Columbia Gorge Discovery Center ; Vista House ; Fort Vancouver ; End of the Trail Interpretive Center ; End of the Oregon Trail for us
(posted from Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR)
(This post covers 21-22 September, 2009)
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Tuesday, 22 September-
We had a windy night last night in our Ainsworth State Park campsite. The site wasn’t far from I-84 and we had quite a bit of road noise through the evening but it tapered off around bed-time. Being the transportation cooridor the Columbia Gorge is, we also had trains come through at least every hour but we were just far enough away that we only woke a few times.
The wind was a different story. About midnight something hard hit the van roof and woke us up. In the morning light I saw it was a branch about an inch thick and three feet long. Fortunately, the wind was in the treetops so it didn’t shake the van as had our windstorm in Chadron, Nebraska. But we did hear pine cones and smaller branches hit the roof a dozen times in the night.
We got a late start this morning, perhaps because of the windy night or perhaps because the sunlight doesn’t penetrate the thick canopy until later. In any case it was 0930 before we got underway.
We took Old 30, the highly scenic route, as we continued downriver. We stopped at the locally-famous Vista House and had a spectacular vista but the winds were blowing a consistent 60 miles per hour with gusts to about 75. Vista House was originally built in 1916 and was refurbished and re-dedicated in 2006. It sits atop Crown Point and has a commanding view of the Columbia. The lower level is a nice little museum which tells the story of the building of America’s first scenic road here in the Gorge.
We then took the many turns of the scenic road all the way to its conclusion at Troutdale. Once out of the Gorge proper, the area reminds me a lot of home. There are many small farms selling their produce and fruits along the road and they are interspersed with long stretches of woodlands. It’s a very pleasant look but I’d bet the locals sometimes get frustrated with all the city-people traffic ‘doing the Gorge’.
After Troutdale, we turned north and crossed the Columbia to Vancouver, Washington to see Fort Vancouver. This fort was a fur-trading outpost of the Hudson’s Bay Company. It was run for years by John McLoughlin, a Quebecer who originally worked for the NorthWest Company (from Montreal) but when it was folded in to the Hudson’s Bay Company, he became an employee of the latter and therefore a representative of British interests.
Though McLoughlin was instructed not to sell anything to the Americans or have any dealings with them, he ignored that direction and helped and sold to all comers, though he did encourage the Americans to stay south of Columbia, claiming the land north of the river as British. Eventually, he was forced into retirement and later became a US citizen and settled in Oregon City. Before his death he was called the ‘Father of Oregon’.
We took a long tour of Fort Vancouver and thought its reconstruction very well done. The original fort burned to the ground in 1866 but the stockade fence, the Factor’s Residence, a cooper’s shop, a counting house, a blacksmith’s shop, an infirmary, and several smaller buildings were rebuilt and are fully furnished.
We then rushed back across the river to Oregon City to get to the End of the Trail Interpretive Center before closing. But we needn’t have rushed. The Center closed for good two weeks ago. According to the woman running the Visitor’s Center the Center was privately owned and with the closing of the main part of the tourist season had to close forever.
We did get to see the End of the Trail memorial which claims the Abernethy Common area to have been the trail’s end in 1845 and 46. In earlier years (I’m not sure which) Fort Vancouver was considered the end of the Oregon Trail.
We asked our Visitor’s Center guide for a recommendation for a steak house and she gave us WoodStone Steak House in nearby O.C. Point. That turned out to be an excellent recommendation. We had a scrumptious filet mignon with salads and a shrimp cocktail plus a glass of wine for Labashi and a glass of port for me. It was without a doubt the best food of the trip.
We then went to a nearby Fred Meyer store, hoping to stay the night in the parking lot but were refused. Once we saw the parking lot we thought it unlikely we’d be allowed given how crowded it was. We then called ahead to two Wal-marts. One in Portland said they don’t permit overnight parking and the other said we were welome to stay at our own risk but sometimes the police come through and kick out the overnighters.
As we were getting close to dark we chose instead to go to Oregon City’s Clackamette Park which had an RV-parking area. It cost us $20—a high for the trip so far— but it’s convenient and lies right on the Williamette River and Abernethy Commons. Besides, it’s appropriate that we end our Oregon Trail adventure here where many of the emigrants had their last camp before claiming their land here in the Oregon Territory.
