Looking West Down the Columbia River Valley in Eastern Oregon
with Mt Hood in the Distance
We are spending two nights in Boardman, OR, having finally joined the Columbia River. Where it flows through eastern Washington/Oregon, about 2 inches of rain falls yearly. After the river passes through the "Gorge" to the Western side of the Cascades, it's banks are welcoming 200 inches of rain yearly and covered with verdant forest. This 100-fold difference in precipitation collides abruptly in the Columbia River Valley in the region between the Dalles and Hood River.
William Clark seemed to have made the majority of notations about the countryside as he and Lewis proceeded downriver to their final destination. His log from this section is notable for how rapidly the vegetation changes almost daily, from desert grass, to scrub oak, to major forest.
We drove up the valley as far as Hood River, where we had lunch in the 3-Rivers Grill on the deck overlooking the valley and river, with wind surfers and para sails dotting the river. (Apparently the wind through here is quite constant.)
Before returning to Boardman, we took the "Fruit Loop," a winding tour route through small and large orchards, vineyards, and groves in the Hood R. Valley south the town of Hood River. We found some great peaches, but were a little late for the peak berry season and a little early for the peak apple and pear season. Still, we found the country side beautiful, and some of the produce stores and stands proved rewarding to explore.
I must admit that I am usually reluctant to take a long break from my practice "just" to travel around in our motorhome. It seems so "inefficient" to be just wandering around taking in the sights rather than being productive by staying and working. Earning money always to me seemed somehow a greater moral state than spending money. Once I hit the road however, I realize that the experiences contribute to making "me" better.
I think I am fairly well travelled, but I am still amazed by the expanse, variety and wonderful contrast this country offers the modern explorer.
One of the nice things about RV travel is that you can take your own bed, your own cereal, and the other things that you have become used to. This includes dogs. Pip (seen here riding in front of the motorhome as we go down the road) is a great companion; always happy to explore new places and an excellent alarm system. Yes, he's a bit of trouble, but all companions are. We loaded our trucks with a picnic lunch and our dogs and took a day trip to Hell's Canyon National Monument and Recreation reserve today. It is the least visited such national site (It's not near anywhere!) It's larger than the Grand Canyon, but very different in geology. Maybe some pix later.
We are still in Idaho. We talked to Barbara's father on the phone yesterday having spent the previous two nights near Rupert, ID . . . Yes, when she asked him if he had ever been to Idaho, he said "only one place; a real small town named Rupert."
"Small world" events happen all the time if you travel. In another such event I chatted to an older couple from Corpus Christi, TX in the rig next to ours two nights ago. The usual questions were exchanged:
Me - Where are you from?
Him - A small town in Oklahoma called Purcel (I started school there).
Me - Where's your wife from?
Him - Just a little town near Lubbock; Slaton (I finished High School there)
Strange coincidences happen all the time. I learned today that a man won a lottery jackpot 3 years ago, and won the same lottery jackpot again last month. The odds against winning once were 1 in 22 million. The odds against winning twice were closer to 1 in 22 million X 22 million (however you say it without scientific notation, it's a really, really big number.) Just because things are unfathomably unlikely doesn't mean they don't happen.
We are spending 2 nights near Twin Falls, Idaho, and took the last two days visiting some local sights: City of Rocks National Preserve and Shoshone Falls State Park.
City of Rocks is a very nice cluster of rock formations; worth a trip if close by (reachable only via unpaved roads). However Shoshone Falls is on the Snake River, just off I-84 and well worth a visit. I have always considered the Snake River to be the classical, easy fishable trout river I know from Jackson and the Tetons. I just expanded that concept.
The Snake was one of the main conduits for the Cataclysmic Bonneville Flood , which produced many of the geologic features of the Snake in this region.
The falls are really spectacular and beautiful and are 50 ft higher than Niagra falls. The Perrine Bridge, 567 ft above the river, is 3-4 miles downstream from the falls.
The video takes a moment to buffer after you click the "play" button. . . be patient.
While we were there, 3 young men were preparing their para-gliding parachutes for their jump from the bridge. It is legal for BASE jumpers to use this bridge, so most nice days see jumpers apparently.
There have been lots of interesting, fun, and new sights and experencies already; many more than can be seen on this blog, and we're just into the first days of the trip. This is a pretty nice country we live in, and We're looking forward to seeing more of it.
Before returning to Boardman, we took the "Fruit Loop," a winding tour route through small and large orchards, vineyards, and groves in the Hood R. Valley south the town of Hood River. We found some great peaches, but were a little late for the peak berry season and a little early for the peak apple and pear season. Still, we found the country side beautiful, and some of the produce stores and stands proved rewarding to explore.
I must admit that I am usually reluctant to take a long break from my practice "just" to travel around in our motorhome. It seems so "inefficient" to be just wandering around taking in the sights rather than being productive by staying and working. Earning money always to me seemed somehow a greater moral state than spending money. Once I hit the road however, I realize that the experiences contribute to making "me" better.
