Here we are in The Dalles (rhymes with “gals”), which is French for “flagstones,” also used as a term for waterfalls or rapids by the French-Canadian fur trappers who traveled the area in the 19th century. In 1957, a dam submerged the local Celilo Falls, a source of Native American commerce for 10,000 years.

The bridge crossing the Columbia here looks like it’s made of matchsticks!

The Dalles Dam. That’s the barren Washington side behind the dam.

The Dalles Bridge

Surprise! Look who we found peeking over the horizon southwest of The Dalles–it’s Mt. Hood!