THROUGH IDAHO, LAND OF THE NEZ PERCE

                Opting to take the smaller Highway 12 rather than Interstate 90, we found ourselves on the long winding road through the natural beauty and history of the Lewis and Clark Highway in Idaho.  This is the area where the Nez Perce people lived, hunted, gathered roots, camped and fished.  We drove along the Lochsa, Selway and Clearwater rivers, all part of the National Wild and Scenic River System.  This byway provides access to the Lewis and Clark trail in several areas.  We were pleased to find a beautiful campsite which even had an electrical hook up.

 

                We said goodbye to our short stay in Idaho and were disappointed with the change in scenery after entering Washington.  Where is all the fog, rain and lushness of Washington State?  Certainly not in the southeast portion.  Everything was brown and stark and it was very hot.  We passed through Walla Walla, briefly drove into Oregon, then passed over the Columbia River  back into Washington.  Fortunately we found a lovely campground on the river’s north bank.

         Little did we know that the exciting part of this adventure was ahead.

             

Stonehenge and brake problems

 

   We stopped at an art center to view a replica of Stonehenge and were headed to the museum when we discovered a problem with the braking system on the trailer.  With today’s technology, we got on line, found a Camping World 70 miles away and headed there.  Fortunately the brakes worked most of the time.  At Camping World just east of Portland we replaced the shorted-out part.

 In Camas,Washington we stayed with an old friend and his wife (Norm and Rita) for two nights.  They live in lovely Lacamas shores.

 

                                  Norm Haller

               After spending the night in a bedroom for a change, we headed out in the morning with Norm as our tour guide to see the sites of the Columbia Gorge.  Waterfalls dominate the scenic drive.  Of all we saw the Multnomah Falls were the most impressive.  It is the second tallest year-round falls in the nation plunging 620 feet from its origin on Larch Mountain.  We had lunch on the patio of a restaurant below the falls.  The area is lush green forest.  We also visited Latourell Falls and Bridal Veil Falls.

                               Multnomah Falls 

                Fascinating was a tour of the Bonneville Fish Hatchery which was built in 1909.  It raises millions of coho, steelhead, Chinook, trout and sturgeon.  There are underground windows which allow you to watch the fish trying to navigate ladders swimming upstream against the current.

In the Sturgeon Underground Viewing Room we saw Herman, a ten-foot long, 425 pound, 65 year old sturgeon!  We also visited the Bonneville Lock and Dam built in 1938.   It connects Washington and Oregon and is on the National Historic Register.

                              Bonneville Dam 

                                 Bonneville lock

                 The hatchery raises millions of steelhead. 

                After visiting several viewpoints and a rustic lodge, we headed back to Camas to get ready for dinner, one of the highlights of our trip!

_____________________________________________________________________________

ALL REFERENCES TO OUR DIPLOMAT EXPERIENCE HAS BEEN DELETED FROM THIS BLOG FOR PURPOSES OF NATIONAL SECURITY.. 

_____________________________________________________________________________

 

 

       We enjoyed one more night sleeping in a real bedroom and in the morning took off, trailer in tow.  It was time to head west along the Lewis and Clark Trail.  In the winter of 1805-6 Lewis and Clark and the Corps. of Discovery ended their 4,000 mile trek aross the newly acquired Louisiana Territory ending where the Columbia River meets the sea.  We visited Cape Disappointment, the furthest point westward that they reached.  We also toured Fort Clatsop and saw a replica of the fort they had built there and stopped in Seaside Oregon to photograph the statue marking the end of their trek.

 

                                  Sacagewea and her son

 

                                   Lewis and Clark Clapsop Fort

 

 

            Lewis and Clark End of the Expedition plaque base

 

 

 

 

                                                    End of the Expedition Statue

                                                    Seaside, Oregon               

We bid farewell to Lewis and Clark. 

 

 

       As we prepared to head south along the Oregon Coast we realized that after 6 weeks we would be homeward bound.  But we are not yet ready to end this adventure.  There is more ahead!