Columbia River Gorge

We stayed just outside Portland last night and spent today exploring the Columbia River Gorge before traveling west to Astoria. The gorge offers many beautiful views of the river and spectacular waterfalls.

Person:
My person for today was my wife Laurie. In the adventure described below, she was both courageous and fun, and I was reminded how lucky I am as a husband. I’m sure her heart skipped a beat a few times as Argos and I scrambled over precarious logs and swam in freezing water, but she didn’t let it show and we all had a great time.

Place:
Most of the sights on the Columbia River are just roadside stops and are crowded with tourists, including the famous Multnomah Falls, and though they are beautiful didn’t offer much of an experience. However, we made the trek through the Onenata Gorge which was short but difficult, especially with the dog. It involved scaling a tricky log jam (which would have been easy on our own, but was a challenge with Argos and Blake) and walking through elbow-height water. The payoff was huge, though: a small waterfall cutting its narrow way through high moss-covered cliffs and falling into a swimmable pool below. Swimming out under the fall itself was a magical experience.

Food:
We are staying the night in a gorgeous campground in Fort Stevens State Park, and I got to build a fire tonight! What a pleasure it is to coax a campfire out of newspaper and kindling. We availed ourselves of said fire and toasted some marshmallows tonight, and the simple pleasure of gooey melted sugar surrounded by a crispy caramelized shell easily takes the prize for today.