Monday, August 16, 2010

Waterfalls Galore

The Columbia River Gorge east of Portland, OR is chock full of beautiful waterfalls. I visited quite a few of them during our gathering in Portland. Here's the rundown:


Horsetail Falls is right along the highway.


Bridal Veil Falls is practically underneath the highway, and can be viewed from the road, but I walked down to the bottom.


Latourell Falls, 249' high, was my favorite.


The green algae and the basalt columns behind the falls were really unique. It also was the only one to drop straight down from the cliff.


But this is the grandaddy of them all - Multnomah Falls. At 620' high, it's the tallest waterfall in Oregon.


The concrete bridge across the falls was built in 1914, after the previous log-pole bridge collapsed.


Hmmmm.... I wonder what the weight limit is....


Looking down from the bridge.


Louis and Clark came through the Columbia Gorge in 1805 to reach the Pacific Ocean. They called the falls "stupendous." Who painted this? - I doubt they had such decorated canoes!


In the mid-1800s, many of the pioneers who came west on the Oregon Trail loaded their possessions onto rafts and went past the falls. It was a treacherous journey, an alternative to going around Mount Hood on the south side.

8 comments:

  1. Great pictures, and it helps firm up Portland on our bucket list.

    Thanks :)

    ReplyDelete
  2. WOW my head is spinning with all this beauty!! You made some amazing shots of those waterfalls! SO glad you go the extra mile for US so we can see all these fab places you are visiting!!
    Im wondering about that load limit as well..I may have walked over that old bridge but I dont think I would do it with anyone else..and ID run over it..heck I couldnt cross the suspension bridge over the Royal Gorge in Colorado, I was half way across and then this guy decided he had to drive his CAR over and the bridge began to dip and sway and I ran back--lol
    BOY those Pioneers had Grit didnt they?

    ReplyDelete
  3. My favorite pic is the one looking down from the bridge. Since I have this "fear of height" thing, I rarely see these things in person! Thanks!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. The Columbia River Gorge is a really neat place to visit. We drove thru it back in 2008 but were making tracks and had no time to stop and enjoy it.

    Thanks for your pix, it makes us realize that the next time we drive through it, we need to do it in weeks, not hours. :c)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Beautiful pictures of those waterfalls thanks!

    ReplyDelete
  6. This place looks incredible. We really appreciate your photography.

    Missy and Roy Helton
    missyandroy.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  7. Beautiful waterfalls. I wonder if they have even more water in the spring. I would stay off that bridge with all those people.

    ReplyDelete

I love comments!