Home page: La Grande to Salem, Oregon

17 Sept - La Grande to Salem, Oregon

US I-84 runs alongside the mighty Columbia River Gorge(CRG)...what an absolutely stunning drive. Approaching Blalock Canyon - the town of Blalock displaced a native Indian settlement called Tawash. Some info about this canyon can be found on:

http://columbiariverimages.com/Regions/Places/blalock_canyon.html

There is an interesting letter from pioneers Lewis and Clark included.

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TheUnion Pacific travelling along the 75 mile long scenic highway of the CRG. Blalock is one of its stations.

The Columbia River Gorge carves its way through the Cascade Mountain range, forming a boundary between the states of Washington and Oregon.

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Low clouds over the Cascades. This range of mountains extend from the southern part of British Columbia, Washington state, Oregon through to northern California. The highest peak on the Cascades is of course, Mt. Rainer standing at 14,411 feet.

There are more than 60 dams along the great Columbia River watershed in the USA and Canada. The water is mainly harnessed for hydro electricity. Some interesting info on the Columbia on: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_dams_in_the_Columbia_River_watershed

Me and Robie at the Stockman's Cafe at OR 99, Junction City. This little gem is in the same building as the Eugene Livestock Auction . You just have to ignore the bovine odours permeating the hallway to the Cafe but this place has real all beef burgers and the fries are the best I've had on this trip....but wait...they have gluten free bread and desserts at this place!