August 30, Astoria, OR

Yesterday we went downtown Portland to Powell's "City of Books" store. It encompasses an entire city block and is 3 stories tall. Do they ever have books!

As we left our motel this morning, I noticed a brochure for a fabric shop. Since it was almost on our way out of town we stopped. I think I died and went to Heaven! The name is Fabric Depot and they advertise over 1 1/2 acres of fabric. It has 11,000 bolts of quilt fabric, 2,000 home decorator fabrics, plus fashion & bridal fabrics, notions, craft and yarn. They also carry speaker cloth, billiard cloth, sliver cloth, and on and on. It is also online at www.fabricdepot.com. They say they have more than 175 colors of Kona cotton solids and 800 Bali batik cottons. What a place! Yes, I just had to buy something. I got 6 different 30s and 40s replica fabric for my Cathedral Window quilt.

We saw 2 different bridges that were being painted. They have a metal flooring between the workers and the traffic on the bridge. Above is how they encase the entire thing so no scraping of old paint or new paint will get onto traffic. It also protects the workers from the strong winds.

This shows how large the spruce trees are in Astoria, OR. They said that they make excellent boats and the Indians used them for everything from clothing to boats to ropes.

This is a reconstruction of Fort Clatsop near Astoria, OR where the Lewis and Clark expedition spent the winter of 1805-1806. It was very small but it was dry!

This ocean going ship is being pushed by a tiny tugboat. Does anyone remember the book, "Scuffy, the Tug Boat?"

 Here the ship goes under the bridge out into the Pacific Ocean.

The Astoria Column stands on a hill and has 164 steps to the observation deck at the top. We  climbed them and they were a piece of cake compared to the mile and a quarter hike to the top of the falls. All the pictures taken from a high point were taken from here.










This is the Astoria-Megler Bridge across the Columbia River. It is 4/1 miles long and contains the longest continuous three-span through-truss in the world.It opened in August 1966. Money was given for the bridge but the Oregon/Washington agreement stipulated it would be a toll bridge with the toll being eliminated if it ever paid for itself. The "Bridge to Nowhere" did pay for itself, 2 years early and the toll was eliminated. What an unbelievable story.

  

August 29, At the end of the Trail

We were tired today so didn't do much. We probably only walked about 3 miles - all level!!!!!

We started out at Fort Vancouver, WA. This started out as a Hudson's Bay Company fort which was not built for military reasons but to be a place to securely store furs and to have provisions for the trappers who brought in their furs. HBC was a British company and Britain claimed all the land north down to the Columbia River and built Fort Vancouver 100 miles up from the Pacific in an attempt to establish themselves in the area in order to keep the Americans out. It was built in 1825 and in 1846 the two countries agreed to the 49th parallel to divide the land. At this time, new emigrants began to cross the Columbia and settle there also. HBC left in 1860. The US military eventually built a fort for military purposes on the land where the HBC's fort stood.

The Hudson's Bay Company's Fort Vancouver.

Ed at the end of the Trail. Oregon City, OR.

Me at trails end.

This is the Willamette Falls in Oregon City, OR. About every 3 years, they drain the water so they can make repairs. Guess when they did that! The local woman who was there said that the falls are usually a huge U-shape and very beautiful. I guess you can't win them all.

August 28

This was another day that we couldn't follow the trail because there is no road near the trail so we followed the Columbia River. It is a magnificent river. We started out on I-84 then found Historic Old US 30 and decided to follow it. Thank goodness.

This is the first of the falls that we visited. It is called Horsetail Falls. It was very tall and very nice and it made a nice stop.

This spectacular falls is called Multnomah Falls. It is very, very tall and is a major tourist stop. We saw more people here than we have seen in all the other stops on the entire trip. It is about 1/4 mile up to the bridge which makes a nice view of the upper falls and the lower falls. We went there then decided to "walk" to the top of the falls. It was 1 1/4 miles up, straight up (read that: straight up). We walked straight up 1 mile with 8 switchbacks then down 1/4 mile with another 3 switchbacks to reach the top. We didn't think to see how long it took us to climb up but it took 40 minutes to walk down. Like Ed said, the signs at the bottom didn't tell you that the trail was made for mountain goats. We got our cardiovascular workout for the week done!

