Today we returned to the Columbia Gorge……..we simply ran out of time yesterday watching the sunset on our day from the Vista House high above the Gorge. I love how God ends his day with the sun peeking through the leaves, the deepening red of the sky followed by the twinkling of a million lights.

We started with brunch at Multnomah Restaurant. It is a beautiful lodge like structure with a huge fireplace that always seems to be well fed. We ate in the room next door that is a sun room with a steep glass roof.  We seem to find beauty everywhere we look….a beautiful cloudless day, a bit windy with white caps seen on the Columbia River. The Multnomha  Falls are the 2 nd highest year round water falls in the US.  Doug and I walked up to the 1st of 11 switchbacks.  Since we had planed a bike ride, we decided that was high enough.

Oregon provides many miles of bike riding trails for its citizens and we only got a very small taste. Today we did a trail that is dedicated to bikes and runs from Dobson to Cascade Locks. It is 8 miles long. As beautiful as it is, it follows the freeway and is noisy. We started from both ends and would recommend beginning at Cascade. It is away from the freeway and is dominated by tree covered tunnels………it is like riding your bike into Heaven.

On our way out, we stopped at an outdoor market for fresh fish ( or folks selling fish out of coolers in a parking lot). It is very interesting that the Indians in the area have no restrictions on fishing and can use nets as well. The smoked salmon didn’t last very long, yum.

Tomorrow, Astoria.