Oregon: Vista House

We recently went on a quick trip to the Pacific Northwest, spending a few days in and around Portland, Oregon. It’s a beautiful area, and one of my favorite cities to visit. Both the coast and massive waterfalls can be reached via short drives, and Portland itself is home to tons of breweries and great restaurants. It was also good timing for a visit, since we just found out that Caroline is pregnant and we won’t be able to do much traveling soon.

So we left Jonah in the loving care of his Grandmama and we flew off to Portland, arriving at night but with enough time to get a great dinner at Laurelhurst Market. The next day we got breakfast at Fried Egg I’m In Love (amazing, btw), and then made our way into the Columbia River Gorge. We arrived at an overlook when I realized I had made a devastating mistake....I left the tripod behind in Portland.



We were about to enter the Columbia River Gorge, which is home to numerous and spectacular waterfalls. So a tripod was a bit necessary, but would require driving back to Portland. Thankfully Caroline was ok with us making a quick return trip (luckily traffic wasn’t too bad) so I could retrieve the tripod that was still sitting innocently in the suitcase.

Soon enough, we were back and with a tripod in hand. We stopped first at Vista House, which has a commanding view atop a bluff 733 feet above the Columbia River. The stone Art Nouveau building was constructed in 1918 and was built as a centerpiece along the Historic Columbia River Highway. The observatory was proposed as being a place “from which the view both up and down the Columbia could be viewed in silent communion with the infinite.” And also a place to buy postcards and use the potty.



The inside has a domed rotunda and lots of marble and bronze and stained glass windows. It’s unfortunate that we don’t make buildings like this anymore.



And the view is amazing as well. The Columbia River passes below, ringed with the tall mountains of the Columbia River Gorge. The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest, and the seventh longest river in the US (it’s about 200 miles shorter than the Arkansas River, for comparison). This is the view from Vista House, looking east.



A few hours later we passed back by Vista House after spending the rest of the day in the Columbia River Gorge. We just happened to have gotten there right around sunset, when golden light was flowing across the canyon.





And the view looking west, towards Portland.



And then one last shot of the Gorge after sunset, before heading back into the city (I didn't manage to forget the tripod again).