Columbia River Gorge Visit

Thursday I hopped on the Greyhound bus in Spokane, Washington, and rode to Hood River, Oregon, to visit friends and family in that area. Greyhound buses are fairly comfortable these days, and it was a treat to sit back and let someone else do the driving for the 5 1/2 hour trip. (Including half an hour stop in Pasco.) Bus travel is certainly a different experience from train or airplane. It seems as if certain sorts of people gravitate toward bus travel and bus depots, often semi-vagrant types, the elderly, people recently released from jail, and folks like me who wish to visit relatives in areas where there is no plane or train service. And so we were a motley crew on board the big bus.

It had been foggy when I woke up at my home in north Idaho, but by noon, when we were a few miles west of Spokane, the sky had become what you see in the photo above. I took this and the next two photos out of the bus window, so pardon the quality.

Wind generators are scattered along many hilltops along the Columbia River from the Tri-Cities area to The Dalles.

Looking across the Columbia River to the Washington side, one can spy vineyards scattered along the way. Their deep green color is a sharp contrast to the surrounding browns and yellows of late summer in near-desert country.

Every day so far, I have traveled across The Bridge of the Gods. Having grown up in this area long ago, it is one of many familiar landmarks. This photo was taken from the Oregon side of the river, in the town of Cascade Locks. My destination, Stevenson (Washington) is just a few miles up the road on the other side of the river.

A scenic turnout with historic information is on the Washington side.

The bridge as seen from the Washington side. Notice the silver/gray coloring near the top of the mountain. It is the result of a huge forest fire two years ago. Those are dead trees that burned up.

Very little water is flowing through the spillways of Bonneville Dam just now. I believe that is typical for this time of year, but it may also have to do with the locks being closed for repairs.

Zooming in, the dead trees are quite visible here, too.

The locks were closed rather abruptly after cracks were discovered in them. Barges, tugboats, and the sternwheeler cruise boats are stranded both above and below the dam. I wondered why I wasn't seeing the usual tugboats and barges farther to the east, while I was riding the bus. That's why! Those in the photo are waiting above the dam. There wasn't a really good place to take a photo of the tugboats and barges; the best I could do was drive a short distance into an area where Native Americans catch salmon to sell. It was a jumble of ancient travel trailers, campers, and battered vehicles, with watch dogs chained up here and there, barking furiously at me. I shot the photo as quickly as I could and then got out of there on the double.

I love the view of the mountains from my brother's house. When he first bought the place, there was a grove of trees on the other side of the fence. Now they've all been cut down, so he hears more noise from the town, but has a great view.

All photos taken on my Android phone.