Dear Jake & Amelia,
We drove the length of the Columbia River Gorge, crossing between Oregon and Washington several times on old narrow bridges. The eastern end of the gorge was arid. Pale ocher cliffs rose sharply from the river. In spite of the water below, the grass lands on the plateaus were dry. The landscape became less harsh as we headed west. Every mile receives about an inch more of annual rainfall. The views softened as vegetation increased.

West of the Bridge of the Gods, we turned onto the Historic Columbia River Highway. This narrow scenic road, built early in the 20th century, was one of the first paved roads outside of a city. A low rock wall, a long outdated guardrail, separated us from the edge. We were glad that the truck wasn't any bigger. We passed high elegant waterfalls that splashed down moss covered rock face. We wound our way up to the top of the gorge through dense forest. We stopped at Vista House, an octagonal structure built 733 feet above the river on Thor's Heights. The views down the gorge were hazy from nearby forest fires, but beautiful.

Nancy & Peter

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