The Bridge of the Gods

The straight narrow roads of WA-14 quickly started winding and became a climb. I could see that I was gaining elevation and was getting a good view of the Columbia river from between the foliage. The river looked stunning and I was looking for a spot to take the picture of the Columbia river. At last I found one lay-by where I can stop. But I could not get a clear view of the river here. So moved on.

Shortly after I arrived at an opening and there was a stunning view of the Columbia River below – the kind that makes you say WOW! I was at Cape Horn Lookout. There is a trail which leads to a place with a better scenic view and I was quite tempted to tackle it. But then decided against it as I already had a plan in mind and did not want to miss out on it. It was also terribly cold, windy and there was ice and snow on the road side as well. I stopped here to take some photos. 

The road started descenting soon after Cape Horn Lookout and soon I was almost back to the river’s level. On my right I could see the Multnomah Falls, OR. I did not have a lens capable of taking a picture that could do justice to the view. So I decided to move on after enjoying the view. This route was already proving to be a lot better than anything I could have hoped for. 

The roads were winding, beautiful and scenic. I had my favorite songs playing on high volume and overall  was having the time of my life when I came across a sign “Bridge of the Gods, Next right”. It took me a while to realize what I had just read and I had never heard of this place before. As I passed by the said right, I could see a narrow and a really tall bridge which cut across the Columbia River. By the time I could make up my mind whether to stop or not, I had already passed the right turn. So I decided to move on.

Shortly after, I reached the town of Stevenson, WA. The first thing that I noticed when rolling in was a gas station. I had enough fuel left, but as I was completely new to this road, I decided to fuel up just in case. While topping up the fuel, Bridge of the gods still lingered in my mind and by the time I was done filling up, I had made up my mind to go back to see what it was about. After fueling up, I turned back and got back on the way to Bridge of the Gods.

There is a parking lot next to Bridge of the Gods from where you can get a view of the Bridge and I can tell you that it is TALL. I checked on google to see what the deal is and where it heads to and realized it is a toll bridge that cuts to Oregon. Taking that bridge seemed like it might add another 30 minutes to the trip and it was already 8:15AM. Already late as per schedule for the Falls Creek Falls hike. So I decided to skip the bridge this time and get back on the road to the trail. Soon I crossed the town of Stevenson again and WA-14 continued to wind through the mountains. After about 4 miles, I got to the roundabout by which I can exit WA-14 and get on to Wind River Highway – the road that will take me to Gifford Pinchot National Forest.