Time for a Break

Our week started at Cascade Locks / East Portland KOA Holiday in Cascade Locks, OR. Located just across the Columbia River from Washington, the city bills itself as the Heart of the Cascades. This makes sense since it is in the middle of the Columbia River Gorge, and the gorge runs through the middle of the Cascade Range. We enjoyed our time in Cascade Locks, so named because it was the site of the first locks built on the Columbia River to avoid a portage around the rapids. It is an old city whose fortunes have varied with the fur trade, the lumber trade, fishing, and tourism. 

Speaking of the rapids, these were the result of the gods building a bridge across the Columbia River roughly 700 years ago. The north side of the river is made up of packed ash and other erodible materials. Occasionally, the cliffs give way and tear off a piece of the mountain. Native storytellers speak of when a sizable part of the mountain slid down and completely blocked the river. They called this new way across the river “The Bridge of the Gods.” Eventually, the river found a path through the slide, forming the rapids. The native people learned to navigate through or portage around the rapids. The fish made their way through to spawn in the creeks above the rapids. Fur Trappers for Hudson Bay Company followed the lead of the native people. But as the greed for furs grew in Europe, a lock was built to allow river boats to bypass the rapids and save time and money. Thus, the locks were built, and the small community was named. 

 

In time, the value of the resources increased, and the river needed to accommodate larger vessels. The City of Portland was also growing and needed more electric power, which required the building of hydroelectric dams. The first dam for the Columbia River system was built just a few miles downriver from Cascade Locks. Bonneville Dam powered Portland and drowned the rapids at Cascade Lock. A lock was constructed at the dam that would allow ships upriver. The dam was extended as development increased, and a second, even larger lock was made. Unfortunately, the dam cut off the river for the Salmon and other fish that used the river as a path to their spawning grounds. It also drowned the traditional fishing area of the Chinook Indians. It led to their displacement from the land they had inhabited for thousands of years. The Federal Government built a large fish ladder to enable the fish to find their way around the dam. The ladder is also an opportunity to count the number and species of fish that are using the ladder. Unfortunately, one species does not utilize the ladder, the Columbia River Sturgeon. These are struggling with the loss of habitat. The over-fishing of the river has led to a smaller and smaller catch. Still, conservation efforts continue, and the fish are now being shared with the natives who have relied on them for centuries. The USA is giving back the fish we have taken from them over the last hundred years. Small efforts are assuaging a colossal injustice.

 

Bucket Lists help us keep track of unique places and experiences we want to see and do. Some folks have formal bucket lists and plans for visiting them. Others of us have general ideas of places and events that we hope to see in the future. But generally, these lists carry expectations, and this is the problem for me. This is Multnomah Falls along the Columbia River Gorge. It has been on my bucket list for years. 

 

I remember the feeling I had when I saw my first bucket list place, the Grand Canyon. I was overwhelmed by the experience. I had expected a big hole in the ground, but the majesty and breadth of the canyon were so much more. I was in awe. I had a different experience in Multnomah Falls. They were just as I had pictured them from a lifetime of seeing pictures. But the bridge was not as high as I expected. The sound was not as loud as I had anticipated. It did not fill me with the awe and wonder I had hoped for in the experience. They were more impressive than the other falls but were no “Grand Canyon.” I need to sort my own bucket list a bit differently. The Grand Canyon was a “WOW!!!”  Multnomah was a “Yep, that’s it!” I am glad we saw the falls, but I will not need to return. The Grand Canyon? That is a different story!

 

The Columbia River Gorge is lined with countless streams of life that flow over the rim. This is Bridal Veil Falls Creek, just below the falls that tumble from the shoulder of Larch Mountain. It. Like the other creeks, it is fed by snowmelt and springs that trickle through the porous volcanic ash and then pool along faults in the solid basalt that make up the core of the Cascades. Life flourishes because of these life-giving streams. The flowing water creates the soils that surround them. They make sand that offers nesting materials for all kinds of aquatic life. They form highways for creatures to leave their nests to explore the oceans and a route home to complete their lives in the spawning grounds upstream. They feed the struggling souls of travelers who sit and listen to their music and become entranced by the dancing waters. They offer life-giving water to the thirsty, shelter to the homeless, and refreshment to the weary and worn. May we all take the time to be restored by the streams of life that flow through the chasms of our daily journeys.

