Three Trips In A Week

Three times this week I have driven up the Columbia River Gorge. It started with a spur of the moment trip last Friday...just my husband and our youngest who was home recovering from a cold. Paul walked into the room and announced, "I thought we'd drive up the gorge today; maybe take some pictures." It was a glorious day, with a stunning blue sky and temperatures perfect for jeans and a t-shirt. Can you ask for anything more? Maybe a cup of coffee for the drive, you say? Yeah. He provided that, too. He IS pretty great. Try not to be too jealous :)


The next trip we made as a family on Sunday. The forecast showed rain coming in for the majority of the week, so we thought we should go and maybe get a couple photos of all of us while the weather was still lovely. It wasn't quite the perfection of the previous trip (there was some sibling rivalry in the car and multiple rest area stops) but it is good to be out all together, and you can't help but appreciate God's beautiful creation in that little piece of the world.
My final trip was made today, in a school bus. Yep. Just so happens that Emily's class had a pre-scheduled field trip to Bonneville Dam and Fish Hatchery...in the heart of the Columbia River Gorge. It was a forty-five minute ride on the Washington side to the visitor center where we watched the salmon swim up the fish ladders, learned about hydro-electricity, and the history of the surrounding area. Then we boarded the bus, crossed over the Bridge of the Gods to the Oregon side, explored the fish hatchery, and enjoyed a one-hour ride home.

Three times is a lot in one week, but I can't take the sights for granted. The gorge is glorious in sun, rain, or fog; through a camera lens, a car window, and even the back seat of a school bus! I couldn't help but notice that autumn is creeping in, and already the leaves are beginning to change. It happens so quickly...there were no signs of it a few days ago. And crazy woman that I am, I began to plan in my mind when I should come again in order to enjoy autumn in all its splendor.