Kris and I drove out the Gorge today on our way to Kennewick, WA.
It is the first time in the Gorge past Multnomah Falls in the daylight for me. The beauty and wonder I feel as I stare at rock extruded from the mantel millions of years ago is just overwhelming. To think that at one point those rocks and hills weren’t there. The Columbia River wasn’t a mighty river. It’s just awe inspiring.
You can see the many layers of lava flows. You can discern margins between one flow and the next. In several spots sediment was laid down between layers and that is eroding faster than the harder rock.
Then to think of the Missoula flood and how much it washed away, eroded and deposited as it receded… Just amazing.
And then I wonder if those types of events will occur again. I think perhaps Mother Earth needs a cleansing of some kind but the pain and suffering that would ensue would be immeasurable.
And below are the small hills after passing through the Gorge. I didn’t think to take pictures in the Gorge.
Sunset behind us.
