4 Wheels 4 Girls

June 2nd, we visited the Bonneville Powerhouse. It is a dam operated by the Army Core of Engineers. Dad says the dam converts the power of the Columbia River to electricity. He also says that the Columbia River is one of the most powerful rivers in America because so much water moves down from the mountains so fast. I learned that the turbines (which are huge metal things that look kind of like dreidels, or at least some type of thing that spins) get spun around by the water, and they spin generators. Electricity is made and it powers the whole northwest.

That huge thing behind me is a turbine

The fish ladders helped the salmon swim upstream to where they can have babies and live the rest of their lives before they die. The picture there was of us looking underneath the ladder. It’s easier for the fish to swim under rather than over, so most of them we saw from the glass windows that looked into the fish ladder.

Watching salmon make their way up the fish ladder, through the dam

It was fun to learn about the Bonneville Powerhouse, the Bonneville Dam, and the fish ladders.

The Columbia River is running so hard right now that water is gushing over the spillway behind me

When we got to the Bonneville Hatcheries we had lunch. Me and Daddy went to get Lori some coffee. We went back and finished our lunch. We got ready and went to see the white sturgeon. We ran to the pond and then we went down under ground. Then a huge fish came by. It was huge! We wached the white sturgeon swim. We also saw some rainbow trout.

That sturgeon is huge, and that rainbow trout is pretty big, too

After that we went to see tanks that held a ton of fish. Then we went to the hacheries. When we got there we looked through windows and saw these trays that held salmon eggs. Daddy says there were 15 million eggs inside that one room. Then we went and wached a movie on the fish. It was really cool there.

On June 2 we went on a hike to go and see a waterfall. When we got there we all got out except for Stella. She was not felling well. We brought Olive and Roxanne with us. Me and Greta got to walk the dogs while Ana walked along and was petting the dogs. We walked through a green forest and we walked beside a stream. We were looking for acorns. We walked for quite a long time until we came to a small waterfall where we got our picture taken and got wet.

Then we came to a place where the path went two directions, so we waited for Lori and asked her which way to go. We saw a cave. Me, Greta, and Ana went inside. We had to crawl through it.

Wahclella Falls in the Columbia River Gorge

There was a really long bridge across the stream in front of Wahclella Falls. The waterfall was coming down fast and we got a little wet from the mist. We watched the water come down for a little while, then finished the hike and went back to the van.

Then we went to see another waterfall, Multnomah Falls. I was very tired and sleepy when we got there. It was really cold. The waterfall was really tall. We saw a really cool bridge that was high up in the air in front of the falls. We were going to go up to it, but decided it was already a pretty view.

Multnomah Falls with Lori

On June 1, we went to visit Mommy’s friends, Lori and Sarah. At Lori and Sarah’s, we met some poodles, Olive and Roxanne. We played with them for a while before dinner. They are very fluffy and cute. They like to lick your nose. They like to lay around sometimes, and other times they like to be up and wild. They look like little tiny miniature poodles.

With Roxanne and Olive in the Columbia River Gorge

Just like me, they are seven years old. We both can walk. We both can sit down. We both like to eat meat. But they don’t eat tuna, and I like tuna. Poodles can’t chew with their mouth closed, but I can.

I like many things about them: They are very fun, they let us hold them. Well, not Olive. Olive let me hold her for the first time on Sunday. Olive has a smooth tongue, and Roxy has a rough tongue. They like to play.

The funnest thing I have done with them is probably sit with them on my lap.

On June 1, we drove to Hood River, OR. We went there to see our friends Lori and Sarah who had invited us to come and stay with them for a while. We weren’t sure if they knew what they were getting themselves into but we decided to take them up on their offer. Lori, my great friend since about 2nd grade, had told me about having moved to this beautiful area in the Columbia River gorge about an hour from Portland where it didn’t rain all of the time and windsurfers from all over the country fill the river in the summer. So, when we headed for Hood River we were excited (“disneyland excited” as Lori says) not only to see Lori and Sarah but to see the paradise that Lori had described. We didn’t need to drive very far down the gorge to begin to understand what she had been talking about. It was beautiful. Where we entered the gorge east of Hood River it was dry and deserty but as we drove west along the river the hills were soon filled with trees. The town of Hood River is located at the point where the Hood River (coming from Mount Hood) joins the Columbia.

As we arrived in Hood River, we zig-zagged our way up the hill in search of Lori and Sarah’s house and as we, unknowingly, drove past their driveway, one of the girls said a bit dumbfoundedly, “Look, there is a sign there that says ‘4 wheels 4 girls'”. We had arrived.

A warm welcome in Hood River, OR

Lori was soon at the RV to greet us and to help us overcome our hesitation to move inside the house. When she told the girls “we have rooms and beds for everyone” that was it, they were off, a good share of their belongings in tow.

