Columbia Gorge Is Gone

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cadee2c

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I-84 is closed, fire all along the gorge on the Oregon side, Multnomah Falls, Horsetail Falls, all of it burning. Its almost reached the suburbs of Portland and it did jump over to the Washington side of the river near Skamamia, not far from Bonneville dam.

I left there 2 weeks ago, the day before the eclipse. It was the most beautiful place in the country. I just cant believe its gone.

That fire was started by a group of teenagers lighting off fireworks and throwing them down a canyon.  So much beauty destroyed so senslessly.
 
Wow. We were there last winter. It is indeed a very scenic area with all the waterfalls in a small distance. The gorge itself it quite impressive as well.
 
Got good news today. The firefighters were able to save Multnomah Falls lodge. Also, some firemen are saying the damage isnt as bad as it looks. I hope that proves to be the case. They are also predicting scattered showers starting tomorrow. Cross your fingers.
 
The Gorge is not gone. The foliage has burned. It's like getting a bad haircut, it will grow back.

One story from a couple of decades ago I like to bring up is how environmentalists were moaning and crying about forest fire destruction in the north west. They claimed the soil would erode and the forest was gone forever!!! Turns out a species of pine tree thought to be extinct in the area popped up almost overnight to start the rebirth of the forest. The cones with the seeds had been waiting in the ground for the heat from the fire to open them up.

Nature is more resilient and awesome than many people give it credit for.
 
Fire has always been a part of nature. The biggest problems came when all the fires were extinguished as soon as they started, and the understory wasn't allowed to burn up. Now those places are like having a barn full of loose straw.
 
We were retuning to Central WA on I- 84 from the Portland area the day the fire started. The smoke in the immediate area had reduced visibility to about a 1/4 mile. I slowed from 65 to 55mph and made sure my headlights were on. My DW & I were talking/hoping they would be able to get it under control... unfortunately that didn't happen.
 
We had reservations at Cascade Locks, had to cancel.  Now we are in Newport on the coast. Currently foggy, 62 and a bit of drizzle.
 
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