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Monday, 21 September-
After an extra-quiet night in the Deschutes Recreation Area campsite we woke to a fishing boat roaring up the river at first light. But it didn’t take much trying to fall back asleep!
We drove to the Columbia River Gorge Discovery Center just south of The Dalles. We arrived about a half-hour before the 0900 opening so decided we’d drop in to the Safeway we had passed on the way in to pick up a few essentials. There we also connected to wi-fi to get our email and post a blog update.
We spent several hours at the Discovery Center, learning not only about the natural and geologic history of the area but also about Lewis and Clark and of course the Oregon Trail emigrants. The main display for the latter is a life-size tableau of an emigrant wagon on a raft. The wagon’s wheels were removed and laid flat and the wagon laid atop and tied down. The raft consists of a dozen 15” logs, 40 feet long with sweeps at the ends. The wagon was carried on the raft but the animals were driven on a narrow trail along the river.
It was at the Discovery Center that we learned of the massive floods which had inundated this area and tore away the soil, leaving the stunning scenery along the Gorge.
After lunch in the parking lot, we turned west on to Old Route 30. Here it’s the nation’s first scenic highway, built in the early 1900’s. It twists and turns like a West Virginia mountain road with views of the Columbia River, Mount Hood, and high ridges and deep canyons.
As we drove from Rowena Point, then past Hood River and on to Multnomah Falls, we could see the remarkable change in the forest. In the eastern end of the gorge, at Deschutes Rec Area, for example, the land is arid. But by Multnomah Falls, the forest understory is lush and the trees are huge monsters.
At the Falls we took a brief walk to take the obligatory tourist photos. Then we decided to turn back to Ainsworth State Park for the night, even though it was only 1530. We needed a walk and showers and could get them at Ainsworth but if we kept getting closer to Portland they were less likely—at a reasonable price.
At Ainsworth we settled in and had our walk and showers before dark, then spent the evening on the laptops and reading. About 2100 I pulled out the Kwik Kampfire and lit it but the wind picked up so I cut it short and went back to my reading.
***************** END OF POST ********************
(posted from Multnomah County Library, Portland, OR)
(This post covers 21-22 September, 2009)
------------------------------------------------------
Tuesday, 22 September-
We had a windy night last night in our Ainsworth State Park campsite. The site wasn’t far from I-84 and we had quite a bit of road noise through the evening but it tapered off around bed-time. Being the transportation cooridor the Columbia Gorge is, we also had trains come through at least every hour but we were just far enough away that we only woke a few times.
The wind was a different story. About midnight something hard hit the van roof and woke us up. In the morning light I saw it was a branch about an inch thick and three feet long. Fortunately, the wind was in the treetops so it didn’t shake the van as had our windstorm in Chadron, Nebraska. But we did hear pine cones and smaller branches hit the roof a dozen times in the night.
We got a late start this morning, perhaps because of the windy night or perhaps because the sunlight doesn’t penetrate the thick canopy until later. In any case it was 0930 before we got underway.
We took Old 30, the highly scenic route, as we continued downriver. We stopped at the locally-famous Vista House and had a spectacular vista but the winds were blowing a consistent 60 miles per hour with gusts to about 75. Vista House was originally built in 1916 and was refurbished and re-dedicated in 2006. It sits atop Crown Point and has a commanding view of the Columbia. The lower level is a nice little museum which tells the story of the building of America’s first scenic road here in the Gorge.
We then took the many turns of the scenic road all the way to its conclusion at Troutdale. Once out of the Gorge proper, the area reminds me a lot of home. There are many small farms selling their produce and fruits along the road and they are interspersed with long stretches of woodlands. It’s a very pleasant look but I’d bet the locals sometimes get frustrated with all the city-people traffic ‘doing the Gorge’.
After Troutdale, we turned north and crossed the Columbia to Vancouver, Washington to see Fort Vancouver. This fort was a fur-trading outpost of the Hudson’s Bay Company. It was run for years by John McLoughlin, a Quebecer who originally worked for the NorthWest Company (from Montreal) but when it was folded in to the Hudson’s Bay Company, he became an employee of the latter and therefore a representative of British interests.
