Exploring the Gorge
The two photos above give you a feel for the diversity of our explorations today in the Columbia River Gorge. We started with a visit to the Maryhill Museum. This three-story mansion overlooking the Columbia River was first built as a home by Sam Hill for his wife Mary, who refused to come west and live in it. Today, it is a museum, and in keeping with the theme of diversity, offers among its displays: Rodin sculptures, Native American arts, Queen Marie of Roumania royal furnishings, international chess sets, European and American paintings and rotating exhibits. Peacocks and peahens, shadowed by their young, roam the manicured grounds. Sam Hill did more than build houses; he was a road builder, and a visionary builder at that. We drove along a portion of the now restored Columbia River Historic Highway. It is a work of art nestled into the basaltic bosom of Oregon.
Our next exploration was at the Columbia Gorge Discovery center, here its Executive Director, Ken Karsmizki, introduced us to the facility as well as to more recent efforts in finding and verifying Lewis and Clark campsites. Dr. Andrew Gulliford had spoken to us this morning about the Oregon Trail and the role of women in this westward emigration. The museum displays brought his talk to life. We roamed among replica pieces which included the framework for a long house as shown above, as well as wagons settlers would have filled with supplies and their family, and ponderosa pine rafts. These hastily built rafts carried the families downstream, to either promise or disaster.
We met up with the Sea Bird in Hood River and continued our explorations of the Gorge from a river-level vantage point. Brisk winds drew out a few hardy wind surfers and their colorful sails seemed to skip like confetti across the small whitecaps of the river.
Bonneville Dam was our last impediment to the free flowing Columbia; we emerged from the lock chamber with a ragged silhouette view of Beacon rock jutting from the horizon. Cruising down the Gorge, we drank in the splendor of the afternoon as well as a few sips of the Baileys Irish Cream laced coffee served by Steve, our bartender. Captain Kay slowed the Sea Bird so we could enjoy a long, slow look at the pulsing silver ribbon of Multnomah Falls.
The diversity of the Columbia River Gorge, people and personalities, history, cultures and landscape, a magical combination that never ceases to impress the intrepid explorer.
