Today I thought for fun I would do a post about the Columbia River Gorge of Oregon. If you ever get the chance to drive through the Gorge I highly recommend it!
Whenever we make a trip to Portland, Oregon we travel down the I-84 freeway, which runs along side the Columbia River most of the 200 miles to Portland.
The Gorge has some of the most scenic and beautiful views you will ever see…
And it can be hell on earth if the weather hits it just right in the winter with ice or snow or both.
The Gorge has its own weather systems during the fall and winter….
And when it feels like being nice it can be beautiful!
The West end of the Columbia River Gorge has several water falls…this is Multnomah Falls… a 611-foot-tall roaring, awe-inspiring cascade of icy water, lets you experience the power and beauty of nature up close.
Looking down from Crown Point…on the old highway, before the freeway….you find amazing views.
This is Vista House on Crown Point…it is worth it to travel the old road…stopping in at Vista House to learn more about the history etc.
The mountains and the ever flowing Columbia River that flows along side of the freeway make your trip interesting…never boring…I have traveled the 200 miles to and from Portland all my life at least twice a year to shop…
And I have never grown tired of the incredible river view.
The Columbia River Gorge is a spectacular river canyon cutting the only sea-level route through the Cascade Mountain Range. It’s 80 miles long and up to 4,000 feet deep with the north canyon walls in Washington State and the south canyon walls in Oregon State.
Coming home from Portland traveling back East you experience the beauty of the water falls and trees until you hit The Dalles.
This photo shows the dramatic difference in the environment. Each mile east you travel in the Columbia River Gorge, you find less and less annual rainfall. You can see the spring green hillsides I’m standing on, Interstate 84 heading off towards Idaho, on the southern side of the gorge, and the arid hills in the more easterly portion of the gorge.
It changes quickly…all of a sudden…you are without trees and moss…as you travel home to Eastern Oregon…the dry side of Oregon.
Becoming more barren…yet still pretty:)
The Columbia River is a huge river that is wide and deep. Looking across the Columbia to the Washington side….getting closer to home….
On down the freeway we go…we are on the home stretch now!
Heading down the last hill into Pendleton…
Welcome to Eastern Oregon!
Can you see the mountain in the sunset? You will have to click the picture and enlarge it to see the mountain that is Mt. Hood which is close to Portland, 200 miles away…I took this photo last fall on top of the hill behind our house.
Looking towards the Blue Mountains. We still have the wild west going on in Eastern Oregon…drier, isolated country and down home country folk!
Hot Rod Cowgirl 
Jul 16, 2012 @ 14:44:13
wow beautiful photos! Reminds me of here in New Zealand! haha 🙂
Renee
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Jul 16, 2012 @ 16:44:18
🙂 New Zealand must looks amazing:)
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Jul 09, 2012 @ 20:36:15
I was working in Portland back in 1995 when the whole Pacific Northwest was almost washed out to see. I have been through many hurricanes but I had never seen flooding like that which hit Portland that year.
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Jul 09, 2012 @ 21:11:27
Thank goodness we are over 200 miles from Portland on the very dry side of Oregon…I know the year you are talking about though…I saw the flooding on TV and it was massive. In 1991 in Post Oregon…take the map of Oregon and make an X through it and you will find Post….it is in the center of Oregon. My hubby and I managed a huge ranch for a Portland heart Dr. and we lived at the headquarters of the ranch on the Crooked River…35 miles from Prineville, Oregon. Anyway August 5, 1991 we went through a 100 year flood on the AV Ranch….lucky to get out with our lives…a cloud burst up high behind where we were located…it rained about 2″ in 10 minutes and by the time the wall of debris and water hit the headquarters it was 200′ wide and 6′ deep…I had never seen anything like it…one of these days I will do a post on it. Thank you for stopping in:)
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Jul 08, 2012 @ 03:36:11
Very nice travel photography!
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Jul 08, 2012 @ 09:37:09
Thank you for your encouragement:) Hugs:)
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Jul 04, 2012 @ 21:13:54
Beautiful photos! Love the one from your place that you can see Hood!
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Jul 04, 2012 @ 21:44:42
Yeah that view is guaranteed in the summer if ya get your bottom on a horse and ride up on the hills…which I love…it is so amazing to see 200 miles away from here and to see Hood is very cool! I used to see St. Helens too and Mt. Adams is still there if you look…and so is Helens…just looks a bit different now:)
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Jul 04, 2012 @ 13:33:52
These are soooo amazing! I need to find a minute to visit the Columbia River Gorge! That is stunningly beautiful.
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Jul 04, 2012 @ 21:35:37
🙂 Thank you and yes…you need to come travel to Oregon…go down I-84 through the Gorge and go all the way to the Oregon Coast…as you will love it:) I promise…it is truly beautiful:) And if you come through Pendleton…I will meet you for coffee or a coke or a hamburger:)
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Jul 04, 2012 @ 10:06:49
I have travelled both sides of the Columbia River Gorge ny motorcycle and they are both spectacular. Thanks for sharing your photos from there; they are great
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Jul 04, 2012 @ 11:46:20
🙂 Yes the Washington side is a pretty drive as well and in some ways better since it is not the freeway:)
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Jul 04, 2012 @ 08:28:16
Absolutely gorgeous and love your informative narrative. Great post!
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Jul 04, 2012 @ 11:45:29
Thank you and blessings on your 4th:)
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Jul 03, 2012 @ 16:03:14
Bravo!! 🙂
~d.
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Jul 03, 2012 @ 18:41:10
🙂 Happy 4th of July!!!
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Jul 04, 2012 @ 13:45:51
🙂 And to you too!!
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Jul 04, 2012 @ 21:38:57
🙂 It has been a good 4th here:)
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Jul 03, 2012 @ 15:48:50
I grew up in the Gorge and don’t think I really appreciated it until I moved away. Must admit seeing these makes me a bit homesick. Thanks for sharing them.
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Jul 03, 2012 @ 18:40:43
Isn’t that the truth of where we grow up…I used to be that way too until I got older and began to appreciate where I lived and saw it through others eyes…and the Gorge is a constant reminder of incredible power and beauty:)
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Jul 03, 2012 @ 15:38:40
Gorgeous!!
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Jul 03, 2012 @ 18:39:14
🙂 If you ever get the chance to experience the Gorge go for it!
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Jul 03, 2012 @ 13:05:41
Girl… I dunno about you… when are you going to become a professional photographer? One of those photos just took my breath away! Yes, I have been along that highway, with my husband on a 2 week over the road trip (in a truck). It was beautiful, I looked down at the river and saw wind surfers. That would be a beautiful place to live. Your photos eased my mind today, and I needed it! Thanks!
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Jul 03, 2012 @ 18:38:29
Thank you:) I am so glad that God’s beauty in the photos gave you peace…if we can just take in our surroundings God is always there in the glory he created in this world…I love the Gorge except when the weather is bad….then it can be a pain…but when the sun shines it is gloriously beautiful and always takes my breath away:) It is a favorite for photography too with the ever changing landscapes, colors and amazing light:) I always wonder about the wind surfers as the Columbia is a deep strong river…beautiful to watch them though:) Happy 4th!
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Jul 03, 2012 @ 11:39:05
Beautiful photos. It is such a beautiful drive.
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Jul 03, 2012 @ 11:41:40
It is never boring as the light, weather, and the incredible colors constantly change:) Perfect for photographers interest:)
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