VW ADVENTURES

Another scenic overlook before Bridal Veil Falls is the Portland Women’s Forum Scenic Viewpoint which offers more fantastic views of the river and especially of the Vista House and Crown Point. It is fun to have just been at the Vista House and now get to view it from a distance and see how it sits out on the point.

This scenic viewpoint, formerly known as Chanticleer Point, has an interesting history of being the location of the” world-famous” Chanticleer Inn. Built in 1912, before construction of the Historic Columbia River Highway, visitors had to arrive by train or boat and then climb

stairs..??–yikes!– to the Inn, or take a horse drawn carriage (and later a motorized coach) up a winding dirt road. Since it was considered to be “the best place on earth” to be served a delicious home-cooked dinner and “an ideal place for ladies’ afternoon teas and card parties”, it must have been worth the effort of getting to!  We are pleased with the performance of our ‘motorized coach’—our  VW Camper Bus– on the old Historic highway but can only imagine how the bus would have been with the challenges of the earlier travelers. Once the highway was opened (1915), access became easier and the inn prospered until it burned down in 1930.  The property was then purchased and donated to the Oregon State Parks & Recreation Department by the Portland Women’s Forum.
We are thinking the Chanticleer Inn sounds like a delightful and delicious place to visit and wish it was still a possible destination, especially since we are already there with the ease of driving -even if it is in an old VW bus– and not having to climb stairs from the below!  Dinner is sounding like a good idea. We realize we must be getting hungry and decide to get back on the road and make our last stop at Bridal Veil Falls; then head across Portland to where we know a delicious meal is awaiting us.

Leaving Multnomah Falls, we cruise on down Route 30 heading to a scenic overlook. Tommy’s sister, Ginny, calls to see what our progress is and how soon she should start dinner. We are surprised to see it is suddenly 5 o’clock and realize the afternoon has disappeared quickly!  We have taken all afternoon to travel the 30 or so miles on the old Highway –not because we are travelling in an old VW bus but because of the specatular scenery — and we still have Bridal Veil Falls and two other sites that were highly suggested by our tour guide Helen for “great views up and down the gorge” to visit; so we hurry along to get those in before heading to sister Ginny’s.

The first of these scenic overlooks, Vista House at Crown Point, is well worth the stop.  Vista House was built between 1916-1918 as a memorial to Oregon pioneers, as a comfort station for those traveling on the Historic Columbia River Highway and as an observatory. The octagonal stone structure towers 733 feet above the Columbia River, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and in the National Geographic Society’s 2001 “Save America’s Treasures” book.  http://vistahouse.com

We pull into the parking lot in our camper bus and enjoy the breathtaking views up and down the Gorge seeing miles of river both ways. Even Portland and Vancouver, Washington are visible from this vantage point. The old building itself is gorgeous with beautiful stonework and stained glass and the panoramic views are even more spectacular from the viewing deck on the second level of the building.  We notice a crowd gathered around our VW Camper BUS and have fun watching as it ‘brings joy to folks on the road!’ as an attraction all by itself in the parking lot at Crown Point.

We stop next at Multnomah Falls. This is a very busy place with a lot more tourists than we have seen anywhere along the Columbia River Gorge area. We learn at the Visitor’s Center in the Multnomah Lodge that this waterfall is considered Oregon’s most visited outdoor destination with nearly two million visitors a year. The short travel distance from Portland and direct Interstate access make it an easy day’s outing from the city.

Multnomah Falls is spectacular.  It is the tallest waterfall in the State of Oregon and second-tallest year-round waterfall in the nation. Fed by underground springs, the water of Multnomah Falls drops 620 feet from its origin on Larch Mountain.  This spectacular ‘double’ falls has a footbridge partway up. This time the crowds of tourists as well as the steep climb deter us from the hike and again, we choose to view the falls from the bottom.

The first waterfall we come to is Horsetail Falls and can easily be seen from the roadway. We pull into the parking lot which is across the road (old highway) from the falls. It is a beautiful 178 foot high cascade of water plunging down a cliff in the shape of a giant, white horsetail.  Most of it can be seen from the parking lot but getting up close, we can see the powerful and beautiful plunge of the water into the pool at the bottom.  A ‘short’ half-mile trail to the top of the falls supposedly takes you behind the falls and offers a view of a second waterfall: Ponytail Falls (also called Upper Horsetail Falls) but we opt out of that hike (it might be ‘short’ but straight UP! Remember– the falls is plunging down a cliff!) We enjoy the falls from the bottom pool.

Leaving Herman, we stay off the Interstate enjoying the winding scenic old Highway 30. This historic scenic route is truly ‘old-bus’ driving at its best.  The speed limit is 40 mph, the road is narrow and winding and we are driving “in” the woods–trees growing along and over the road, creating a beautiful canopy.  This Historic Columbia River Highway was built between 1913 and 1922 as the first planned scenic roadway in the United States and became the first major paved road in the Northwest.  It winds high above the Columbia River for about a 75 mile stretch between Troutdale and The Dalles and was built to blend with the Gorge’s natural beauty and offering maximum scenic opportunities while impacting the environmental as little as possible — imagine that concept back in 1913! The builder envisioned the gorge highway as a ‘rival to the great roads of Europe’ and included artistic European designs of dry masonry walls with arched openings, wooden and rock guard rails and beautifully crafted arched bridges. Following it only in bits and pieces – just before Hood River and now again from Bonneville Dam, this old VW Camper is right at home and we love every minute of the drive!

This section winds us around the edge of Larch Mountain and provides easy access to several waterfalls, the historic Vista House at Crown Point and the Portland Women’s Forum Outlook, Chanticleer Point.

On down the road toward Portland, we have to be on the interstate for a little way before getting off on the more fun, adventurous, and scenic historic route which will take us by the waterfalls. The camper bus does fine on the interstate without any real slow down, but we prefer driving on the quieter ‘back roads’.

Of all the different attractions suggested by our Dalles Dam Tour Guide, Helen, we thought viewing “Herman” the Sturgeon at the fish hatchery at Bonneville Dam would be fun. Having grown up with an ominous resident sturgeon at the Clear Lakes fish hatcheries in the canyon along the Snake River, Julia is intrigued by the reputation Herman seems to have. This fish hatchery is quite different, almost like a small village with several large buildings, and seems to be designed for educational purposes, probably getting lots of school field trips.

During childhood, the Clear Lakes’ sturgeon was viewed by peering into the dark green waters of a pond from a small foot bridge. If lucky, what appeared to be a shadow could be seen…a long dark shape in the water.

Here at the Bonneville Hatchery, we follow the ‘fish’ path to locate “Herman”  and discover a large viewing tank where we can see sturgeons of all sizes as well as some of the other fish (salmon mostly). Aquariums are always fascinating and we stand mesmerized by the movement.  We can see why the dark shadowy shape at the Clear Lakes Fish Hatchery was so ominous. These sturgeons–considered to be pre-historic creatures–are extremely large and move very slowly. “Herman” has the reputation of being one of the largest known sturgeons alive.  The variety of fish in the aquarium helps give a size-comparison to the sturgeons. White sturgeon are the largest freshwater fish in North America and can weigh over 1,500 pounds, be 20 feet in length, and live for over 100 years. Herman is about 60 years old, 400-500 pounds, and about 10 feet long — our VW Camper is only 13 feet long!