Greetings from Bothell: A Fraught Final Day, but the Waterfalls are Lovely!

Despite everything (well, a few things) conspiring against us, we are home safe from our trip. Alas, Ape Cave and other attractions on the south side of Mount St. Helens were not to be. The weather worsened to the point where the clouds were tickling the tops of even the lower hills, which meant we’d be in rain and fog the whole way if we attempted to make it up the mountain. So we headed for the Columbia River Gorge, which B has never seen. That’s a place that can be done in foul weather. It’s still pretty, see?

Image looks over the Columbia River and its enormous gorge. The Vista House, a round building, is visible atop a jutting tower of basalt in the near distance. The sky is heavy with clouds, which are cutting off the tops of the higher hills.
The Columbia River Gorge from the Portland State Women’s Forum Scenic Viewpoint aka Chanticleer Point.

Fun fact: that building you see there, the one like a little dot atop that tall basalt point, would’ve been underwater during the Missoula Floods. Wowza.

Even on a rainy off-season Saturday, the place was packed. It seemed like everyone in the Pacific Northwest was visiting. I did manage to catch a shot of the Vista House on Crown Point without a bunch of people, because they were all either inside or on the other side of the balcony for a few seconds.

Image shows a hexagonal building with two tiers. Narrow stained glass windows nearly as tall as each storey make it impossible to see the nine trillion people inside.
Vista House

This is the first time I’ve ever been to Crown Point when that building was open, so B and I zipped inside, took the stairs, and enjoyed the view from the balcony. I’ll show you it in a future post. It’s pretty similar to the previous view, only Vista House isn’t in it.

We couldn’t stop at Latourell Falls because there were no parking spaces left, but we got one at Wahkeena Falls, which I’ve never actually visited. You can ogle them from the viewpoint below, and then, if you wish, hike up a little ways and view the upper tier. We wished, so we did, and here I am with them.

Image shows me standing beside a basalt cliff on the right, with the falls falling to the left.
Moi at Wahkeena Falls.

You can actually hike the short distance to Multnomah Falls from there, and B and I planned to, but he slipped on slippery rocks just after this picture was taken, and went down hard. Fortunately, nothing’s broken, and all he got were a few scrapes, bruises, and a lot of mud, but it was enough to nix any more hiking for the day. We went to Multnomah Falls so he could clean up at their facilities, and then we did take a quick look at the falls, which are spectacular.

Image shows the two tall, thin tiers of Multnomah Falls plunging over basalt. There's a stone arch bridge between the tiers.
Multnomah Falls.

There were far too many people in the way to get a good shot, though. You can see the tops of their heads if you look at the bottom.

We headed up onto the bridge, as B was recovered enough for a little light walking. I was able to get a challenge picture for you! Your mission, if you choose to accept it, is to find the umbrella in this photo:

Image shows the terrace below Upper Multnomah Falls, and the creek wending its way along. To the right, the sheer cliffs of basalt rise, topped with lush greenery. To the left is a screen of trees, and the walkways filled with people. A sad, lost umbrella is somewhere in this picture...
A little lost umbrella is somewhere in this photo.

I’ll show you it tomorrow, as long as I’m not comatose. So tired…

We got a few more from the bridge, then headed home. We almost didn’t make it, because near Chehalis, some asshole in a very loud car decided she wanted to be in our lane, where we were, going 70 miles an hour on the freeway. She came out of nowhere, accelerating hard, and nearly took the front off my car. I had to brake hard to give her enough room, and for a few seconds, it looked like we were all going into the jersey barriers. We’re lucky the cars crowded around us didn’t hit or get hit by either of us. She sped off, not even having glanced our way, and then zipped over into the slow lanes after a mile or so and dawdled. I have no idea why she was in such a hurry for that short distance, and why I was invisible to her, but since we now had a chance to safely catch her up and get a license plate, we followed her when she exited. B snapped this picture, which I now share for public shaming purposes. If you live in southwestern Washington and know who this car belongs to, please inform her that she almost caused a multi-car wreck with possible fatalities, and she may wish to take a defensive driving course.

Image shows a dark blue Lincoln of some sort with dual exaust and a spoiler. WA license #ATN6376.
The asshole who nearly wrecked us.

We didn’t call the police only because she didn’t seem to be driving drunk. Perhaps her friend had alerted her to her near-massacre, because she drove quite sensibly afterward. Still.

So that was more excitement than we wanted out of today, and not at all the good kind. But the rest of the trip went smoothly, and we have a ton of excellent material for you. The kitties at both houses are alive, well, and thrilled to see us. Misha actually ate nearly all of the treats and dry food I put out and seems to have gained a few ounces, so I’m very happy with that. She howled and howled until I gave her some tuna, and is now curled up beside me, being totes adorbs. She will help me get pictures organized and stuff written up. We’ve got the 35th anniversary of the May 18th eruption on Monday, so I need to get you guys something nice for the occasion. In the meantime, if you’re looking for the series to date, here ’tis. A reader tells me the links at SciAm are completely borked, so please read it here whilst that gets resolved.

I am now going to go relax with my kitty. Have a wonderful rest of your weekend, my darlings!

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Greetings from Bothell: A Fraught Final Day, but the Waterfalls are Lovely!
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3 thoughts on “Greetings from Bothell: A Fraught Final Day, but the Waterfalls are Lovely!

  1. 1

    The gorge is awesome indeed. Every time we drive it I tell myself we’ve got to do the Washington side one of these days. Still never have.

    In addition to driving it, we’ve also done it by cruise boat and train!

  2. 2

    Glad you are safe. Maybe I’m getting old and cranky (OK, OK, I am getting old and cranky), but it seems like there are more incompetent and/or clueless drivers these days.
    The gorge is indeed (ahem) gorgeous. Multnomah Falls is especially spectacular. I don’t think I got to Wahkeena Falls, but it looks nice, too.
    I did find the umbrella, but I don’t want to spoil it for others.
    Also, just to tempt you, Michigan’s Upper Peninsula has a shitload of waterfalls, mostly small, but still pretty cool.

  3. rq
    3

    I had to do a double-take on that river valley, as it looks awfully similar to the local one we recently toured. :D At least from that angle. Once you showed the waterfalls, I knew that wasn’t Latvia. :D
    So pretty, though. I love the bridge, I bet the view is spectacular from it.
    And glad you’re safe! Boo for careless drivers. >:(

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