On Friday, we finally had good weather, so we headed east. Our first stop was the East Mark Hatfield Trailhead of the Historic Columbia River Highway State Park. Part of Historic Highway 30 closer to Portland has been preserved and restored for car travel, and it runs parallel to Interstate 84. Farther east, it is no longer open to car traffic - but sections have been repaired and are open to foot traffic and bicycles. We were on a section that has been redone and it is beautiful. The east end of this section is about a mile to the Mosier Twin Tunnels and that is where we spent a little over an hour hiking about three easy miles.
There were beautiful views of the Columbia River, and since the trail is elevated here, minimal interaction (other than sound) from I-84 below.
Some of original stonework has been preserved.
They have created a beautiful viewpoint that takes you out near the edge of the cliff for beautiful views both east and west.
The twin tunnels are one after the other, rather than side by side.
In both tunnels, there are little side tunnels which give you views out to the Columbia River.
In the space between the tunnels, they have erected a roof to protect you from falling rocks.
After the second tunnel, there is an extended area, longer than the two tunnels combined, where they have also erected a roof to protect you from falling rocks.
We then drove east to The Dalles (the town gets its name from the French fur trappers use of the word for gutters), where we bought lunch. We then drove about 20 minutes further east to the Deschute River State Recreation Area. We had lunch in an area near the river. These tables are primarily for campsites, but they were all unoccupied, so we chose one in the sun and had our lunch.
We then set out along the trail that runs along side the river.
We came across a stream gaging station, a USGS marker and a manual ferry suspended from a cable. The car holds one person who can then crank the handle on the basket to get across the river.
We continued on for nearly two miles before the trail ascended to the bluffs above the river.
After another half mile or so, the trail connects with the old railroad bed which is now a 16 mile long route where the train on the west side of the river used to run. BNSF still has an active railroad on the west side of the river.
Because I had built some Gabion cages for the construction of the new area at the Desert Botanical Garden, when we saw these Gabion cages that were part of the fencing along the old railroad route, Patty had me pose for pictures.
On the other side of the river, we learned about Heritage Landing and how the land was acquired for the State Recreation Area - more than 10,000 private donors.
We had a beautiful day hiking along the Columbia and Deschutes Rivers.
There were beautiful views of the Columbia River, and since the trail is elevated here, minimal interaction (other than sound) from I-84 below.
Some of original stonework has been preserved.
They have created a beautiful viewpoint that takes you out near the edge of the cliff for beautiful views both east and west.
The twin tunnels are one after the other, rather than side by side.
In both tunnels, there are little side tunnels which give you views out to the Columbia River.
In the space between the tunnels, they have erected a roof to protect you from falling rocks.
After the second tunnel, there is an extended area, longer than the two tunnels combined, where they have also erected a roof to protect you from falling rocks.
We then drove east to The Dalles (the town gets its name from the French fur trappers use of the word for gutters), where we bought lunch. We then drove about 20 minutes further east to the Deschute River State Recreation Area. We had lunch in an area near the river. These tables are primarily for campsites, but they were all unoccupied, so we chose one in the sun and had our lunch.
We then set out along the trail that runs along side the river.
We came across a stream gaging station, a USGS marker and a manual ferry suspended from a cable. The car holds one person who can then crank the handle on the basket to get across the river.
We continued on for nearly two miles before the trail ascended to the bluffs above the river.
After another half mile or so, the trail connects with the old railroad bed which is now a 16 mile long route where the train on the west side of the river used to run. BNSF still has an active railroad on the west side of the river.
Because I had built some Gabion cages for the construction of the new area at the Desert Botanical Garden, when we saw these Gabion cages that were part of the fencing along the old railroad route, Patty had me pose for pictures.
In all, we went about 2.5 miles and then back. The views were amazing, lots of green and a mix of wildflowers.
On the other side of the river, we learned about Heritage Landing and how the land was acquired for the State Recreation Area - more than 10,000 private donors.
We had a beautiful day hiking along the Columbia and Deschutes Rivers.
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