Oregon, Pt. 2

The travel hassles notwithstanding, Ellen and I actually had a delightful trip to the West Coast. We stayed with a childhood friend of my mother-in-law's in Vancouver, Washington, across the Columbia River from Oregon (the Portland Airport was actually visible from our hosts' driveway). They have a charming home, and all three of us (Ellen, her mother-in-law and me) were blessed by their friendliness and hospitality.

Unfortunately, our rapidly evolving travel plans meant that we arrived later and left earlier than we had planned, so we were unable to fit in everything we had planned to see and do. Nevertheless, we managed a full day and a half of sightseeing. On Friday, after our arrival, we took I-84 (which I was tickled to discover runs through Oregon, as I am more familiar with it as the road on which I traverse much of Connecticut) to the "Old Highway," which was an extremely scenic drive past a number of waterfalls and other hiking spots. One highlight was the Vista House on Crown Point, which offered a panoramic view of the Columbia River and the surrounding hills and mountains.

After lunch, we visited the Bonneville Dam, which is both a National Historic Site and a working dam and hydroelectric plant. There I was introduced to the concept of a fish ladder, which is essentially a way for fish to bypass the dam when returning to their breeding places in order to spawn. It's actually neater in real life than I'm making it sound. And in a tiny office off of the main underwater viewing area, the official Fish Counter was hard at work. Yes, this person's job is to count the fish that swim past her window.

Next up was a fish hatchery, which featured local legend Herman the Sturgeon. This seven-foot monstrosity has been the star resident for quite a number of years, according to the numerous signs surrounding the sturgeon habitat. A seven-foot fish is, actually, quite a striking sight, especially when the majority of the other fish there are extremely young (it is a hatchery, after all). There was also a simulated salmon run, and Ellen got a number of excellent photos of the fish trying to navigate the man-made locks.

On Saturday we ventured into downtown Portland, which is a nice little city. It's not New York, but then again, nothing is. We met Ellen's aunt, whose health is beginning to fail, and had a great visit with her. It's not clear when or if we'll get another chance to see her, and the whole trip was worth it for those few hours alone.

I'm not expecting to do any more significant traveling until early December, so now it's time to turn my attention to the rapidly approaching foliage season here in New Hampshire. I've begun to wonder if the brilliant colors of fall are an apology for the six months of winter that follow ...