Stevenson, Washington

The quaint town of Stevenson, WA, lies on the banks of the Columbia River in Skamania County.  We didn't spend much time in Stevenson, however with Washington just on the other side of Bridge of the Gods, we made the short trip just to say we were in Washington.  Of course this blog post would not be complete without a short history lesson about the town. Stevenson is named for early settler George H. Stevenson.  The Stevenson family, who settled in the Gorge in the 1800s from Missouri, founded the town of Stevenson on the old Shepard donation land claim.  In 1908, the SP&S Railroad arrived, pushing the town up the hill away from the river . Streets were graded, wooden sidewalks constructed and the city asked residents to keep their cows from roaming the streets. 

Bridge of the Gods looking towards Washington

Entrance to Bridge of the Gods, Washington side
Beacon Rock in Washington.  We wanted to hike this rock but ran out of time.

View of our hotel, Best Western, from the Washington side

Fortunately for TK, this was the only place, during our Pacific Northwest adventure, where she spotted the elusive sasquatch (yet another TK obsession!). She really wanted to harass this creature by posting its picture on Facebook, just to prove the naysayers wrong, of course, however she remembered that in April of 1969, the County Commissioners of Skamania County, established the Washington State Bigfoot Ordinance No. 69-01.  This ordinance states that harassing this creature is a felony and punishable by a fine of up to $10,000 and/or imprisonment in the county jail not to exceed (5) years!

Bigfoot roams the town of Stevenson, WA

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Ballard, Washington

Leaving Pike Place Market we headed to the neighborhood of Ballard . Ballard is located in the northwestern part of Seattle. To the north it is bounded by Crown Hill, (N.W. 85th Street); to the east by Greenwood, Phinney Ridge and Fremont (along 8th Avenue N.W.); to the south by the Lake Washington Ship Canal; and to the west by Puget Sound’s Shilshole Bay. The neighborhood’s landmarks include the  Hiram M. Chittenden Locks  (known locally as the "Ballard Locks"), the Nordic Heritage Museum, the Shilshole Bay Marina, and Golden Gardens Park. Entrance to Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Gardens and Hiram M. Chittenden Locks The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, or Ballard Locks, is a complex of locks at the west end of Salmon Bay, in Seattle, Washington's Lake Washington Ship Canal, between the neighborhoods of Ballard to the north and Magnolia to the south. We wanted to know and followed the fish but didn't realize it was across the locks until we were on our way
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Caddo Lake State Park, Texas

While visiting the historic town of Jefferson we could not pass up the opportunity to make a short visit to Caddo Lake State Park .  The park sits near the small town of Karnack, in east Texas.  The name of this park is a bit deceiving as the park doesn't sit on the shores of Caddo Lake (the only natural, fresh water lake in Texas) but on Big Cypress Bayou. Entrance sign Entrance signs to Caddo Lake State Park Big Cypress Bayou from boat ramp (west) Big Cypress Bayou looking east.  Follow the bayou east to reach Caddo Lake. Like most Texas state parks the structures within Caddo Lake SP were built by the  Civilian Conservation Corps . Company 889 began the work, in June to November of 1933. Company 857 continued construction from October 1934 to March 1937. One of the cabins that can be rented at the park CCC workers converted 15 U.S. Army barracks and an Army mess hall into the nine log cabins and group recreation hall that can be used today.  
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Twilight Eagle Santuary, Oregon

Sadly, we left Astoria and traveled east on the East Columbia Highway (Highway 30) back to Portland to catch the red eye back home.  When we passed the sign, we knew we had found what our trip had been missing so we turned the Blue Devil around and headed to the Twilight Eagle Sanctuary. The Twilight Eagle Sanctuary is located within Cathlamet Bay , 2.5 miles east of Astoria, Oregon , and just downstream from Settler Point.  This wetland Sanctuary was established in 1992, and along with Columbia Land Trust acquisitions in 2009, now totals over 100 acres of old growth forest, tidal wetlands, and shoreline, and stretches nearly a mile along the Columbia River. The Sanctuary is just off of U.S. Highway 30. A viewing platform overlooks acres of mudflats, tidal marshes, open water, and islands. It is an excellent location to observe birds and other wildlife living on the lower Columbia River estuary. The viewing area has several interpretive panels about the wetlands, bald eagles,