Oregon - Day 30 - back to the Portland area

Milo McIver State Park, Estacada

Monday, 30 May 2022

And today is Memorial Day, set aside for Americans to honor those who have been killed in service of our country.  I'm glad to honor their sacrifice and am sorry so few people remember what the day is supposed to be about.

today's route

Google said it would take nearly 4 hours for today's drive, which means a minimum of 6 for me, so we got on the road by 7:30.

When we stopped for a break at a rest area for the dogs to stretch their legs, I discovered that my driver's side headlight was out.  The parking light was still on, but not the headlight.  I guess I should be glad it's lasted this long, but now it's something I'll have to get somebody somewhere to fix.  Add that to my passenger-side taillight, also out, that would have been fixed a year ago except the screws are stripped, so it'll take work too.  As Rosanne Rosannadanna used to tell us, "It just goes to show you, it's always something - if it's not one thing, it's another."

It turned out to be lucky for me that we were going back over this same road I'd been on twice before, but this time from the opposite direction.  From this angle, I saw things I hadn't seen before.

But first, about 50 miles from Pendleton, we were back to the Columbia River, and kept it with us most of the way back to Portland.  The westbound side of the highway is much closer to the water, so I got a better view than I had eastbound.

I saw a tug pushing 2 barges upriver.  I saw the river really churned up, partly from the strong wind and partly from the dams (John Day, The Dalles) I passed again.

Not only was there a strong wind today, but there were also strong wind gusts, and I saw someone kite surfing again, despite the wind being really squirrely.

After driving for a couple of hours, I pulled off at Celilo Park, a Corps of Engineers product.  It was right on the river, with lots of nice grass and not too many other people walking their dogs, so we got a short walk out of it.

Columbia River

The Columbia is the 4th largest river by volume in the US and the largest by volume in North America to dump into the Pacific Ocean.  It's hard to describe how huge it is - you almost have to stand on the bank and see the vast quantity of water that's flowing by at a great rate.  It's seriously impressive, and I can only imagine the impression it must have made on the Lewis and Clark explorers when they found it.

Speaking of which, there was an exhibit about them here, similar to those I've seen elsewhere along their route.

This is the exhibit - detailed views below.

The leaders.  That last sentence reads:
"Although opposite in temperament, they worked
harmoniously throughout the two-year journey."

Their route, the second half.

Their route, the first half.

There were 2 other exhibits here, both explaining the tribe that lived in this area and used its resources for 10,000 years before white people started building dams.

The sign - details below.

The following are pieces of another sign explaining in more detail the basis for the continuing fishing rights of the tribes.

The current fishing rights the sign refers to are protected by access to the river that I saw as I drove into this park.  It was a road off to the side, protected by a chain-link fence with a chained gate and a warning sign saying it could be accessed only by members of specific tribes.

Note that that 3rd part of the sign has been edited.

Back on the road, I noticed that the white caps I'd seen in the river earlier had become actual breaking waves.  The wind was really strong.

And finally! I got a view of Mt. Hood.

Mt. Hood

I had to wait a lot of days, and it was still only a partial view, but I got to see it.  My first time, and worth the wait.  I actually got slightly better views than this, but I took this photo while I was driving at highway speed (slightly scary) and not far ahead of that semi the road goes into some s-curves, which put an end to picture-taking.

I passed the turn for the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center at The Dalles.  Of course I'd seen the gorge mentioned several times on signs and things, but I never saw anything that reminded me of a gorge and I still didn't know what they were talking about.  I already knew there was a similar center on the Washington side of the river and decided to wait for that one, since today's drive was already going to be so long.  I now know that was a mistake, and I say so to keep others from making that mistake.  This one at The Dalles is the official interpretive center for the gorge and is likely worth the visit.

I passed a second kite surfer, this one wading to shore while his kite was still aloft.

Up on a hill at Hood River I saw the Full Sail Brew Pub.  What I've since learned is that's the brewery that makes Full Sail Ale that's so popular.  There's really a lot more to see and do in Oregon than I've had time for.

Since I started getting closer to The Dalles, I noticed the traffic picking up, and it's continued as I've gone on towards Portland.

By Cascade Locks, I noticed I was being passed by cars and trucks loaded with muddy ATVs and muddy bicycles.  Apparently people were recreating where there's been a lot of rain (which seems to have been much of Oregon, based on what we saw in Pendleton).

The parking lot at Multnomah Falls was full again, despite the intermittent rain that I've found ever since The Dalles.

I turned off the highway at Fairview, "A Community of History and Vision."  I was heading for the Target, inside which is a CVS, which promised to have my next installment of blood pressure pills ready for me.  And they did.  

I walked the dogs around the parking lot a bit and then went back on the internet.  I hoped being so close to Portland I'd get a stronger internet signal, but sadly I found it was just as slow as it had been in Pendleton.  I'd hoped maybe I could at least get Day 20 loaded, but at that speed I didn't even try.  Instead we went on into rural Oregon toward our campground.

Over about 25 miles, we passed a series of small farms on both sides of the road - the kind you forget we still have in this country when you're driving through areas where the land seems to stretch out forever.  In this part of Oregon, it feels more like a little valley nestled protectedly into a lush green area.

We came to Estacada, pop. 5,014, they say.  The 2020 census said the town had 4,517 residents then, but it's also got a growth rate of 5.83%, so maybe the 5,014 is a current estimate.

We turned onto OR-211, part of the West Cascades Oregon Scenic Byway.  More attractive farmland.  And on to the campground, where we'll be for 2 nights.