Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Roll On Mighty Columbia

Friday we decided to explore the area along the Columbia River.  We started at Jantzen Beach, home of the famous swimwear.  There is, however, no "beach" at Jantzen Beach.  But there are lots and lots of houseboats.  The Columbia River has many small islands between Portland and Vancouver and many, many folks have chosen these spots as their residences. 


 Some folks chose to be landbound, but keep their water vehicles parked right outside the "front" door!
 We drove down Marine Drive all the way to I-84 and then on to Rt. 30 which took us to Bridal Veil Falls.  The site for Jessi's and Josh's wedding is just past the turnoff for the falls.  It's on private property which we visited on Saturday.  The site is a surprise for guests, so I'm not "allowed" to show pics of that!
 Wally can't pass a body of water without sampling it.
 The trillium is my favorite wildflower and they were in abundance near the falls and surrounding the woods at the wedding site.  I love the way they are randomly seeded by the fairies who traipse through the glens!

 At the top of Rt. 30 there is another fabulous structure called View Point.  The outside of the building is impressive.  Wait until you see the inside!
 The view east down the Columbia.  I can only imagine what this must have looked like before the dam was built.
View Point was closed so I had to take these shots through the glass windows, hence the reflection.  The stained glass windows were gorgeous with the sun streaming through them.  It was a beautiful drive along this old highway.  I found the perfect sheep farm to move into!

1 comment:

Les Hon said...

I love trillium too! Ahh, the beautiful Columbia Gorge...glad you had a good spring break!