You see I-84 cut through this beautiful landscape, a shot taken from a hiking trail at Multnomah Falls, outside of Portland, Oregon. We took that interstate back west from Boise, Idaho after a nice few days with our friends. In the last entry we discussed our strolls through its downtown. To cap that wonderful day, we drove deep into Idaho City to a hot spring resort. Sorry, I do not have the name, shame on me. There are several in Idaho City. Ours had a giant swimming pool and a hot tub, all filled with natural source water. A blues quartet came out to play for awhile. You can rent a private bungalow with its own hot tub, if you wish. This was a much needed few hours of bliss. Later that night, we were back downtown for some dinner at Red Feather Lounge.
The next morning we were back on 84, Multnomah bound. One rest stop had some interesting bits of history about the old trail on which we were driving. Travel was far more perilous in earlier times.
We had a delicious brunch at the Oregon Trail Restaurant in Baker City along the way. Squirrels had their lunch right outside our window. The waitress knew them by name, telling us how one only had one eye. Smalltown life such as this has a great appeal to me, and hearing this lady describe such detail made me want to stay around there a little while.
At long last we made it to Multnomah Falls in the town of Bridal Veil. It is an expectedly tranquil, beautiful site. There is an historic Lodge and restaurant that dates back to the 1920s. The falls have two major drops, with a footbridge near the lower. We hiked to the upper - the trail was about a mile and a half each way. You reach a point at the apex where the breezes from the waterfall feel like natural air conditioning. You want to stay around awhile there too.
We were there on September 1st. On Sept. 2 a wildfire began along Eagle Creek Trail, pushed by winds toward the falls and the Lodge. I-84 was shut down in both directions around the site. Firefighters battled the blaze for days The flames had wrapped around the waterfall, heading for the Lodge. It was eventually contained, but the area is now closed to tourists for an indefinite amount of time. I read that over one million visit yearly. We were among them. We were there
one day before the fires (said to have started from a kid's firework) engulfed this beautiful area, with its winding trails and majestic cliffs. One day. Blows my mind. We were among the last to wander around this amazing place before the disaster. The Lodge has been saved, the water still rushes down. I wonder about that lovely trail we took and hope it hasn't been scorched beyond recognition. I realize that the vegetation and trees will grow back, but I look at these and many other pictures we took and feel I likewise have captured things that are now forever lost.
So yes, we flew out the next day. The night before, we stayed in a hotel near the airport and had pie at Shari's, a chain found also in California and Washington state. I was sad to leave Oregon, a place I could definitely see myself. Natural beauty all around, with hipster culture aplenty in Portland if you seek it. I'm glad I didn't know about the fires until after I was back home. The long plane ride back would've been even sadder. The entire trip was filled with awesome sights that have become sweet memories. I pray this view hasn't been tainted too much.
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