Part 2 – Second week exploring Columbia River Gorge – and camping on the Washington side of the river.
Day 6 – Change of plans brings a pleasant surprise!
Spontaneous plan changes bring unexpected pleasures when journeying around the country, except when those deviations are due to a blown tire or something.
On day six of our seven-day time limit at Rufus Campground, we were still in a quandary about where to go after leaving. Instead of dwelling on that dilemma, we packed our picnic lunch and the pets, finally visiting the waterfalls near The Dalles. Driving west along Interstate 84, I read that another possible Corp of Engineers campsite was on the Washington side of the river. We diverted our trail, crossed the bridge into Washington, and turned left. Turning left instead of right was a change from the direction of our previous explorations.
GPS directions were to drive west on WA Hwy 14, turn right to pass in front of a winery, proceed down a windy road, cross railroad tracks, and on the right was a beautiful little campground, Avery Corp of Engineers Campground on The Dalles Dam Recreation Area.
About seven sites and a boat launch were situated along the river, under giant trees, and had an even better mountain view.
Views of Mt. Hood from Avery Campground
One other camper occupied a site, but a few boat trailers attached to trucks were parked, showing fishermen were out for the day. This site was free, with a seven-day stay limit. We picked our choice spot and settled in for the next seven days. We didn’t want to leave the Columbia River Gorge area because it is so beautiful, and there is lots to see and do.
Our only concern was that the train track was across the road from our campsite. About every hour, one would pass and blow the required whistle as it was approaching the railroad crossing. Train noise usually doesn’t bother us, but since this one was so close, we were concerned that it would wake us up at night. Our concerns were alleviated. The train horns were a comfort, lulling us to sleep, and the trains stopped running around 10:30 in the evening. It was fun to watch them pass by.
The Columbia River is much quieter in this area.
Finally, Visiting the Falls
History – In the early 1900s, advocates worked to preserve the scenic beauty of the Columbia River Gorge. The Columbia River Gorge Highway, OR Hwy 30, runs parallel to Interstate 84. It was completed in 1913. Landowners generously donated property to create scenic retreats along the way.
Multnomah Falls is the tallest of the falls, and it breaks into two more waterfalls on the side.
Also, a restaurant, lodge, snack bar, visitor exhibit, and gift shop are on-site.
There are two observation levels to view the Falls.
Latourrell Falls. Guy and Geraldine Talbot donated property in 1929 because they loved the land surrounding the Falls and wanted to preserve it.
Shepperds Dell – 1915 George Benson donated 11 acres, including a waterfall, to memorialize his wife. The family used the land as a place of worship.
Bridal Veil Falls Creek
Bridal Veil Falls overlook.
Wahkeena Falls – Simon Benson, a timber tycoon, donated the site of Multnomah Falls and included Wahkeena Falls.
Two other points of interest
#1 Vista House at Crown Point
Amongst the picturesque landscapes and impressive waterfalls on Crown Point sits the Vista House. According to the storyboard, Samuel Landcaster, the Columbia River Gorge Highway engineer, envisioned this site as a resting point where visitors could observe the Gorge “in silent communion with the infinite.”
Here is an aerial view of Vista House on the storyboard.
Portland, OR, architect Edgar Lazarus designed the building braced against the Gorge winds as a sign of strength. The storyboard describes it as a small building; it was huge and majestic. Visitors can go in and look at the views at a 360-degree angle. Of course, while we were there, the building was closed. That didn’t stop me from peering through the window to see a marble floor and a beautiful stairway. Even the building was too large to photograph.
I’m coming back to see you, Vista House!
#2 Oneonta Gorge and Tunnel
History: When he was constructing the Columbia River Gorge highway, Samuel Lancaster encountered a problem. Oneonta Bluffs prevented the highway from continuing eastward. The railroad owned the land around it. To solve the problem, he designed a tunnel through the rock. The rocks making up the bluff were basalt, which crumbled easily. Many people were worried about the rocks tumbling onto the railroad tracks. Lancaster solved the problem by instructing construction workers to fill the crevices with concrete to stabilize the rock. Thus, the tunnel was completed in 1914.
In 1948, the State filled the tunnel with rubble. The bridge to the tunnel became ‘the bridge to nowhere.’
Happily, in 2009, the Oregon Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration reopened the Tunnel to provide visitors with a passage from the parking lot to Oneonta Falls and Oneonta Gorge.
Bridge to the tunnel is no longer the ‘bridge to nowhere.’
