This was our longest journey of the trip, but certainly not the most arduous!  We picked up the I-84 a couple of miles down the road and just stayed on it, mile after mile until we turned off at Cascade Locks to find that our hotel was less than a quarter of a mile away.  Let’s not confuse this journey with something similar in England; much of the time the traffic was light. Our speed only varied when a change in the speed limit demanded we actually did something more than point the car in the right direction and adjust the steering occasionally.  Needless to say, the scenery was spectacular and you just run out of superlatives. Forget the daft politics and politicians, the jaundiced opinions people utter about the American folks and all the negatives spoken from a basis of little knowledge…this is a spectacularly beautiful country!  Its vastness offers so many facets and today we experienced a few hours of genuine appreciation for the offerings we met. 

 

We began the day in Idaho and enjoyed a mixture of farming country with its pastures and arable lands and an odd Correction Centre in the middle of nowhere. We climbed the mountains into Oregon and two things happened; our watches shot back an hour and we were back on Pacific time and we crossed the 45th Parallel half way between the Equator and the North Pole.  We then watched in amazement as the Columbia River Gorge came into view and the road followed it for mile after mile. It was neither small nor meandering but bold and wide. There were dams at different points, so hydroelectricity, wind farms along the tops of the steep gorge and various industrial plants along the way.  But some spectacular camp sites and hiking trails were also much in evidence. Something for everyone!  Carolyn has the details of the size and distances of this beautiful State but for me it is all about the visuals. Watching the sides of the vast gorge change from volcanic basalt pillars to smooth contours and then to densely wooded hillsides was beautiful.

 

Our hotel is also lovely with views of Cascade Locks and the Bridge of the Gods. How do places get their names?  In this case Native American folklore!  We went out for dinner this evening to a riverside hostelry offering beer brewed on the premises, excellent food, tables offering views of the sunset over the Locks and a very good country singer who played a mean guitar. People at the next table, from Seattle, were intrigued by our accents and fascinated by our Road Trip exploits, not the distances covered but more our choice of routes. They recommended Victoria rather than Seattle, which was interesting. We had to walk a little distance to find a tunnel under the train track and caught one of these seemingly endless monster trains crossing above our heads as we returned. Only 130 carriages counted tonight, so not too long!!

 

Another great day and more tomorrow. Just a few miles away are the Multnomah Falls and, from there, we will take a look at the volcano Mt St Helens before going on to our next destination, which is Seattle. 

Carolyn’s Curios & Curiosities

 

We’re in Oregon. The drive from Idaho was beautiful. Varied, interesting and every bend had a new potential photograph. However, it was over 500 miles but completed by 3.00 pm aided by another Time Zone change. We are now setting our clocks to Pacific Time although our bodies aren’t sure what day of the week it is, let alone the Time Zone! 

Most of the journey was rural but I smiled at this industrial plant. Wonder what they make? The address may give a clue.

 

 The distance is challenging but it was always predicted to be. This one State, Oregon, has a bigger area than the whole of the UK! In fact, 11 of the 50 States have an area larger than the UK. Large size and good example for renewable energy generation…

One of the interesting aspects of the journey today was to see the utilisation of renewable energy sources in Oregon. We drove past a hillside of solar panels, a skyline of wind turbines and three significant hydroelectric dams on the Columbia River. I was surprised to see three on the same river. However, look how many this monster of a river has. 

It’s basin is the size of France and it is the greatest flow of water in North America which goes into the Pacific. It is 1243 miles long and our ‘friend’ from yesterday, Snake River, is its most significant tributary. The gorge it has carved is up to (down to?!) 4000 feet. In perspective, it would hide almost eight Blackpool Towers stacked one on top of the other! 

Another, for me, interesting aspect of the journey today was a sign telling us we were half way between the Equator and the North Pole, i.e. crossing the 45th Parallel.

Spelling! I’ve come to terms with American (mis)spelling (just!) of ‘color’, ‘center’, ‘flavor’, ‘traveler’ etc. but today… ‘snowplow’?! Why, for goodness sake?! (The signage is to remind us that almost everywhere we’ve been has had warnings of snow to come. Hard to believe in the warmth we’ve experienced this month but mental images of the wild winters round here are prompted frequently with snow poles and signage insisting on snow chains being fixed.) 

And, another thing… which you may already have known but I came across it courtesy of Dan Brown’s ‘Origin’ (airport and plane reading). The FedEx sign has a subliminal arrow to illustrate speed and accuracy. We’ve seen so many trucks with this logo on and can’t, now, help but see the arrow every time. Subliminal messages are in a number of logos, of course. The Amazon A to Z arrow with a smile and dimple is another. 

 

A brief exploration of a ‘back road’ reminded us of our first Road Trip two years ago on the Historic Route 66 – this time we were on Historic Route 30,

 

Final quirk, this evening was when we were reminded of the Native American heritage with the street sign where we’re staying.

Not quirky but serendipitous as we noted that some live music was going to be played down the road. Good food, decent beer and a tremendous writer, guitarist, vocalist called Matt Coughlin! He reminded me of a young Ralph McTell and I told him so. He appreciated the compliment. He was so honest and real. He’d brought his wife and two children with him – they played with toy dinosaurs. After the first two songs, his moccasins were removed and his bare feet stood on outdoor paving as, I suspect they often do. 

 

Another good day.

Seattle tomorrow.