It’s been a busy few weeks here! Last weekend we managed to escape the hectic, rainy city for a day of adventure. One of my favorite Dutch words is avontuurtje, which translate to something like “little adventure.” That’s what I like to think of day trips– the perfect opportunity for avontuurtjes!
You can’t really wait for sunny days here in the Pacific Northwest (though we’ve had a rash of beautiful ones lately!), so though it was gray and a bit drizzly, we set out anyway. It turned out to be a perfect, with the sun poking out through big fluffy clouds, and only a spot or two of rain.
The Columbia River Gorge is stunning. The canyon is cut through by the Columbia River, and extends about 80 miles east of Portland, forming the border between Washington and Oregon. We usually drive down on the Oregon side to get to Hood River, but this time we hopped the bridge to Washington for a change. It was stunning!
The Gorge starts out forested and wet, but the land changes as you travel through it, and by the time you come out the other side, you’re in a scruffy desert. Lewis and Clark’s expedition travelled up the river this exact way, keeping copious notes and logs until they followed the Columbia to their destination–the Pacific. We took it the opposite way, weaving until we found the Maryhill Museum. Sadly, the museum was closed for the season (we were FIVE DAYS too early! Tragic!), so I’ll have to wait until we try again to say anything about that. I’ll tell you about what we did find next time…
Despite the disappointment, the drive was a perfect journey: spectacular views, time to talk, the opportunity to scout out some great future hiking trails, and a chance to leave life behind for a moment. We ended the day with a visit to Walking Man Brewery in Stevenson, WA, which we’d heard was fantastic. A tiny pub with a patio longing for sun and delicious beers, it was a happy end to the day!
And that was it: our little avontuurtje in the Columbia River Gorge.
Katrina Emery 