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Back on the Columbia River Gorge
We headed north out of Silverton, OR for the Oregon/Washington border. On our way, we skirted past Portland and landed East on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge. We found a site at Memaloose State Park.
Memaloose State Park is pretty centrally located on the Oregon side of the Columbia River Gorge. It’s a distance to backtrack towards Portland to see Multnoma Falls. But we spent quite a bit of time there the last time we were out this way. We also didn’t want to deal with the parking permit system they have in place there now. Although, to be fair, there was plenty of availability for permits. We just decided to go and explore other places we didn’t get to visit last time.
Cascade Locks
Okay, okay, we did revisit one place we stopped at last time. We went back out to the Cascade Locks and fish hatchery. I really like it out there for some reason. It’s a good mix of infrastructure and nature, I guess.
Ponytail Falls
We went out to find other waterfalls this time around. One of the ones we came across is Ponytail Falls. It’s a short distance just off the road.
Oneonta Tunnel
We drove a little while longer down the old Columbia River Gorge Highway and came across the Oneonta Tunnel.
The tunnel used to house the old highway. But today it is used for a walking path. The trails up Oneonta Creek were closed due to wildfire damage.
Farther up the Columbia River Gorge
We stayed farther up the Columbia River Gorge in Boardman, OR.
From here we were able to explore some of the more inland areas of the Columbia River.
Remnants of the Past
I love old infrastructure that has been abandoned. We found an old road that went off into the now flooded sections of the river. The grade of the road suggests that it was in place before they built the dams and locks along the Columbia River.
Further up and Further in
From Boardman we crossed the river and headed north for Cheney and Spokane.