boat was pulling in nets and happened to catch a particularly large fish. They whooping and hollering and raised their fish in the air so all of the Sternwheeler could participate in their happiness. 

We went under the Bridge of the Gods. This is a toll bridge that connects State Route 14 in Washington with I-84 in Oregon. It is a steel truss cantilever bridge. 

Here is the Native American story of the part of the Columbia River Gorge: According to Klickitat oral tradition, the Great Spirit built a massive stone bridge across the river. The legend says a fight between the god's warring sons (representing Mount Hood and Mount Adams) destroyed the bridge. The guardians and figures in the story were transformed into the region's famous Cascade volcanoes, including Mount Hood, Mount Adams, and Mount St. Helens. The Bridge of the Gods gets its name from this ancient natural rock and earth dam that once spanned the Columbia River, which local Native American legends say was a stone bridge built by the Great Spirit. 

Here is the geologic history of this part of the Columbia River Gorge: Centuries ago, a giant avalanche known as the Bonneville Landslide crashed down from Table Mountain and completely blocked the Columbia River. This natural debris dam created a temporary land bridge that allowed people to cross on foot without getting their feet wet. The collapse of this natural dam eventually formed the roaring Cascade Rapids. 

Now, for a little pop culture: Built in 1926, the bridge was later raised in the 1930s.  Aviator Charles Lindbergh famously flew his Spirit of St. Louis under the newly built bridge in 1927. At that time the bridge was 40 feet lower that the present bridge we floated under. 

If you look closely at the shoreline, you will see wooden platforms build out into the River right at the edge. These platforms are for Native American's only to fish from. This harks back to respect for them and their heritage along the river. Cool.

This is Bonneville Dam. The is the end feature on the East Loop tour. 

From here we turned back and headed to Cascade Locks. We would wait on the Sternwheeler and enjoy the West Loop tour. I simply didn't take many pictures on this loop. We had time to sit and visit with Kayla and some with CJ. This was absolutely delightful. 

We had Kayla take this picture of us with Big Foot. Our Todd is very much into Big Foot and we wanted him to see us with Big Foot. 

In the evening, Chris joined us for dinner at Bullygan's. This is similar to a Texas Roadhouse experience. The food was great and we had a good final visit with the McComb's family. 

This was a great final day experiencing the river that Lewis and Clark road on the final leg of their journey.