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 be...