Cascade Locks, OR - Oct 2006

What a delightful spot Cascade Locks Marine Park turned out to be. This gem of a park built around the former river locks, consisted of a beautifully landscaped community park, a marina -- complete with a paddlewheel steamship, an RV section, a boat launch and the tranquil Thunder Island. The only downside was that the rv sites were within 50' of a very busy railroad track, but the park -- with it's wonderful views of the Columbia River -- was worth every train rumble and noisy whistle. In this photo, Thunder Island is in the center, the locks are to the right of the island and then the RV park is on the shoreline to the right of the locks.

The RV section was set at the end of the beautifully landscaped grounds and all our views were equally stunning -- to the north was the Columbia River and to the south was the gorgeous Columbia Gorge mountain range. On one side of us was a restored Victoria home that housed the Cascade Locks Marine Museum. Our patio was a grassy lawn shaded by huge pines. We enjoyed this spot so much, we stayed for 10 days. One day this for-hire, cruise yacht landed and the guests disembarked and went on a bus tour of the area. Look at the massive size of this boat compared to our tiny land yachts.

The grounds were spectacular -- lots of green grass, trees and flowers and views to die for. For most of the week we were the only two RVs in the park and practically had the place to ourselves. It was nice to have so much room to roam about and take the doggies for walks. The weather was darned near perfect -- here are Gracie, George and Yoshi enjoying a walk in the park. I think this was in our top 3 favorite places in Oregon.

The marina featured a large, paddlewheeler that offered cruises day and night. We never did get around to going out on the boat, but enjoyed watching it as it toured the river. It was especially pretty at night when it was all lit up and cruising by the campground.

As the sun came up each morning it would light up the mountains on the opposite side of the river (in Washinton state) -- beginning at the very peak, the mountains would be highlighted in deep pink tones and as the sun rose, the mountains would change from rose to pink to gold -- ever so pretty!

The gorgeous bridge that spans this part of the Columbia River is called the Bridge of the Gods. Driving over it was a tummy lurching experience as the roadway is made of steel grates and you can look down and see right through it to the river below.

This is the story of the origin of the name: Scientists believe that about 1,000 years ago, a giant landslide from the north shore of the Columbia River blocked the Gorge and stopped the river's flow. This natural dam created an inland sea in eastern Oregon, Washington, and into Idaho. Over time, water eroded the dam and created an awesome natural stone bridge. Eventually, this bridge fell, creating the Cascade rapids.

Native American legend also speaks of the creation and destruction of this natural bridge. The People of the Columbia River had great difficulty crossing the Columbia River. Manito, the Great Spirit, was sympathetic and build a stone bridge for them. Over time, the People began to fear that the bridge would wash away, and they appealed to the Great Spirit. Manito agreed to protect the bridge, and the grateful People gave it a new name, the Bridge of the Gods.