Plan B ...

So this is how I ended up stopping at the Bonneville Lock and Dam ....

Plan A involved a drive down the Crown Point State Scenic Corridor and the Columbia Gorge Scenic Byway, with stops at the Bridal Veil Falls State Park, Multonomah Falls, and a couple of overlooks along the way. Alas, all of the above were closed!  Not only were they marked "closed," there was a trooper or two at each exit to be sure no one stopped.

Very disappointing, but the next place to stop was the Bonneville Lock and Dam with a visitor's center .... hence Plan B.  I needed to stop because the lens fell out of my glasses and I can no longer driver without them.  I lost the tiny black screw in my black interior twice before I got them repaired.  Obviously, I need new frames.  Good thing I can see up close without them!

The Dam turned out to be a great stop.  Not only did I get another stamp in my National Parks Passport book, but it was really interesting.  The Dam is about 40 miles east of Portland, Oregon and Vancouver, Washington.  It is the first Federal lock and dam on the Columbia and Snake rivers.  Construction began in 1933 and was dedicated by President Roosevelt in 1937.  President Roosevelt "used" the construction of this project for the Army Corps of Engineers as a "back to work" program to end the Great Depression.  The original powerhouse is located on the Oregon shore; the second powerhouse and the Visitor Orientation Building are on the Washington shore.

You can learn all about the dam from Ranger led tours, a couple of films, and a self-guided tour.  You can also see the salmon swimming up the fish ladders over the dam through "glass" walls inside the visitor center or from a platform above the ladders.  Exhibits in the Bradford Island Visitor Center show how nature, technology and humans intersect.  Visitors learn about the cultural history of the region, dam construction, the development of navigation along the Columbia River and the life-cycles of salmon and Pacific Lamprey.





In The Dalles, I stopped at the Fort Dalles Museum, one of Oregon's oldest museums.  It had a 1856 Army Officer's Home on the original fort site and the restored 1895 Anderson Homestead across the street.

 While in The Dalles, I took a picture of St Peter's Landmark - A 115 year old former Catholic church 

Built in 1897, dedicated in 1898 and saved from demolition in 1971, this magnificent structure is open free to the public for tours and is available to rent for weddings, concerts or memorials.

Then I crossed over to the Washington side and stopped at Stonehenge ...

History of Maryhill’s Stonehenge

Erected as the nation’s first WWI memorial and dedicated in 1918 to the servicemen of Klickitat County, Washington, who died in the service of their country during the Great War, Hill’s Stonehenge Memorial is a monument to heroism and peace.
Hill erroneously believed that the original Stonehenge was constructed as a place of human sacrifice. Concluding there was a parallel between the loss of life in WWI and the sacrifices at ancient Stonehenge, he set out to build a replica on the cliffs of the Columbia as a reminder of those sacrifices and the “incredible folly” of the war.
Guided by leading authorities on archaeology, astronomy, and engineering, Hill combined their knowledge to duplicate, as nearly as possible, the original size and design of the ancient Neolithic ruin in England.

Unfortunately, when leaving this stop (I wanted to take a scenic drive that was posted at this stop) I turned the wrong way and went about 108+ miles out of my way on Hwy 14, the Lewis & Clark Trail (Hwy 14 runs along the Columbia River on the Washington side; you can see I-84 on the other side).  The Washington side may be prettier ..

The views from the highway were very pretty - the bottom two are Table Mountain and, of course, Mt. Hood ....

I-85 through Cascade Locks allows bicycles on the interstate.  The only other time I've seen this was in Utah.

The Columbia Gorge Hotel is a historic hotel in Hood River, Oregon. It was built by Simon Benson, who was involved with the Columbia Gorge Scenic Highway.

 

 

 

 

 

The sunset coming home was beautiful.  Unfortunately, I couldn't stop and I had bug splatter again ...

Heading south tomorrow to spend some time in SoCal ....