Though we had initially planned to stay for a couple of days we ended up staying almost a week. We had a great time, exploring Portland, Hood River, and the gorge by foot, car, and bike. We visited, played games, ate like royalty (thanks to chef Lori), hung out with the poodles Olive and Roxanne, and celebrated my pending birthday nightly. Though we did so reluctantly, as Lori and Sarah left for work on Monday morning we finally packed up and moved down the road. We left feeling sad to leave Lori and Sarah (and Olive and Roxanne) but really happy to have had this time with them and know that we have friends like them in our lives. It was hard for all us to leave paradise.

Me and my friend Lori

Following will be several stories from the girls which reflect how much fun we all had with Lori and Sarah in paradise.

On May 31 we woke up and found out that the RV was right next to some horses. We had breakfast and then we went to go and look at the horses. They let us fed them. I came back and did some posts and then me and Stella went to go and play with the horses. I named them all. Here are some names. Sugar, Hot Coco, Blosome, Mocha, Big Red, Sanddune, Camomile, Brighty (is a mule), and there are some more but you might not want to hear them all. We fed them grass and we rubbed their bellies and we scrached their necks. After that we came and had blt bacon lettuce and tomato. We ate them fast and then we went back outside and played with them. Some of them farted real loud. We fed them for along time and then we left.

I named this beautiful horse Sugar

On May 30th we went to Crater Lake. When we got there we went to go to a lookout. We wanted the sun to come out so we could see the lake. We got ready to go and see the lake. On the way there we threw snowballs at each other. It was fun to throw snowballs at the parents. The sun had come out so we could see the lake. We got our pictures taken and then me and Ana went to play in the snow. We tried to make a snowman but that failed. Then we played horses and we threw snowballs at each other.

This building is the visitor center

Then we left to go to the Lodge. When we got there I climbed up a pile of snow and broke off two icicles. One for me and one for Ana. We left our icicles outside because we did not want them to melt. When we got in the lodge we went to the fire to warm ourselves up. We read books and then we went out and played in the snow.

Can you believe how much snow there is?

We went to the visitor center, where we met a very nice Ranger who taught us how deep Crater Lake is and other stuff about the park. Dad said Ranger Darby reminded him of Uncle Will.

With Ranger Darby at Crater Lake

We played in the snow some more and then we headed back to the RV, wet, cold, and hungry. Me and Ana had a fun time playing in the snow.

On Monday, May 30th, we arrived in Crater Lake National Park. We checked out the visitor center, parked, and then decided to walk down to explore the lodge and Crater Lake itself. When I saw it, I thought, WHOA. It was huge, a gaping round hole, with a little dome-shaped island in the middle called Wizard Island. Well, I suppose I should explain exactly what Crater Lake is…

*Speaks in mystical, story-teller voice* Thousands of years ago, there was a large volcano that created a massive explosion that blasted the volcano to bits. It collapsed in on itself and the broken pieces fell down and formed the bottom of this caldera. Over time the caldera filled with rain and snowmelt and formed Crater Lake. It is now almost 2,000 feet deep. Wizard Island is a newer volcano that formed under Crater Lake.

Crater Lake; cold, deep, and beautiful

So anyway, I stood and looked at it for like, ten minutes straight because it was so spectacular. Then the rest of the family joined me and we headed for the lodge. Read Ellie’s post to find out more! 😀

After our wonderful tour through the cave with Heather, we decided it would be nice to check out the warm cozy lodge and get something to eat. We warmed up by the fire and then explored the gift shop. By that time we were super hungry, so we went to the lodge cafe to get lunch.

This 50's diner was great

It smelled delicious, and we sat down at a long winding counter with spindly chairs. Our waitress, Connie, was very nice and she gave us each a free cookie in honor of Ana’s birthday. We chatted with her for a bit and we learned that she used to live near Atlanta, in Tennessee. It was nice to talk to someone from the Southeast like us!

We ordered our food; I got a buffalo burger with fries and a marion berry milkshake. Marion berries are like blackberries, only sweeter. Stella got a grilled cheese sandwich on rye bread but she meant to get it on wheat, so I got to eat it since she hates rye. The food hit the spot for all of us; it was absolutely marvelous.

After lunch, we quickly went back to the visitor center. Then we left the park and drove off for our next national park!

May 29, we drove up to Oregon Caves National Monument. We thought we had seen the last of the snow in southern Utah, but we were wrong. As we climbed up into the Cascades that morning the snow was falling hard, and the mountaintop looked like a winter wonderland.

We were not expecting snow again, two days before June!

The cave was very beautiful. It was a small cave, and relatively young, at about a million and a half years. It is a marble cave, and it was cool to see the marble in the ceilings and steps throughout the cave. The entrance and first several 100 yards of the cave were along and atop the stream which cut the cave, the Styx river. It was nice to hear it roar along and see its path through the rocks.

At the entrance to the cave, the mouth of the Styx river.

The downside of this cave: a significant number of the cave decorations were removed by early visitors to the cave. Two rooms were almost completely defaced. There was one room however, called Paradise Lost, which was absolutely beautiful. It must have been too difficult to access in the early days, because it was a wonder to behold.

A portion of the waterfall formation in the Paradise Lost room