Matthew Botos

After geeking out a bit at the Albina Press with laptops and wifi, Brian and I headed east to the Columbia River Gorge. The old highway offered a scenic drive winding along the side of the gorge with frequent waterfalls. Being Labor Day weekend, there was a decent crowd doing the same drive, though they shied away from the longer hikes.

Two initial overlooks, including Vista House, provided a nice panorama of the gorge. Then it was onto the wateralls, starting with Latourell Falls. There wasn’t much trail signage, so we hiked to the top before discovering the easier trail to better views at the bottom. A tall, narrow waterfall, it made quite an impact at the base, though the cool spray was refreshing after the hike to the top.

Hiking back up from the bottom of the two-tiered Bridal Veil Falls, Brian found a pear tree and grabbed a quick snack. Wahkeena Falls involved an upwards hike to view the falls from a bridge near enough to catch a good spray and some up-close photos. Some descending hikers clued us into the extent of the trail network and even managed to produce a trail map, something largely absent from all of the stops.

Having finally fasted and trekked enough to burn though last night’s excellent dinner, we headed on to Cascade Locks for a late lunch at Salmon Pub. Heading back west on Interstate 84, we stopped at Bonneville Dam to check out the history of hydroelectric power on the Columbia River. More interesting, though, was the fish ladder allowing salmon to get upstream past the dam. Underwater windows let you watch 40+ pound salmon make their way through.

Nearby was a fish hatchery, featuring salmon and trout small and large. Even larger and stranger were the sturgeons. A bunch of ducks kept the fish company, and the whole complex was a surprisingly popular tourist destination.