The top of the falls has just a small pond with a small to moderate amount of water flowing down. It is incomprehensible how such a small amount of water can make such a large, loud falls. It was beautiful from every level.

This is a view looking north across the Columbia River at Multnomah Falls.

This is looking down on the water as it leaves at the top of the waterfall. At Multnomah Falls.













The picture below is from the top looking down onto the bridge and farther down, the parking lot.

This is Bridal Veil Falls and required only about 1 1/2 miles of walking, slow walking!

This is another view of the Columbia River looking east with Washington state on the left and Oregon on the right. You can see that the Cascade Mountains are covered with many pine and fir trees.









We ended the day with finding fresh bing cherries and peaches at a roadside stand. Very delicious!

August 27

We spent the night in downtown Pendleton, OR. We walked around and found a small cafe for dinner then found a place where they had live music outside. This morning we started with a tour of the Pendleton Woolen Mills which was begun here in 1903. They had a regular retail store and an outlet store. We decided we couldn't afford either of them. Much of their stuff is made in China.

We went into a downtown store called Hamley & Co. which sells all things cowboy - clothes, saddles, whips, boots, ropes and even cowboy bronze sculpture. They had this saddle which has been appraised at $150,000 but they will sell for $110,000. It is sterling silver and 24 karat gold. It was made in 1950 and is one of only 4 that were made.

This is the tin ceiling at Hamley's and note the antique ceiling fans. The blades are very small and there were 3 of them run with pulleys by one motor. It reminds me of Stout's Shoe store on Massachusetts Ave. in downtown Indianapolis with the shoe carriers on the ceiling.

This was our first good look at the Columbia River. All sources tell of how large it was and how strong the currents were but neither of us really realized how wide it is. It no longer runs so fast because it has been dammed in several places.

Just on this side of the bridge at The Dalles, OR is where the Celilo Falls were. The Native Americans caught much Salmon there and Lewis and Clark and many others talked about the huge falls. With a dam that was put in the river in 1957, the falls are covered with water.

Is the river beautiful or what!

This is across from our motel tonight in Stevenson, WA. We are now in the Cascade Mountains and as you can see there are now forests on the mountains. The humidity is back because when we walked downtown tonight it was 75 degrees and it felt chilly. You can also see the haze that covered the area.

 You don't see barges loaded with logs going down the Ohio River! We drove by several tree farms today.

Sarah, we saw a lot of sweat peas blooming around downtown this evening.











We couldn't follow the trail today because no roads have been built when they went. Around Blalock, OR there were signs on the interstate reminding semi trucks that, by law, they must carry chains on their trucks from November 1 until April 1.

Another store that I stumbled upon this morning before we left was the quilt store, Pendleton Quilt Works. They had a quilt hanging that I really would like to make and I asked if they had a pattern for it. She said yes and that the pattern was on the Fall/Winter 2012 issue of Better Homes and Gardens, "Quilt Sampler." They are listed as a Top 10 quilt shop in the US. I was pretty impressed!

August 26

Today we saw our first apple orchards, potatoes and onions from Pendleton, Oregon to Walla Walla, Washington. We did laundry and I was working on my cathedral window quilt when a man stopped to tell me about his grandmother who used to quilt. He said he got quilts, pillows and other things for Christmas and still has all the quilts.

We started out at an Interpretive Center in College Place, WA, a "suburb" of Walla Walla, WA.

Here are pouches that were used to carry gold dust that was mined near Walla Walla.

 This was a water wagon which was used to carry water to the steam threshing machines. The equipment in the Museum in College Place, near Walla Walla had much equipment that we have never seen. They farm in a much different way than in Indiana. Very interesting.

 This was a 33-mule team pulling a machine that cut, threshed and bagged wheat. The header on the machine was 12' which is far larger than anything used in Indiana at that time. Again, we had never seen anything that used the 33-mule team. Only in the Borax ads and commercials have I seen them.

This is the interior of a sheep herder's wagon. They would stay out with the sheep. A lot of sheep were raised around here.

