Columbia River Gorge

Mt. Hood view from the Agency

Columbia River Gorge View

Sunset on the Columbia

The Columbia downriver from White Salmon

These are stock postcard style photos of the gorge but give you some idea of what it is like.   Hood River which is directly across the river from our office is world renowned for surfboarding and kiteboarding-- because the Columbia River flows in the opposite direction as the wind.   Hood River is also home to vast pear, apple and cherry orchards so organic fruit is readily available and inexpensive.  There are also numerous vineyards and wineries in the area.   And supposedly the largest pear orchard in the world in White Salmon.
http://www.wildnatureimages.com/Columbia%20River%20Gorge.htm


Mt. Adams is on the Washington side of the gorge up behind our office while we are facing Mt. Hood on the Oregon side.   Mt. Adams is a pristine wilderness area-- the entire mountain is owned by the Yakima tribe and is part of their extensive reservation lands.
http://www.longshadowphoto.com/main.htm


These are more postcard style photos of the gorge...
http://209.15.42.2/images/Image%20Portfolios/Color%20North%20America%20Columbia%20River%201.htm


This site has photos of several of the numerous waterfalls in the gorge...
http://www.a2zgorge.info/area/columbia_gorge_waterfalls.htm


Assorted Gorge pictures ...
http://www.mind.net/dlmark/gorge.htm
Click on Larch Mountain and see the 9 snow capped peaks visible from elevations in the gorge.
There are 77 waterfalls in the Columbia Gorge on the Oregon side alone  Multnomah falls is the largest
Bridge of the Gods was built at the site of an ancient natural bridge that spanned the Columbia and was wiped out in a large slide centuries ago.  Native Americans still catch and sell wild salmon in this area.
Notice the strange Stonehenge structure, a replica of the site in England.   It is near the large Maryhill Museum which has an extensive international collection.
If you come to visit Skamania Lodge is a great resort in the gorge with spectacular views from the dining room.  The Inn at White Salmon is furnished completely in antiques.


This site by Friends of the Columbia gorge emphasize the preservation of nature.  There are strict land use planning laws in the gorge.  It also has photos of some of the wild flowers here.  There are hundreds of flowers that grow here that grow nowhere else in the world.  This is partly because of the unique topography from river level to mountain flowers like avalanche lillies and from wet woodlands like Gifford Pinchot national forest to dry grasslands and high desert within a few miles of each other.  There are many small ecosystems.   Rainfall diminishes by over one inch per mile as you go from the western end of the gorge at Stevenson east to The Dalles and Maryhill.   So you can pick the climate you prefer.
http://www.gorgefriends.org/gorge/album/photoalbum_view


Photos of White Salmon our little town at the foot of the mountains.   The Inn has an incredible winter bargain of two nights for the price of one and included an all you can eat breakfast buffet (so 2 nights and 4 breakfasts for $100) that will last you all day.   The kicker:  they employ an Austrian pastry chef and the desert buffet is irresistible.  And only a block away from the office  Perpetual temptation!!
http://www.bedandbreakfast.com/ppf/photo/215520-04/ListingPhoto.aspx


River rafting on the White Salmon river.  This is an outdoor and sportsman's paradise with kayaking (our fave), horseback riding, lama treks, skiing, snowshoeing and winter sports (but no snow to shovel at home!), sailboarding, fly fishing, hiking, mountain climbing and so on.   Also a wonderful place for birding (another fave of mine).
http://www.kayaking.peak.org/public_html/rivers/farmlands/farmlands.html

There are several hot springs resorts and spas in the White Salmon area most notably Carson Hot springs resort and the hot springs resort and spa at Bonneville dam.  There is a superabundance of masseuses.  Yay.   yes, they make office calls.

This is also an artists community with a glass blowing studio, a woodworking shop that teaches how to make wood kayaks and canoes that are so beautiful you could hang them on a wall instead of putting them in the water; several pottery studios; quilters and fabric artists; painters and sculptors, jewelers and of course many galleries.   A few more writers are just what is needed!