Columbia Gorge in the Springtime

A week or so ago, I went on a Mountaineers Naturalist hike to Catherine Creek and the McCall Preserve near Hood River, Oregon which, as everyone knows, is in the heart of the Columbia Gorge. We hiked in one of my favorite climate zones: the transition between the wet west side forests and the shrub/steppe climate of Eastern Washington and Oregon.  Think Cle Elum or the Methow Valley but with the largest river on the west coast of North America running through it. The gorge was created as the Cascade Mountains rose while the pre-existing river maintained its original course forming a sea level passage through the mountains.

Approaching the gorge from the west on the Washington side, it looked like this from a roadside viewpoint:

The Columbia from somewhere east of Camas,  Beacon Rock in the distance.

The following morning, we met in the insignificant town of Bingen, Washington, and drove to Catherine Creek on the Washington side of the river.  The wildflowers were blooming!

Grass Widow

Pungent Desert Parsley

Ponderosa Pines, native to the eastern slopes of the Cascades were everywhere.

Pinnacles and Ponderosas

Catherine Creek

Gravel areas on the hillside across the creek.  Oaks in the foreground.

Natural arch considered to be sacred by the local Native people

On our way up to the viewpoint

Sunny Uplands with lots of Grass Widows

More Grass Widows (I can't get enough)

From our lunch spot - looking east

From our lunch spot - looking southwest toward Mt Hood

After lunch we retraced our steps to the parking lot and drove west a mile or two for the second hike of the day.  Near the parking lot, we came across this pretty waterfall.

Waterfall with Rainbow!

We hiked uphill through oaks and ponderosa pines with some columnar basalt for added interest.

Oaks and Basalt

The River of the West from the heights

After descending back to river level, we had dinner at a noisy restaurant in Hood River with a floor like a trampoline.  One of the waiters was an exceptionally large fellow who had to walk by our table frequently.  He was not light on his feet. Motion sickness was imminent but I managed to keep my spaghetti down.

The following morning we went a little further east on the Oregon side to the Tom McCall Preserve. The Preserve is atop cliffs looking over the river.

View looking NorthEast from the Tom McCall Preserve

Looking directly across the river at maybe 12 layers of basalt

The view to the SouthWest was not bad (love my new zoom lens)

Fine specimen of Columbia Desert Parsley

Columbia Spotted Frog

Oak forest and the Columbia

In summary: I need more hikes in the Gorge!