The Columbia River Gorge

The Columbia River Gorge

This is the gorge in the state of Oregon, USA, that the famed Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804-1806) came through.  Theirs was the first transcontinental expedition to the Pacific Coast of the United States.  Lewis and Clark eventually ended up at the Pacific Ocean, about 100 miles west of this point.

An Artist's Depiction of Lewis and Clark

President Thomas Jefferson was considering buying this land at the time and the team returned to tell the President that it was a good investment.  They cautioned that it was a little wild compared to the Blue Ridge Mountains that Mr. Jefferson was familiar with.  They were also a bit chagrined that they hadn't found the northwest passage they were looking for.  However, they assured the president that there were lots of timber and beavers to be found there!

An Oregon Beaver
Isn't he adorable?

Today Oregon is known as the Beaver State.

Later, settlers came in covered wagons to settle along the Willamette River Valley, where there was excellent fertile land for farming.

All I can say is I'm glad cars were invented before my time
so I could travel these trails in comfort!  Yes, I am a wimp.

My friend Desiree, our Oregon Correspondent, took the Columbia River Gorge photo last weekend.  She writes, "I drove to the vista where you can see the entrance to the Columbia River Gorge (looking east).  It's only ten miles from my home.  It's magnificent!"

(She added that it was a bit smoky the day she took the photo because of the fire on the east side of the mountains. I don't think it ruins the spectacular view at all!)

Thanks, Desiree, for sharing your beautiful corner of the world with us!