Day #9: Portland, OR to Hayden, ID

Just outside Portland and after you enter the Columbia River Gorge is a little must-see gem:

The Multnomah Falls are spectacular. They are the second tallest year round fresh water falls. You can walk up to the base of the falls or hike about a quarter of a mile up to the observation bridge. The bridge lies just above the lower falls and level with the bottom of the highest falls.  It was a quick little hike but the views of the falls and of the Columbia River were great.

The first three hours or so as you drive through the gorge is really beautiful. So many gorgeous vistas to see around every turn-ragged rocks, green, rolling hills and the wide plane of the river to your left. Soon after you cross over into southern Washington State it is dry, rolling hills and farmland for as far as the eye can see.  This was really unexpected as I thought the landscape here would be greener...wetter and rockier.  Before we knew it we had traversed through Spokane, crossed over into Idaho and found our way to the wilds of Hayden (just north of Coeur d'Alene).

Fun Facts From Today:

Number of times a child asked me "Are we there yet?" = 11

Miles driven today = 403

Number of wrong turns = 1 (does it count if I saw the correct road as I drove by it?)

Total number of miles driven to date = 2,050



Conversations Overheard in the Car:

Todays discussion revolved, surprisingly, around the topic of Cuba. Olivia began asking questions such as:

"Why can't people leave Cuba?"
"Who is their President?"
"How do they get to the United States?"
"Why wouldn't people want to help them?"
"I want to help them. What can I do to help the people of Cuba so that they can have better lives?"

Which then led to a discussion about the difference one person can make. How every individual is important and can make a difference in the lives of others.