 

After a week of exploring and enjoying the Columbia River Gorge, it was time to move on. We drove three hours to Sun Outdoors Gig Harbor in Gig Harbor, WA. We planned to stop for lunch at a rest area along the way, but unfortunately, it was closed. We wandered on. We found a truck wash up the road and pulled in to give Koko and Nakai much-needed baths.  While the workers cleaned, we munched on chicken strips we picked up at the last gas stop. We arrived at the campground and were delighted to find another tree-shaded site that would be the perfect respite from long weeks of travel and sightseeing. Gig Harbor has just enough to offer to keep us happy, but not so much that it would overwhelm our desire to explore. We were looking forward to a relaxing and refreshing week.

 

 

We walked down to the harbor front for the weekly Farmer's Market. While there, I learned a bit about Gig Harbor. It is named after a fishing boat Captain who landed his gig, a small boat, in a sheltered harbor of the sound. From that day on, it was referred to as the harbor where the Captain landed his gig. The first venture into the port was followed by immigrants from Scandinavia and Northern Europe who brought their skills at fishing with them. They were not unlike our modern-day immigrants from Mexico and Central / South America. They came with a desire to provide a good life for their families. They were not afraid of hard work and expected nothing but an opportunity. These working-class immigrants spoke a different language and formed tight-knit communities away from the Anglo majority. They maintained as much of their culture as possible to preserve the ties to family and friends left behind. They took pride in their culture and wanted their children and grandchildren to share that pride. They were objects of suspicion, fear, and discrimination from Anglos, who had forgotten their immigrant roots. But these hardy souls persevered and, with hard work and deep reservoirs of faith, founded a community and made a life for themselves and generations to come. I celebrate these brave women and men and offer this ode to all working-class immigrants like the statue pictured above. Welcome; we are a better society because of you.

 

This is the path to Bridal Falls, and it symbolizes what our wandering lives are all about. It is a switchback on the trail that allows us to drop down to the base of the falls without having to fight a steep grade. It is not the shortest way and, in fact, can feel like we are wandering around in the forest. But it offers the safest way to get to places that ordinarily require ropes and hiking apparel. Instead, the journey becomes a long but pleasant walk in the woods. Wandering is not a very efficient way of traveling. Some would say we are wasting time with our way of traveling and could see a whole lot more if we streamlined our travel habits. These folks are correct. We spent many years traveling more efficiently. But travel is tiring. And hurrying up and down paths like the one above takes a lot out of us. Now that we have the time, we are not wasting time. We are investing it in seeing and experiencing life. I hope all my friends will have the opportunity to invest their time well and discover that life has so much to offer if we find the wandering paths down the steep slopes of life. With luck, you can dip your toes in life's cool, refreshing waters.

 

As I bring this week to a close, we are nearly halfway through our 2023 trip. We have been on the road for 3 ½ months and hope to return to Central Texas in 4 months. It is time for a break from touristing! Our last change in plans has brought us to a lovely community with few touristy enticements. Therefore, we will be wandering through our week. Our plans? I downloaded the first book of a new Sci-Fi series. I have this weekly blog and my journal. Koko and Nakai always need some TLC. Facebook and Zoom connect us with friends far and near. There are naps to be taken and sunshine to be soaked up. We have a few days to enjoy the gift of our wandering life, free from the distractions of things to do and places to go.

 

Later in the week, we will head out to the Olympic Peninsula / Port Angeles KOA Journey in Port Angeles, WA. Touristing will resume as we cruise to see some Orca and hopefully some of the elusive Puffins. We will have sandy spits to walk and mountains to drive. There is a rainforest to explore and many other yet unknown adventures awaiting us. We rest while we can and look forward to resuming our wandering ways.

 

Glad you are along for the ride.

 

Bob