Bridge of the Gods

Summer Journal. Right. Carrying on, then, after a too-long hiatus.

Last Wednesday afternoon found me Portland(ish)-bound on I-84. I was alone on this leg of the journey, so I felt safe trying out my old Amy Grant "Heart in Motion" CD, just to see how it aged. To be honest - and my grandest apologies, Amy - it did not age well. After track 3 ("Every Heartbeat"), things go downhill rather quickly. I felt like my ears were bleeding from the incredible treble imbalance, for one thing. I supposed that every dog within a 3-mile radius was probably tracking my car. For another thing, remind me: were we really okay with the musical exhale (i.e., swallowing and then letting out an "aaaaaaaah" during instrumental breaks)? Maybe it was fine for the 90s, but I'm hereby completely disowning it for the entire 21st century.

Talk radio was a perfect palate cleanser.

My route led me to my first toll bridge in about 5 years (the last one being somewhere around Buffalo, New York). I was crossing the Oregon border back into Washington via Cascade Locks and the Bridge of the Gods. I read that this bridge was originally made by the Bonneville landslide, which dammed the Columbia River (i.e., the gods made it), and then after it washed away, the man-made bridge was built in the 1920s.

 These fellas look like they've had too much Amy Grant.

It was a great place to stretch my legs before paying the dollar to allow me back into my home state. The winds were relentless, but the views were just lovely.