The Columbia Gorge Is Burning

D. S. Mitchell

I live on the North Oregon coast, that’s about 60 miles west of Portland, Oregon. The sun for the last couple of days has appeared as a bizarre red neon ball through the smoke that is now plaguing most of the state. The source of the smoke is a raging 32,000 acre blaze destroying one of Oregon’s most scenic areas, the Columbia Gorge.

The gorge was chiseled through rock by the Columbia River over a span of nearly 20 million years as it cut its way to the Pacific Ocean.  I am heart-broken watching the pictures come in. I don’t know if I can truly express the loss I am feeling. There is a beautiful piece in The Oregonian, written by Jaimie Hale. (*Please go to the left side bar of this blog site and scroll down until you see the picture of a burning forest fire and click on her article. It is well worth reading.)

When I lived in Lake Oswego, Oregon, a suburb of Portland, I would ski at Mt Hood, party with friends in Hood River and always stop at Multnomah Falls to enjoy its iconic beauty.  The Columbia River Gorge is a national treasure and the loss is monumental.

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Dar

I will be back with Part IV:Behind The Curtain tomorrow. Please join us as we slice and dice the current administration.