Week 3: Historic Columbia River Hwy Tour

We visited one of the 7 Wonders of Oregon today! The number of notable waterfalls in the Gorge is close to 50, so whittling them down to a single road trip naturally leaves some good ones out. We made it to Vista House on Crown Point, then drove the highway, then stopped at Multnomah Falls. We hiked up the trail to the top of the falls, enjoyed lunch together, then made our way back down.  Some big lesson today?

According to Samuel Lancaster, an engineer for the Columbia River Highway project, Crown Point  was the ideal site for “an observatory from which the view both up and down the Columbia could be viewed in silent communion with the infinite.” Such an observatory would also be a fitting memorial to “the trials and hardships of those who had come into the Oregon country.” And it could “serve as a comfort station for the tourist and the travelers of America’s greatest highway.” These three points are so grand and so true, even for other areas of our lives. 1) Find time and spaces to commune with the infinite, 2) be thankful for successes because they come through hardship, and 3) enjoy every day because it is a gift from your Heavenly Father.

Here is one more lesson: Multnomah Creek drops a whopping 635 feet in two tiers, crossing beneath the iconic Benson Bridge on its way. To make it up, you have to hike past 13 switchbacks. The climb seems extremely difficult, but if you just make it to one more switchback, you eventually make it to the top.  Perseverance, endurance, and motivation–important character qualities to make it to your destination!