Columbia River Gorge

It's a beautiful drive east along the Columbia River, and an easy way through the Cascade Mountains.  As the Ice Age ended and glaciers melted, the Columbia River cut through the Cascades, so driving along this river gorge doesn't have the same challenges as crossing one of the mountain passes.  It's a pleasant sea-level route through the mountains. Along this stretch the river forms the boundary line between Washington and Oregon.  I realize now that I didn't take any photos of the river itself, so I'll have to put that on my list for future photos.  One of the things that kept catching my eye as we drove along was the way the hills wrinkled toward the river on the Washington side.  We crossed back over into Washington to visit a museum in Maryhill; these wrinkled hills and wind turbines were just beyond the museum.  The gorge is usually a very windy place, so it's a good spot for these wind turbines, although I think they must collect a fraction of the energy harnessed at the dams along this stretch of the Columbia.