Columbia Gorge revisited.

Took a trip back to the Columbia Gorge.  We took some friends who had never been there before.  Had a great time in spite of the intermittent showers.  Returned to the dam.  Bonneville visitor center and lock reopened at Noon yesterday after being closed since September 5th.  It was fun to go back and see the place, show our friends where we worked, and see some folks that we had worked with.

We also stopped at the Bonneville Fish Hatchery.  The front half of a Sturgeon

Rear Half

Sunday morning

Clouds are back this morning, but the sky's pallet was awesome.

Fall

Yesterday was the first official day of Fall.  Actually, it had arrived right after Labor Day around here.  There was little or no transition time.  Rain and clouds, sprinkles and clouds, cool temperatures.  I turned my sprinkler system off.  Won't need that until probably June or July.
    Does that make it fall?  Well yeh.  Mother Nature thinks so too.

The sweet gum trees at the elementary school are always among the earliest to turn.

More Dahlias

More blossoms to enjoy from Swan Island Dahlia Farm in Canby.

Swan Island Dahlias

Two weekends at the end of summer are the showtimes for a farm in Canby.  Swan Island Dahlia Farm grows nearly 400 varieties of the interesting flower.  They in color and size and shape.  We had the pleasure of visiting on Labor Day. Lots of folks enjoying the warm weather and beautiful blooms. Here are a few photos

Mt Hood

My view of Mt Hood on my morning walk. 

  This was taken two weeks ago before the weather changed and Fall rushed in.

Honey Pot

This morning on my walk, I passed one of the houses under construction.  In front, was this Honey Pot.  If you look at the small sign on it, you will notice the sign on it declaring it "High Tech".   I was confused.  I looked inside.  Saw nothing unique.  Maybe I need to check more closely the next time I walk by it.

Bonneville Lock

Got a note from one of the volunteers.  The lock at Bonneville is not functioning.  The engineers have not figured out the problem yet.  Meanwhile the Visitor Center on the Oregon side is closed.  Evidently they do not want traffic to cross the bridge that crosses in front of the lock.

This photo is of the lock with out water.  You can see the manifold system that the water passes through when the lock fills and drains.  This is a view that is not seen very often. 
  I hope that they solve the problem soon.  No shipping is happening during this time.  No barges.
No commerce.

Last day at Bonneville

Today we pack up and leave.  It's been almost 4 months since we pulled in, May 6th if I remember correctly.  Wow the time passed quickly.  When we get to a new location our commitment will 2,3,or 4 months.   A long time, right?  There's a flurry of learning.  Meeting new people.  Adjusting to new time schedules.  Before you know it, you are buzzing along, you got most of it down.  Your feeling comfortable.  And then, yipes, you are almost to the end! 
    That happened again here.  We will miss this place.  A very nice facility.  Good folks to work with.  Interesting location.  LOVE to watch the barges cruise past our spot going in and out of the lock.  Those tug captains are amazing.
   And so we leave Bonneville.  To be home for four months.  At the end of September Randa has her surgery.   A new adventure begins.