About 800 Years ago the front of the mountain shown below essentially slid into the river in a landslide creating huge rapids through a narrow, Rocky passage.
Lewis and Clark had to portage their canoes for about four miles around these Rapids. In 1876 construction began on a lock that was completed 20 years later To enable sternwheelers to pass through this portion of the river.
This town is the location of the bridge of the gods, which was the bridge upon which the final scene of the non-fiction book/movie “Wild” took place.
The Pacific Crest Trail runs through Cascade Locks And over the bridge of the gods. I am staying in a campground that is literally in the shadow of the bridge in which dozens of PCT hikers stay every night during the summer.
Most are in their 20s and a fair number are limping. I spoke with several hikers who started in early May at the California-Mexico border and are hiking the entire 2,650 miles of the PCT. There is a fascinating sense of community that develops among these hikers. Most have been assigned a trail name by fellow hikers.
The state of Oregon is Constructing an amazing bicycle trail that when completed next year will run all the way from Portland to the Dalles.
This is an area that are really caters to bicyclists.
I met up with Robert again this afternoon. He had been traveling on the Washington side of the river the past couple days and I have been on the Oregon side. We had dinner tonight at a restaurant window side table overlooking the bridge. A 19-year-old PCT hiker from Austria joined us.
Nice pic. The PCT, or parts of it, are also on my bucket list....
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