After spending a few weeks in Washington, we continued our travels in the Northwest US and headed south to Oregon. Our first stop was the Columbia River Gorge, the largest national scenic area in the United States. The beautiful Columbia River is the nation’s 7th longest river and forms the boundary between Washington and Oregon. The gorge it created is a spectacular river canyon that is 85 miles long and up to 4000 feet deep.
The vertical walls of the Columbia River Gorge have the greatest concentration of waterfalls in North America—over 90 on the Oregon side alone! A must-see for us was Multnomah Falls, which is the tallest waterfall in the state of Oregon and the second tallest year-round waterfall in the US. Over 2 million people visit the most popular site in Oregon, although this year timed reservation tickets were required during the summer months to allow more social distancing.
Fed by underground springs from Larch Mountain, the falls drop 620 spectacular feet in total. The upper fall plunges 542 feet and the lower fall drops 78 feet. The iconic Benson Bridge spans the lower falls and was named for the lumber baron and philanthropist, Simon Benson, who donated the land. From Benson Bridge, you can hike a mile up the steep path (with 11 switchbacks!) to the top of the falls for an amazing view of the Columbia River Gorge.
The Bonneville Lock & Dam is also along the Columbia River Gorge. Operated by the US Army Corps of Engineers, it was designed to improve navigation on the river and provide hydropower to the Pacific Northwest. At the Bradford Island Visitor Center, it was cool to see migrating fish through underwater windows of the fish ladder. We were also able to learn about the history and culture of the surrounding area as well as see the navigation locks.
Just down the road is the Bonneville Fish Hatchery where they raise 500,000 Chinook, 400,000 salmon, and 60,000 steelhead fish annually. There is a relaxing display pond where you can feed rainbow trout and view large white sturgeon. Beyond the sturgeon viewing area, there is a small building that houses Herman the Sturgeon, a giant 500 lb fish that is over 10 feet long and 80 years old!
The whole Columbia River Gorge area offers breathtaking views of the river carving its way through the Cascades. We especially enjoyed the 35-mile scenic drive called the Fruit Loop in the Hood River area. With majestic Mt Hood in the background, the drive takes you past 26 local stops where you can find farms filled with amazing orchards, fruit stands, and wineries. We were lucky to be there in the right season to pick our own cherries, berries, and peaches…so yummy! My favorites were the slightly tart Rainier cherries (more to come on this in my next post).
We were originally going to visit Crater Lake National Park, but the wildfires were spreading rapidly near that area and it was a little too close for our comfort. So we changed our plans (RVers often need to be flexible) and went to the Oregon Coast near Coos Bay. The small town had a quaint harbor area and boardwalk where we had a wonderful fresh lunch at the Fisherman’s Seafood Market. Never one to pass up a candy or chocolate store, we also stopped at the Cranberry Sweets factory store.
Just across from our campground at Osprey Point was Oregon Dunes National Recreation Area. One of the largest coastal sand dunes in the world, it stretches for 40 miles and has dunes up to 500 feet tall. Depending on which one of us you ask, driving a rented ATV along the shifting sands and huge dunes was both exciting and a little scary.
One day we drove north along the rugged coast to Florence to visit the Sea Lion Caves. This privately owned wildlife preserve is America’s largest sea cave and year-round home to the Steller Sea Lion. You ride in an elevator down to sea level where you can view sea lions up close in a large, vaulted cavern. There is also a viewing area outside where you can look over the cliff to see the rocks of the rookery (breeding area). We were delighted to sight a humpback whale swimming off the coast while we were there.
The Oregon Coast has 9 historic lighthouses. Just north of the Sea Lion Caves is Heteca Head lighthouse, one of the most photographed on the coast. The restored lighthouse is 125 years old and stands 205 feet above the ocean. Its lens still casts a beam 21 miles out to sea, making it the brightest light on the Oregon coast. The area also includes a historic bed and breakfast and a sheltered beach area.
We were lucky to catch up with Rob & Suzy, friends from our time stationed at RAF Lakenheath. We enjoyed a delicious lunch at their new home right near the Washington/Oregon border. One of the things we love about traveling is the chance to see old friends. We also took the opportunity to get some repairs to our Cadillac and get the coach washed and waxed. Looking good and ready to head to California!
We are getting ready for our first run later this week. May have to adjust timeline as we have a few days looking like weather is moving in. Your Oregon and Pacific Coast travels were beautiful and looked like fun.
Thanks Kathy. We so enjoyed seeing y’all in Colorado and were so excited when you purchased your RV. Let us know how it goes.
I have always wanted to visit Multnomah Falls. I have a friend who lives there. Your beautiful pictures may be the boost I need to visit her.
Enjoy being at My. Pleasant for a while.
Multnomah Falls was breathtaking and having a friend there makes it a double win for you. I hope you get to visit them both soon! Yes, after our 6 months of traveling this summer, we are happy to stay put for a few months now. We will visit San Angelo around the holidays.
I always enjoy reading your blogs! Bobby Bruner
Hi Bobby! Thanks so much for following us and reading my blog. I was so sorry we didn’t get to catch up with you and Sharon during the holidays last year. We will be back in San Angelo around Thanksgiving and Christmas again this year. Hope you are both doing well.
Oregon is spectacular for sure! Multnomah Falls is the grandest falls of them all! LOVE the view of Mt Hood too and how cool that must have been to drive an ATV on those dunes. Oh and of course I am a big fan of the sea lions. Great post and thanks for sharing 🙂
We were definitely impressed with Multnomah Falls! The whole Columbia River Gorge area is so pretty and the fresh fruits were awesome. I was surprised that the sand dunes were a lot bigger than the ones in the Outer Banks that we saw during our cousin reunion. Driving the ATV was a little scary to me–I didn’t like not knowing how steep the drop off was over the next rise. lol All the sea lions were very cute😀