Day 123 - Columbia River Gorge

My first stop in the Columbia River Gorge area near Portland, Oregon was to a local museum where I received a history of the land, a major thoroughfare and trading region across the Cascade mountains, and also received a map with important sights to see. My first scenic sight was the Beacon rock, a 800 foot tall rock with a pathway to the top.

I made it to the top quickly and enjoyed an expansive view of the gorge and the Columbia River.

I drove south on the Washington side of the river to a lookout on Cape Horn. I tried to get a photo of the actual horn but all the trails either descended steeply or were covered with trees, ruining any view. I settled for the vista shot.

I drove by the Bonneville dam, one the many dams that have tamed this grand river, on my way to tonight's hike up the Coyote Wall. I hiked along a scenic abandoned road then up a winding path to the top of the wall.

And also took a portrait looking across the river toward Mount Hood. It was a beautiful, windy night.

I drove back north to where I had started today's gorge adventure to a free campsite up a steep dirt road. The location was great, beneath trees, quiet, a little rocky. A large, loud group drove in to nearby campsite late in the evening and partied late but I was able to close the windows and sleep soundly.

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Day 170 - JMT Forrester Pass

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