Oneonta Creek
The Gorge is a ‘secret garden’ – a special botanical area – where plants that have survived since the Ice Age find a home in the moist and shady habitat sheltered from the sun, wind, and summer drought of the Gorge.
A Revisit to Stonehenge
Later that week, as we drove along Highway 197 toward Umatilla, WA, we stopped to revisit the Stonehenge replica of the ancient structure in England.
Why is there a Stonehenge replica in Klickitat County, Washington?
This structure is a duplication of the one in England. The stone formation in Salisbury Plain Wilshire, England, has the reputation of being the site where ancient humans were sacrificed to pagan gods. When Samuel Hill, a Quaker pacifist, saw the original structure (sometime between 1914 and 1918), he said, “After all of our civilization, the flower of humanity still being sacrificed to the god of war on fields of battle.” Hill was inspired to build this replica to remember those lost in war.
This American Stonehenge is the first monument in the United States to remember those who died in World War I. It was dedicated on May 30, 1929.
Each plaque mounted on the structure has the name of the 13 men from Klickitat County who died in the war.
Stonehenge is also in memory of Samuel Hill, who established the townsite of Maryhill. His tomb is 50 yards across the street.
The current belief is that Stone Age astronomers used Stonehenge to mark seasons and measure time through the sun’s and moon’s positions.
The Day Mike Caught ‘The Big One”
Mike has several fishing rods and a variety of lures, and we even had a couple of boats before we began our adventures. However, he hasn’t devoted much time and effort to catching fish. Most of his enjoyment comes from taking the grandchildren to a pier and throwing in a line. But one morning at Avery Campground, his skills were not wasted.
With a camera around his neck, he wakes up early every morning to watch the sunrise.
He saw a canoe drifting on the river this morning.
Alarmed that someone was in trouble in the canoe, he took a close-up shot.
Seeing no one inside the canoe, he got a fishing rod, cast it, and reeled it next to the rocks.
Together, we hauled it up onto the shore. Inside was equipment to last a few days on the river and nights camping on the shores. A dog’s life vest was among the gear.
After calling the nearby Bureau of Land Management (BLM) station and leaving a message, he took pictures of the numbers on the side of the canoe and sent them a text.
It was the weekend. We didn’t hear back.
Later that afternoon, on our way to The Dalles, we stopped at the Horse Thief Ranger Station and told a ranger about the canoe. Unless someone reported it missing, there was nothing they could do. And they advised us to call the BLM office – Mike already did that.
The following Monday, Mike called the BLM ranger station again, and two rangers came out to tag it take inventory of the contents, and a copy of the registration numbers. Mike wrote a report for them on how he found it. They said someone else would be out to get the canoe. By the time we moved camp, the canoe was still there, so Mike took more pictures to prove we left it.
It was a nice big canoe. I hope the canoe’s owner gets it back.
Scenic Rest Stop Near Lyle Washington
Washington is a beautiful state. During our explorations surrounding the areas where we are camped, sometimes we happen upon a beautiful unplanned spot such as this rest stop near Lyle Washington.
Horse Thief State Park and Petroglyphs
Nearby Avery Campground is Horse Thief Bluff.
According to geologists, 13,000-15,000 years ago, a series of floods with surging waters and large pieces of rock ripped through the land, forming the Columbia River Gorge, which flows into the Pacific Ocean. Horse Thief Bluff and canyons encompassing State Route 14 withstood the floods.
Horse Thief State Park has a nice campground with hookups such as electricity and water for RVs. It is near a beautiful lake and has canoes or kayaks to rent. Best of all is the trail of petroglyphs.
The stones with images along the trail were originally located with thousands of others at lower elevations of the Gorge. The reservoir would have hidden them behind The Dalles Dam. These stones were stored for 30 years at The Dalles Dam to preserve a sample of the images.
Several Native American Tribes requested the stones be placed at Horse Thief Butte. With assistance from the Corp of Engineers, Washington State Parks, and Bonneville Power Administration, the images are now shared by all as a tribute to living and non-living things.
We always appreciate the opportunity to see these images and wonder about their meaning.
The End of our Time at Avery Campground
During the last few days of our stay, we watched and listened to the strong winds beat the waves against the rocks and prompt us to wear our coats again.
Our day limit was up, and we were melancholy to leave. Nevertheless, we were anxious toexperience other adventures and see sights along the trails.
Goodbye, Avery Campground and Columbia River Gorge! We enjoyed our stay!