Though McLoughlin was instructed not to sell anything to the Americans or have any dealings with them, he ignored that direction and helped and sold to all comers, though he did encourage the Americans to stay south of Columbia, claiming the land north of the river as British. Eventually, he was forced into retirement and later became a US citizen and settled in Oregon City. Before his death he was called the ‘Father of Oregon’.
We took a long tour of Fort Vancouver and thought its reconstruction very well done. The original fort burned to the ground in 1866 but the stockade fence, the Factor’s Residence, a cooper’s shop, a counting house, a blacksmith’s shop, an infirmary, and several smaller buildings were rebuilt and are fully furnished.
We then rushed back across the river to Oregon City to get to the End of the Trail Interpretive Center before closing. But we needn’t have rushed. The Center closed for good two weeks ago. According to the woman running the Visitor’s Center the Center was privately owned and with the closing of the main part of the tourist season had to close forever.
We did get to see the End of the Trail memorial which claims the Abernethy Common area to have been the trail’s end in 1845 and 46. In earlier years (I’m not sure which) Fort Vancouver was considered the end of the Oregon Trail.
We asked our Visitor’s Center guide for a recommendation for a steak house and she gave us WoodStone Steak House in nearby O.C. Point. That turned out to be an excellent recommendation. We had a scrumptious filet mignon with salads and a shrimp cocktail plus a glass of wine for Labashi and a glass of port for me. It was without a doubt the best food of the trip.
We then went to a nearby Fred Meyer store, hoping to stay the night in the parking lot but were refused. Once we saw the parking lot we thought it unlikely we’d be allowed given how crowded it was. We then called ahead to two Wal-marts. One in Portland said they don’t permit overnight parking and the other said we were welome to stay at our own risk but sometimes the police come through and kick out the overnighters.
As we were getting close to dark we chose instead to go to Oregon City’s Clackamette Park which had an RV-parking area. It cost us $20—a high for the trip so far— but it’s convenient and lies right on the Williamette River and Abernethy Commons. Besides, it’s appropriate that we end our Oregon Trail adventure here where many of the emigrants had their last camp before claiming their land here in the Oregon Territory.
------------------------------------------------------
Monday, 21 September-
After an extra-quiet night in the Deschutes Recreation Area campsite we woke to a fishing boat roaring up the river at first light. But it didn’t take much trying to fall back asleep!
We drove to the Columbia River Gorge Discovery Center just south of The Dalles. We arrived about a half-hour before the 0900 opening so decided we’d drop in to the Safeway we had passed on the way in to pick up a few essentials. There we also connected to wi-fi to get our email and post a blog update.
We spent several hours at the Discovery Center, learning not only about the natural and geologic history of the area but also about Lewis and Clark and of course the Oregon Trail emigrants. The main display for the latter is a life-size tableau of an emigrant wagon on a raft. The wagon’s wheels were removed and laid flat and the wagon laid atop and tied down. The raft consists of a dozen 15” logs, 40 feet long with sweeps at the ends. The wagon was carried on the raft but the animals were driven on a narrow trail along the river.
It was at the Discovery Center that we learned of the massive floods which had inundated this area and tore away the soil, leaving the stunning scenery along the Gorge.
After lunch in the parking lot, we turned west on to Old Route 30. Here it’s the nation’s first scenic highway, built in the early 1900’s. It twists and turns like a West Virginia mountain road with views of the Columbia River, Mount Hood, and high ridges and deep canyons.
As we drove from Rowena Point, then past Hood River and on to Multnomah Falls, we could see the remarkable change in the forest. In the eastern end of the gorge, at Deschutes Rec Area, for example, the land is arid. But by Multnomah Falls, the forest understory is lush and the trees are huge monsters.
At the Falls we took a brief walk to take the obligatory tourist photos. Then we decided to turn back to Ainsworth State Park for the night, even though it was only 1530. We needed a walk and showers and could get them at Ainsworth but if we kept getting closer to Portland they were less likely—at a reasonable price.
At Ainsworth we settled in and had our walk and showers before dark, then spent the evening on the laptops and reading. About 2100 I pulled out the Kwik Kampfire and lit it but the wind picked up so I cut it short and went back to my reading.
***************** END OF POST ********************
posted by Bezabor&Labashi | 23:59
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