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| The view of the gorge was still great despite the smoke |
I don't know who first said that you never get a
second chance to make a first impression, but I was reminded of those wise
words as I arrived for a short visit to August, to Portland, Oregon.
For I got a terrible impression of that major US city, the minute I exited Lyft,
for I found downtown dirty with numerous unkempt, apparently-homeless,
mostly-white young people, either walking around or lying down the sidewalks.
And this was not in some "ghetto" but right around 5th Avenue, where
the Hilton hotel is located!
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| Vista house |
Later, I walked around a bit and found a similar
condition spread far and wide. I did try to think through the
"dirty" aspect, by speculating that since it was a Sunday afternoon,
maybe there had been a lot of recreational activities downtown, hence the
garbage strewn all around. I was partially right, as by Monday afternoon when I
returned to the city, the place was much cleaner but still dirtier than Seattle
or Vancouver, Canada, which I had visited a few days before.
Maybe the incident on the train trip to Portland was
an omen to me that things were not going to be too great once I got there,
although the hotel was fine. For just around five miles outside of Portland, in
the vicinity of Vancouver, Washington, the train came to an abrupt stop
followed by an announcement from the engineer shortly after.
He said he could not tell us how long we would be
unable to move, as the sheriff had been chasing a stolen car and it had crashed
on the track, about 2 car lengths from our train. The good news, he said, was
that the train did not hit the car, for if it did, we could be there overnight
as it would have been an accident scene.
Fortunately, since we didn't,
we would only have to wait for a wrecker to remove the vehicle and an inspector
to make sure the track wasn't damaged.
We were lucky therefore, to be able to get moving fifty
minutes later!
Another observation I couldn't avoid about the city
itself, was
the huge number of food carts, almost as many as one sees in Manhattan. Most of what I saw however, was promoting halaal dishes, so since I realized that this eliminated pork right away, I surely had no interest in sampling any!
To give Portland its due though, I found it to be one
of the most pedestrian friendly big cities I have ever visited. The
sidewalks were wide and attractively constructed out of some kind of red brick.
Most traffic lights were unique too, in that pedestrians often do not have to
press buttons to cross, as the walking lights just come on automatically.
Nice.
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| A view from the hills in the gorge |
The waterfront walkway is also fabulous, like a breath
of fresh air and I discovered it is the hangout for visitors and residents
alike. So I felt quite comfortable and
refreshed until I saw the prominent graffiti promoting "Proud Boys,"
(a notorious neo-fascist group), so I made my exit.
Once I got outside of Portland however, it was an
entirely different picture as the countryside is so lush and inviting, protectively
surrounded by mountains.
This was the picture I got as we headed out to visit
the fabulous Columbia River Gorge, just half an hour outside of
Portland.
According to geologists, that gorge was created some
1400 years ago by glaciers which caused numerous mud flows and created some 300
tidal waves. But the peace and tranquility today, almost belie such a turbulent
birth.
We deviated from the main road to go up to Vista House
which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2018.
This property which houses a museum, gift shop and
rest stop, is just over 700 feet above the main highway. It is located at Crown
Point, through which you travel via a narrow winding road in a temperate a
rain forest. This area can get so severely windy at times, that our guide
pointed out how most of the trees have no leaves or branches and some of the
huge pines even have the side facing the breeze, permanently torn off.
From that property, you get the most comprehensive and
breathtaking view of the Gorge below, and
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Incidentally, almost half of the Columbia River gorge
was destroyed in 2017, by a wild fire which had been set by kids playing with
illegal fireworks. The fire burnt fiercely from July to September and
was only completely doused when the weather changed and rains and snow started
to fall. Even now, the burnt trees on the hillsides can be clearly seen, for
they cannot be removed, lest they cause soil erosion and landslides in the
area.
This has caused almost a half of the gorges parks to
be still closed to the public.
The gorge is reputed to house around 200 waterfalls,
many of which freeze up totally in the winter, we were informed. However, only
six or seven are accessible by motor vehicle.
The thick forest that covers most of the gorge is home
to mountain lions, bears and deer and I understand when the wild fire was out
of control during 2017, many animals were killed and others strayed into
populated areas as they lost their homes.
I visited three waterfalls, Multnomah, Wahkeena
and Horse Tail Falls, after short hikes up well marked trails. I was
however far more impressed with the view from the hills than the falls
themselves, as most falls in Jamaica and Guyana, dwarf those I saw.
But as you begin to ascend each of these, the view
becomes even more captivating.
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| A section of Bonneville Dam |
As far as I am concerned though, Columbia River
Falls would be one of the most refreshing, tranquil and serene places on
earth, had it not been for the hordes of tourists (including me and my party!) hiking
and riding to, enjoy this great gift to the state of Oregon.
Another scenic area within the Colombia River gorge,
is the scenic Bonneville Dam and Lock which is managed by the US
engineering corp. It generates electricity for some half million households and
security there is so tight that every vehicle is searched before being allowed
to enter the area.
During our visit, we could see Sea lions
hanging around in the river, waiting to gobble up the salmon and other fish
which are so prolific there. They have had to set traps for them, as each one
can eat its body weight in a day and some grow as large as 1000 lbs we were informed!
So, if they are
not tightly controlled, I guess the world would suffer from a severe salmon
shortage. |
| Sea lions visible underwater as they hunt fish |
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| A large sea lion |
I am happy I decided to take the out-of-town tour to
the gorge on my short stay in Oregon, for the trip did minimize the
disappointment I felt with the capital city, and has even inspired me to return
one day to and see a lot more of this
apparently beautiful State.
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