Morning in the east Columbia River Gorge while we are cruising on the Sea Lion is an exceptional opportunity for adventure. Here near the small town of Mosier, Oregon is the eastern end of a portion of the Historic Columbia River Highway that has been restored and made available for bicycles and foot traffic. Constructed between 1913 and 1922 it gave way to the demand for faster travel, so Interstate 84 was built to parallel it. It quickly began to yield to the ravages of time and lack of maintenance. In 1987 a commission was formed to restore as much of this highway as possible.
During a stopover we have the opportunity to spend the morning walking a completed section of this project. The pavement is smooth, the gradient is easy, and the scenery is magnificent. People on bicycles, roller blades, pushing baby strollers, and walking, pass by us as we revel in the warm sunshine and wide vistas of the river. We take time to identify trees and shrubs along the way, and look down on the river where nearly 200 years ago Lewis and Clark paddled by on their way to the Pacific Ocean. What a fine way to have an overview of history!
