July 9, 2013: Columbia River Gorge to Mt. St. Helens

 Up early to view two of the more spectacular waterfalls in the Gorge.
 The first was Horsetail Falls where we climbed a trail way above the waterfall to a second, smaller waterfall called Ponytail, allowing us to walk behind the Falls.   

Then onto the highest Falls, Multnomah. It is 650 feet and I couldn't get the whole cascade in a photograph without changing the camera lens.

 

In this westerly portion of the Gorge, we traveled the original Oregon scenic Highway 30 built in 1916, a narrow twisting road high above the Columbia River through a rain forest.  The average annual rainfall here is 75" and it declines 1" per mile as you travel East.

Tunnel on the original road, no longer used

Our last stop along the Gorge was at the Vista House and overlook, a beautiful spot.

Vista House

Mt. Hood, OR

Mt. St. Helens

After lunch, we got on the interstate, bypassing Portland and north on I5 to the exit for Mt. St. Helens.  We stopped to get a campsite at the beginning of the 50 mile road that runs up to the mountain.  We saw an incredible film about the eruptions at the visitor center and enjoyed the spectacular views of Mt. St. Helens and its crater. 

Devastation still after 30 years

Jack called the dead tree stumps
graves of Mt. St. Helens

Crater of Mt. St. Helens is slowly building a dome
in the center

 

One of many lakes formed when
eruption debris dammed creeks

 

This photo is NOT blurry.  This is
the way these hillsides look in person
because of mismatched horizontal
tree branches

Stopped for dinner on the return trip back to our campsite at the only open restaurant (the other restaurant on the road only served lunch) and it was a lucky find - excellent food on the open air deck overlooking a creek at sunset.