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You are here: Home / Photo Blogging / On The Road / On The Road – frosty – 3rd Annual National Park/COVID Challenge – Oregon – Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area – Engineering

On The Road – frosty – 3rd Annual National Park/COVID Challenge – Oregon – Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area – Engineering

by WaterGirl|  March 13, 20245:00 am| 15 Comments

This post is in: On The Road, Photo Blogging

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On the Road is a weekday feature spotlighting reader photo submissions.

From the exotic to the familiar, whether you’re traveling or in your own backyard, we would love to see the world through your eyes.

Submit Your Photos

frosty

The Historic Columbia River Highway is the oldest scenic highway in the US; the first paved road in the Gorge expressly designed for sightseers. It was started in 1915 when auto ownership exploded in Portland, and finished in 1922. It was designed by Samuel G. Lancaster to integrate the road with cliffs, forests, and the river and much of it was constructed by Italian stonemasons. I didn’t get a lot of pictures, but here’s some idea of how he designed and built the road.

We also stopped at Bonneville Dam, built in 1937. It was the first federal dam on the Columbia, and together with Grand Coulee it produced enough electricity to make it cheap to refine aluminum (an electrical process), critical to Boeing’s bomber construction in Seattle. President Truman said “Without Grand Coulee and Bonneville dams it would have been almost impossible to win this war.”

On The Road - frosty - 3rd Annual National Park/COVID Challenge - Oregon - Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area - Engineering 7

Elephant Rock. Lancaster had the crews remove only the minimum amount of the rock as possible to pass traffic.

On The Road - frosty - 3rd Annual National Park/COVID Challenge - Oregon - Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area - Engineering 6

Shepherd’s Dell Bridge. All of the bridges were unique and all beautiful. Engineers are trained to design to meet the specs efficiently at the lowest cost manageable. Some, and I think this includes a lot of bridge designers, approach the job like architects and design for aesthetics as well.

On The Road - frosty - 3rd Annual National Park/COVID Challenge - Oregon - Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area - Engineering 5

Stone guardrail

On The Road - frosty - 3rd Annual National Park/COVID Challenge - Oregon - Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area - Engineering 4

Samuel G. Lancaster

On The Road - frosty - 3rd Annual National Park/COVID Challenge - Oregon - Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area - Engineering 3

Bonneville Dam spillway

On The Road - frosty - 3rd Annual National Park/COVID Challenge - Oregon - Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area - Engineering 2

One of the two powerhouses

On The Road - frosty - 3rd Annual National Park/COVID Challenge - Oregon - Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area - Engineering 1

Underwater view of the fish ladder, from the Visitor Center

On The Road - frosty - 3rd Annual National Park/COVID Challenge - Oregon - Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area - Engineering

Hummingbird at Bonneville Dam

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Reader Interactions

15Comments

  1. 1.

    AlaskaReader

    March 13, 2024 at 5:29 am

    thanks frost

    …and thanks too WG

  2. 2.

    OzarkHillbilly

    March 13, 2024 at 6:06 am

    Cool stuff, I am always attracted to the wonders of engineering. Thanx frosty.

  3. 3.

    eclare

    March 13, 2024 at 6:11 am

    What a gorgeous area of the US…I hope that I get there someday.

  4. 4.

    Trivia Man

    March 13, 2024 at 8:40 am

    Iso appreciate the old walls, paths, and stairs that were built to last and had artistic intent. Lots of the WPA stuff is lije that. The stone wall you show is a good example.

    I enjoy hearing about the stuff in the pictures as much asi enjoy the pictures.

  5. 5.

    WaterGirl

    March 13, 2024 at 9:30 am

    That first bridge is gorgeous.  And the last photo is so charming!

    Hey BJ peeps, the OTR slots are all filled for next week, but after that, nada.  So if you’ve been thinking you’d like to put something together for OTR, now would be a good time.

  6. 6.

    Tenar Arha

    March 13, 2024 at 9:53 am

    Lovely. Thanks!

  7. 7.

    mvr

    March 13, 2024 at 10:03 am

    WPA projects had an aesthetic that I tend to like. But I also think that they often look even better with age.

    Thanks for this!

  8. 8.

    MelissaM

    March 13, 2024 at 10:32 am

    yeah, so OTR should just be renamed “add to bucket list” or “add to to-do list.” Because Columbia River Gorge is now on there for this midwesterner.

  9. 9.

    worn

    March 13, 2024 at 10:37 am

    Hey, that’s my backyard (figuratively)!

    The Gorge is a seriously spectacular place and the historic highway is studded with what feels like an endless parade of stunning cascades. I do wish there was a shot of Oenata Gorge in the set; it is a little grotto like cleft in the basalt that looks like something painted by Roger Dean in the 70’s.

    Thanks for sharing!

  10. 10.

    StringOnAStick

    March 13, 2024 at 10:45 am

    The Columbia gorge is so impressive, and the WPA structures so add to the charm.  I really love my adopted home of Oregon, we’re living our best lives here.

  11. 11.

    JimV

    March 13, 2024 at 12:00 pm

    Very impressive, thanks.

  12. 12.

    JustRuss

    March 13, 2024 at 1:16 pm

    30 years in Oregon and I’ve only driven parts of that scenic highway.  Top of my bucket list when I retire this year.

  13. 13.

    Dan B

    March 13, 2024 at 4:01 pm

    @StringOnAStick: Your part of Oregon is amazing, between John Day and the Three Sisters it’s varied and gorgeous.

  14. 14.

    pieceofpeace

    March 13, 2024 at 4:20 pm

    @StringOnAStick: As a former Portlander, hiking around the falls for years, I miss them.  I hope you’ve gotten to know the state and its many assets, like the Shakespearian-sp? fest, explore and raft its rivers, and coastline.  And Sun River is special any time of year with Mt. Bachelor for hiking or skiing. Then the NE corner has the Wallowa Mts and Snake River scenic areas, near Joseph, OR.

    These pictures are lovely, and I  like the first and last ones, good framing.   Thanks for these loving glimpses you’ve captured.

  15. 15.

    smike

    March 14, 2024 at 12:28 am

    I just now learned that there is something called a ‘fish ladder’, for reals.

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