Poor Pop is in jail again. This time it is the Washington Territorial Prison in 1886. The prison cells looked a lot like the ones at Alcatraz in San Francisco which opened in 1903.








This is the cook's wagon that was used to take to the fields when they were threshing wheat. It is amazing that enough food for 50 or so men could be cooked, from scratch, in this. I can't imagine how hot it must have been inside it. At home when I was 6 or 7, I would go with my mother to my grandparent's farm when the threshing crew was there. Mom and several of the neighbor women would help cook for the crew. The women would go from house to house with their husbands and help cook at each farm while the men helped thresh. I got to ride in a pony cart with an older boy to take water out to the men in glass jugs. I remember one time that some how a jug got broken and the boy got into trouble for it.

This was called a push header that was used near Walla Walla. The horses were behind the header but harnessed so they pulled on the harness but "pushed" because they were behind it. The wagons behind it are really different too. They followed the cutter and the wheat was piled into them then the wagon would go to the thresher.





We went to the Whitman Mission. Marcus and Narcissa Whitman started a mission for the Indians then it also became a stopping point for weary emigrants. On one wagon train both the mother and father of 7 small children were killed. Others looked after them until they got to the Whitman Mission where they left the children. The Whitman's then adopted them. The mission was located in the grassy area with a very small grist mill by the pond. He made canals so he could irrigate crops.

August 25

At Twin Falls, ID where we stayed last night, the elevation is down to 3,745'. We saw green beans and potatoes growing here. We are also beginning to see corn fields again. There have been many wheat fields and we are seeing wheat piled up outside like you see corn in Indiana.

We had to have the car washed because of the soda (mineral) water that got on it yesterday. We went to Rocket Express which they claim is the worlds longest and fastest car wash. Whether or not it is, it did a very good job.

This is a gorgeous waterfall and we were lucky to have the sun at the right angle and see a rainbow. This is the Shoshone Falls just east of Twin Falls, ID.

 This is the Snake River Canyon by the falls. This is where Evel Kenevel jumped the canyon on his motorcycle. That man was totally insane! This is a beautiful area. We spent much more time here looking at the canyon and falls than we thought we would. Ed saw cliff swallows here.

Here we are!











Up river about 5 miles from here are the Twin Falls. A problem is that one of the falls has dried up since they named them and the town. The falls there are much smaller than these. There are two dams there that are used to collect water for irrigation more than for use as electricity. They irrigate 110 miles of canals and irrigate 161,000 acres of land. At times there is not much water left to go down river but there are many springs and tributaries that flow into the Snake River downriver.

This is the Perrine Bridge over the Snake River at Twin Falls. We came into town over it and didn't realize how it was built or what it looked like. I saw a postcard of it at the motel and asked where the bridge was.

We have seen several semis pulling a second trailer throughout Idaho and Oregon. Today we saw one that was a semi loaded with the huge rectangular bales of hay pulling two more trailers.

These burned fields were east of Baker City, ID where we drove for miles and miles seeing this. We were told that the fire had destroyed 15,000 acres and was still burning. The sky had been very hazy all morning. It had burned up to the parking lot of a motel where we stopped. About all that is on the land is the few tufts of dry grass and a few sagebrush. It hardly seems that it would be enough to burn so hot and so far. I wonder if sandy soil burns hotter than our soil?



At Baker City, ID the emigrants left this type country and were looking at the Blue Mountains. Those are more like the Smokey Mountains with a lot of trees, almost all Douglas Fir and pine trees, food, water,etc. The major problem for those who went first in 1843 was that there were no roads or trails to follow so they had to chop down trees to get through. They had a lot of trouble with that because their axes were very dull by then and they had nothing to sharpen them with. The trees started at La Grand.

We saw a gigantic building in Boise, ID that was a Mircron plant. Think the size of Warner Gear except 3 stories high.

We also crossed the 45th parallel where we were halfway between the Equator and the North Pole. It was 17 miles west of Baker City.

Coming down to get to Pendleton, ID we went on a stretch of highway that was 6 miles in length with a grade of 6%. Thank goodness we were going down. Think of the wagons trying to go down that! They probably had a slightly different route but it would have been similar.

Sorry to be so late but the motel internet wouldn't allow me to download pictures.

