Sunday, August 30, 2009

Waterfalls we visited in the Columbia River Gorge -- part 1

The Columbia River Gorge is a spectacular river canyon cutting the only sea-level route through the Cascade Mountain Range.

It's 80 miles long and up to 4,000 feet deep with the north canyon walls in Washington State and the south canyon walls in Oregon State.

WATERFALLS
Through millenniums of geologic events, waterfalls have found their home in the Columbia River Gorge. A visit to the area is not complete without a visit to its breathtaking waterfalls.

Multnomah Falls is the second highest year-round waterfall in the United States. Though Multnomah Falls is grand and popular, all of the falls in the Gorge are special and breathtaking.

History
For over 31,000 years, the Columbia River Gorge has supported flourishing civilizations. Evidence of the Folsom and Marmes people, who crossed the Great Continental Divide from Asia, were found in archaeological digs. Excavations at Five Mile Rapids, a few miles east of The Dalles, show humans have occupied this ideal salmon fishing site for more than 10,000 years.

Geology
The Columbia River Plateau was created by a series of basalt flows. The flows covered 164,000 square kilometers -- portions of northeast Oregon, southwest Washington and western Idaho.

OK, now for the photos of the falls I promised. . .

The first falls we stopped at was called Latourell Falls. . .enlarge the sign to read about it and also photos of any of the falls to see them better, if you wish.





Next stop was Wahkeena Falls. . .










Then we went to Multonomah Falls. . . but that's for another day because I have too many photos to still add and this accidently published itself. Sorry! Come back on Monday for more.

6 comments:

John said...
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Malyss said...

You must have had a wonderful trip there! the place seems to be so fresh and green; It's good to see running water like this. I've not that kind of river and cascades around here..Thanks for sharing!

SandyCarlson said...

So many ways for water to fall--with force or at ease but always with wonderful energy and music. Great shots, my friend.

cieldequimper said...

Been there too! So many great memories for me. Hwy 30 is a gorgeous route.

dot said...

It looks very much like places in north Georgia.

Barb said...

That first falls looks like a ribbon of light. Waterfalls are so powerful - the noise, the spray, the foam all make them dramatic. I enjoyed this beautiful tour.

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I am on my third digital camera, all Olympus. I enjoy using it and sharing my photos. I also enjoy writing. I hope to share a little of each on this blog. My main blog is Postcards From the Northwest.

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