June 10, 11
This will be the last post in this series as we are now heading for home, but with a few important stops yet to go. We had lunch in a small town of Connell, WA and there were several buildings that had interesting murals. I thought this one was one of the best because it shows the wheat harvesting equipment using horses.
The covered bridge was over a small stream near the main road with a parking lot nearby. We headed west along the Columbia River on the Oregon side of the river. We were able to go into the visitor center at the Bonneville dam. In addition to the hydroelectric power, we also saw viewing ports to see how the fish swam up river using the fish ladder. This is to enable the fish to gradually climb the height of the dam and go around it in small steps.
Fish Ladder 
Foxglove Flowers in Troatdale, OR
As we drove along the Columbia River Parkway, the first waterfall was called Horsetail Falls and was near enough to the road so that Joann could get up close.
The most famous falls, Multnomah was so crowded in the parking lot that had about 10 cars from both directions backed up to wait until someone would leave. I knew I could never get in the parking lot with the big van so I had to go around and was unable to stop for photos. I was really bummed out on that. Here is a link for you to see the falls: https://thevanescape.com/multnomah-falls-photography-tips-guide/
The next falls, Wahkeena, on the list is pretty well obscured by the trees, but forms a nice brook with multiple falls so I was able to use my tripod to create longer exposures to give the “silky” look.
The final falls that I was able to photograph after a short hike is Latourell Falls. This is famous for its wall of yellow lichens on the stone wall.
We headed south on the west side of the Cascades to find Crater Lake National Park. The lake is formed in a collapsed volcano caldera. Wizard Island is a cinder cone near the west side. The lake is 1949 feet deep and averaging 1100 feet, the second deepest in North America. The walls of the caldera are about 800 to 1200 feet from the surface of the lake. As you will see in the photos, there are remnants of snow left from the winter on the north entrance road which was just opened about two weeks before we got there. One final note is that the color of the lake its really an amazing deep blue, in fact I had to desaturate a bit to make it believable!
The following photos are of Mount Shasta and a final photo of the largest sun dial as a bridge in Redding, OR.
Ophardt Photos 
Favorite is the covered bridge picture. I’m not sure exactly what it is – something composition wth bridge nd foreground off to the left that just appeals to the visual senses. Also attractive is the collection of hues in the photo. It almost looks like a pastoral painting.
I know about Multnomah! I was there after John and I were flown up to Portland for John’s son’s funeral. John was in bed but talking with some of his family members. I took the rental car and found Multnomah, but the road there was only 2 lanes and it took a while to zigzag there. I could see why ypu’d have problems. I did walk up some to get a few shots that John later stitched them together for me.
Gary
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You got some beautiful clouds!
Gary
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As always, your pictures are absolutely the best with good story lines. I enjoyed each and every one. Thank you for sharing. Camille
Beautiful photos. 🥰👍
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Thank you so much for sending all these beautiful pictures!!! They are amazing! Looking forward to seeing you next month!
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Wonderful pictures….enjoyed them…have a look at my pictures too at https://travel-along.in/