Just a Closer Walk With Thee...

Now, I've surely demonstrated the sterner stuff of which my mate is made via this website, but even I was surprised when she announced her desire to join my family in a hike up Beacon Rock. Mom, Dad, and newlywed sister Jessica (who had to dump the injured lump on his mother's couch for the weekend- (Hi Adrian, we missed you! ;-p)) came up to Portlandia for a prenatal visit, and despite their expressed desire for low-key togetherness, we wound up exploring both the coast and the gorge over two days...

So Ruby, champ that she is, decided to join us on a climb up this towering pillar of formerly fiery basalt. Unfortunamente', I didn't take many photos on my trek to the top. When we passed a passel of daytrippers, including two heavily made-up ladies with big hair, dangly earrings, capri pants and flip-flops, THEY looked at Ruby like she was crazy for making the attempt.
Our heroine and Grandma Joan had to sit out the final push to the summit, and when I passed the flippy ladies again on the way down by myself, they said "What did you do with her!?" I couldn't resist this response: "Well, you know, all it takes is one slip, but she bounces pretty well these days. I'm sure she'll be allright when I catch up..."

Our next stop on our tour of the Columbia River Gorge was the Bonneville Locks and Dam, where we watched a few fortunate salmon make it up the fish ladder, after successfully evading the hordes of scavengers (eh, fishermen) and sea lions guarding the ladder entrance.
The powerhouse was closed to tourists for the day, so we crossed the dam and began our tour of Oregon waterfalls.
But of course, the best views come only after a hike, so we set off up another trail to Upper Horsetail Falls. This journey was rewarded with that ever-so-surreal experience of walking behind the falls, under a ceiling of columnar basalt that you just knew was going to come down atop our heads at any moment...