I was recommended this tour company by another company who let me down last minute. I had hoped to go on a Mount St. Helens tour, unfortunately the company I had booked with told me the tour wouldn’t be running due to a lack of people only 24 hours before it was due to begin. I had hoped to do a Mount Hood tour as a backup but no other company had availability with it being so last minute.
So instead I decided to do a Multnomah Falls and Columbia River Gorge tour. Although not what I had originally wanted to see, it was still an amazing experience. Our guide, Geri, picked us up (myself and another staying at my hotel) at 8:45 to start the tour. In total, there was five of us on the tour. After getting to know Geri a little better, I learnt that she had in fact studied for a semester at Sunderland (my home town) University doing a photography course – what a small world!
Geri was very informative, giving us a little background information on the city and sights as we left downtown Portland and began our 30 minute journey to the Gorge. Firstly we drove to Vista House to see the stunning views of the Gorge from above. Vista House was built shortly after the construction of the highway, which runs through the rainforest, to serve as restrooms for travellers. The construction went $80,000 over budget after Alaskan marble was shipped in for the floors, walls and even the sinks giving it the nickname ‘the $100,000 toilet’.
The views were spectacular and we were lucky enough to see them before the cloud and mist worked its way down the river. I don’t know how Seattle gets its nickname as the rainy city because Portland seems to get a lot more rain! The rainforest can get up to 80 inches of rain per year. The tress are covered in a beautiful bright green moss which creates an enchanting view especially next to the many waterfalls – seasonally there can be over 100 waterfalls! Geri also showed us the damage to the rainforest after the Oregon fires back in September after some teenagers decided to set fireworks off which started the fire. A lot of the walking trails are still cordoned off as parts of the area are classed as being too dangerous in case of mudslides. It’s such a shame to see all of that beautiful vegetation brunt away.
We saw four waterfalls on our journey; Latourell Falls (my favourite) which is a plunge waterfall which we were able to walk right up to. The power of the water is fascinating as it crashes down on the rocks below. The next was Shepperd’s Dell, it’s commonly known as a bow tie waterfall because of the shape it makes when it narrows at the rocks. The next two were two tier waterfalls; the first was Bridal Veil which gets its name because the second tier resembles a veil. And finally Multnomah Falls which is Oregon’s largest waterfall and one of Portland’s biggest tourist attractions. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to get up close to it because of the fire damage but we were able to go into the visitor’s centre and read up on some facts!
Once we had seen everything we wanted to, Geri dropped us back off at a location of our choice downtown. She gave us tips of where to go and how to get around. She knew her facts really well and was happy to cater the tour around us as much as she could! I learned a lot about Portland and surrounding areas which I wouldn’t have known if it had not been for this tour and Geri!