Dan and Laura's Travels

The Dalles and Maryhill State Park

After hunting for Multnomah Falls, we headed up the 84. In a short time, the lush green forest became the yellow hills that signaled we had reached the desert. The sky cleared and the temperature was a wonderful 76. The landscape is covered in vesicular basalt (lava), and the result are some stunning cliff formations.

We wisely chose to stay on the Oregon side of the river, and could see the 14 and the climb those travelers were forced to make while we were on a nice 4 lane hwy.

We stopped at Cascade Lock and bought fresh Salmon from a roadside vendor.. they were from the local reservation and Dan believes that at this time of year, they are the only ones allowed to fish for salmon.

We headed east and stopped at the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center. A beautiful building with interactive displays dedicated to Lewis and Clark (naturally) and the history of the area.

We made it to our campground at 4pm. It’s a great spot and we plan to make this a destination next year. The campground is composed of vast lawns and ponderosa pine, with some large shade trees and is right next to the river. The wind here howls and we got to see some windsurfers and para-surfing..

Within the park grounds, at the top of a hill, is Stonehenge. It was built by the original owner of the land, Samuel Hill, for his wife Mary (thus the Maryhill name). I imagine that the locals in 1911 when he finished exclaimed “What in Sam Hill is that thing!!?” May very well be the origin of that saying!

There are also a ton of fruit stands and groves of peach trees! We plan to stop at a stand and grab some fresh peaches before heading south.

Next stop, Bend!