August 24

Wyoming and Idaho have had the thickest and tallest alfalfa ever. It is all irrigated. I don't know if that is the only reason or if part of it is the altitude. Here in Idaho they have had many, very large fields of wheat with a little oats. They are just beginning to combine it. They must have a very short growing season. We saw a small field of corn for the first time since middle Nebraska.

Ever since middle Nebraska we have seen very, very few baseball or softball diamonds but we have seen a lot of places for rodeos.

Several years ago we came down through the Bitterroot Mountains and stopped at a small cafe where they had huckleberry pie. We had not had anything with huckleberries in it so I got one. It was so very delicious. In Soda Springs, ID they had huckleberry ice cream so we had to get a cone. It too was very delicious. I splurged and had about 8 bites. YUM!!!!

This geyser at Soda Springs, ID is the only man made geyser in the world. It was discovered when they were drilling for water and hit it. They put something on it so it now spouts every hour. The emigrants stopped at Soda Springs and many diaries mentioned the taste of the water. The water was bottled and sold in the early 1900s.

Girls, How would you like a dress, boa, hat and purse like this? It was all white and very pretty.

This is Sheep Rock just west of Soda Springs. Many commented on this also. There was no way they could get their animals down to drink from the river so they had to take them elsewhere or carry buckets of water up for the oxen and horses.









We followed the path of the emigrants closely all day. It was amazingly flat through Idaho from Montpelier to Idaho Falls. It is still very, very dry but they irrigated most of the way.

August 23, Fort Bridger, WY

We just read that the 2 guys who held 4 people hostage at the Super 8 had a suitcase full of drugs, several guns, wads of money "rolled up like in the movies" and were high on meth. One killed himself and the other was taken to jail uninjured. None of the hostages were injured, just scared.

Today we saw several antelope along the roads and we saw cattle next to the road in one place. We also saw trail ruts in two more places.

Kids, we saw a wild animal today and I got a close-up picture of it. The picture is a little later. See if you can find the wild animal.

Sarah, this is what the ground and mountains look like when there is no rain or water. They can't grow corn or beans or anything else. A few cows are in the fields but they just have to eat the dry sagebrush. We also drove all day today and didn't see a Wendy's or McDonald's or anything like it. Just like yesterday.

This is what the land looks like down in the valley where there is a small river with water. The ranchers have to irrigate their fields. Irrigating is putting water through pipes out into the field to water the crops. It is kind of like watering our garden with the hose.

Just scenery.














Here is where, in 1825, the mountain men (fur trappers) held their first rendezvous. There were about 800 people there, half of whom were women and children. It started as a time for trappers to get needed supplies and sell their furs without going to St. Louis. Later it then included testing of skills, time to swap stories, and talk with old and new friends. They kept having a rendezvous until 1840 when beaver furs were no longer in demand. There are now re-creations.

This is the first that we have seen braille beside the printed information in any state or federal historical site. This was at Fort Bridger, WY which is a state historic site.

Here is another quilt.

 Girls, would you like a bear skin rug like this in your room? Maybe we could find one for you.

Another quilt.

Here is the wild animal! Have you ever seen one like it?

This is the first red work that I have seen. There has been some embroidery but none of this.

Mandy, if you are reading this, I thought of you today. If I recall, archeology is one of the 5 areas of anthropology.

This is all that is left of the original Fort Bridger, WY.

This is one of the two buildings in the recreated Bridger trading post. The other building was smaller and is where Bridger lived. The area to the right was a corral where the cattle and horses were put at night so they didn't wander away or get stolen.

Here is the outside of the post which was surrounded by a stockade for protection from Indians.

This is the first that we have seen a live bear trap. It is from 1900. I wouldn't want to be the person who took him out of it.

Here is Bear Lake which is in southeastern Idaho. It is the  most blue lake I think I have seen.

Another view of Bear Lake. We are staying in Montpelier, ID tonight. It is just northwest of Bear Lake. The Oregon Trail went right through here. It went to the north of Bear Lake and our road went to the south of the lake.

We drove down from the top left of the picture through a gorge or split that you can see, to the lake edge. It was very winding with some right turns and a 6% grade.