6/23/16 Stevenson, WA to Ontario, OR

Today, I slowly proceeded down US 14 on the northern side of the Columbia River. I stopped to take pictures at several places along the way. One of my stops was just a boat launch area, but it was beautiful and the train tracks were a crossed the street. Just as I got to the water’s edge a train came. It was perfect timing!  I hung out for a while longer, waiting for another train. It came from the other direction and I wasn’t really in the right spot, but still got some good shots. I ventured further along and came to a fish hatchery.  A very smart bird built it’s nest at one end.  She was less than happy that I discovered her nest and was photographing it. I jumped into my car a couple of time, because I thought she was going to dive bomb me. When I wasn’t jumping into the car, I was nearly continuously snapping photos of her. I was thankful that cameras are digital, as I was sure that most of the photos would be blurry. I was using a 500-1000 mm reflex lens. It is really hard to focus. I also shoot on manual, so settings have to be changed with fluctuations in light. When chasing a bird around in the sky, the light changes a lot. With all of that said, somehow I actually ended up with several shots that were better than good!

As I snapped away, I noticed the clouds to the west of me moving closer. It started sprinkling, so I ventured further down the road.

I stopped for lunch at a bistro in The Water’s Edge in the The Dalles. I had a wonderfully delicious sandwich.

I quick left due to the clouds and rain chasing me from the west. I ventured further down the road to the east. I was looking forward to going to Columbia Hills State Park.  I wanted to duplicate the shot in this website’s photo (http://adventureawaits.com/2013/04/discover-columbia-hills-state-park/). Unfortunately, there were too many clouds and Mt. Hood was not showing. I drove partially up the road into the park, but the rain had caught up with me.  I did a U-turn on the grated gravel road, snapped some pictures and then continued west out of the rain.

Further down US 14 to the west is a very interesting Veteran’s Memorial called Stonehenge. It of course is not the original Stonehenge as that is in the United Kingdom, but it is an interesting replica and is to honor military personnel that died in World War I.  The structure was completed and dedicated May 30, 1929.  It sits high on a cliff overlooking the Columbia River Gorge and is in impeccable condition considering it’s age. It is fascinating and well worth the drive down US -14.

From here I back tracked a very short distance east to the Sam Hill Memorial Bridge. This is one of the few bridges from US-14 in Washington to I-84 in Oregon. I quick jumped onto I-84, just as the sprinkles caught up with me again.

I-84 also runs along the Columbia River and offers beautiful views, trains and mountainous terrain. I continued on it until Ontario, OR which is very close to the Idaho border. It was a pleasant drive. I left the rain behind me, the sky was blue with beautiful white clouds. Traffic was fairly light and the truckers were driving the speed limit.

Overall a very nice, pleasant day 😀

Pictures will be available soon on Pinterest. www.pinterest.com/dmhall12345/travels-near-far-from-wa-to-fl/