June 22, 2014 - Columbia River Gorge Biennial Classic - Town Walk

We were signed up to do the Horsetail Falls walk today, but it seems to have gone from a 2C to a 3C with no 5k option. My feet and knees need more time to rest, so today it seemed like a better choice would be the 5k Town Walk, which is rated 1A.

In case you've been wondering, here is what the trail ratings mean:

	Part 1 – INCLINE/ELEVATION		Part 2 - TERRAIN
1	Very small hills or very little stair climbing. Probably suitable for strollers and wheelchairs. Cumulative elevation gain from Starting Point: up to 200 feet.	A	Almost entirely on pavement.
2	Some moderate hills and stair climbing. Probably suitable for strollers. May not be suitable for wheelchairs. Cumulative elevation   gain   from   Starting   Point: 200 - 1000 feet.	B	A significant part of the route is on well-groomed trails with very few obstacles.
3	Some significant hill or stair climbing. Not suitable for strollers or wheelchairs. Cumulative elevation gain from Starting Point: 1000 - 2000 feet.	C	A significant part of the route is on somewhat difficult terrain (rocky/rooted paths or soft sand.)
4	Lots of significant hills or stair     climbing. Cumulative elevation gain from Starting Point: 2000 - 3500 feet.	D	A significant part of the route is on very difficult terrain.
5	Many  steep  hills.  Cumulative  elevation gain from Starting Point: more than - 3500 feet.	E	The majority of the route is on very difficult terrain.

Our walk started at Marine Park and took us to a small marina. 

Then we walked past the stern-wheeler Columbia Gorge. You can ride on it and they even have dinner cruises.

As we passed the Cascade Locks Visitor Center we got another look at the fabulous Scagawea statue pictured in the June 19 blog post.

Sacagawea's son, Jean Baptiste Charbonneau, was nicknamed "Pompy"

Petrified wood in front of the Visitors' Center

We walked along the Columbia River for a short distance until we came to a footbridge where we crossed over the old locks onto Thunder Island.

Thunder Island is a popular venue for weddings, picnics, and not much else. It is small and you could circumnavigate it on foot in about 15 minutes. 

Interpretive sign on Thunder Island

We crossed back over to Marine Park and continued down some stairs to a sidewalk along the river where several people were fishing. It was actually a little dangerous here because the fishermen and women were not being very careful with their casting, but nothing like the combat fishing that occurs on the Russian River in Alaska.

Fishing in the lock; Thunder Island on the right, Bridge of the Gods in background

Here and elsewhere along the riverbank, we could see a number of rickety wooden platforms jutting out over the river and a few people were using these to fish from. Some of them also had dipnets on them. Here is what the Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission has to say about the platforms:

Platform fishing is most common on the larger rivers in the Columbia Basin. These wooden structures, stable despite their precarious appearance, are constructed during low-water periods with engineering techniques that have been handed down for generations. They provide accessible fishing locations to favorable fishing sites. Platform sites belong to individual families, and tribal fishers using these scaffolds are likely fishing in the same location their own ancestors did.

Fishing platforms; Thunder Island on the left

We walked up the hill to three identical houses. They were originally the lock tenders' houses. Now one is the port office and one is a museum.

Lock Tender's House No. 3

Our next destination was Wa-Na-Pa Street, the main street of the town of Cascade Locks. We walked a few blocks along this street past the school and the City Hall/Library. In front of the library we found one of the painted quilt blocks from the Cascade Locks Quilt Block Trail. The Bridge of the Gods Quilters have created a trail map leading quilt seekers from homes to businesses adorned with painted quilt blocks. The quilt trail map can be found at http://www.cascadelocks.net/things-to-do-quilt.php

City Hall/Library - note quilt block in front next to driveway

"Choose a Book" quilt block

At Söderberg Studio & Bronze works we had to turn around without seeing the gallery because they were closed today. Heather Söderberg created the wonderful statue of Sacagawea that stands in Marine Park (see June 19, 2014 post). From there it was a short walk back to the start point in Marine Park.

Bonus: Horsetail Falls

On the way back to Portland we decided to take the Historic Route of US 30. It was a pretty but narrow and winding road that took us right past Horsetail Falls, our original walk destination for today. We also drove past the access to Multnomah Falls, but it was crazy crowded, so we didn't stop there.

Horsetail Falls

Artsy shot of Horsetail Falls

Walk Route: C+

Walk Instructions: F (confusing, inaccurate, inconsistent with website description, lack of information, incorrect information, omission of significant details such as the fabulous statue of Sacagawea and the Quilt Block Trail painted quilt blocks)