Bonneville Hot Springs, Bonneville, Washington

Because I was born and raised in the Pacific Northwest area of the United States, I have an affinity with deep, wide and swiftly flowing rivers, with tall evergreen trees, with mountains and river rock.

A trip up the Columbia River Gorge satisfies all those cravings for memories from my childhood. One of my favorite destinations (besides Crown Point, Multnomah Falls, Bonneville Dam, Rooster Rock and Cascade Locks) is Bonneville Hot Springs. The hot springs are on the north side of the Columbia River, on the Washington side. (Get your atlas and find boundary between Washington State and Oregon~that's the Columbia River.)

Flower and I packed our swimming suits and towels and drove up the Oregon side of the gorge, crossed the river at Cascade Locks on the Bridge of the Gods, and arrived

at the front door of *

with ample time to walk through the lobby and appreciate the craftsmanship of the wooden mantle over the huge, smooth river rock fireplace.


The Columbia River Gorge, and indeed the entire Pacific Northwest is synonymous with fir and cedar trees and salmon. The salmon motif is often seen in local sculpture and Native American art.


The Douglas fir trees towered over us as we walked through the garden. From our chairs in the inner courtyard, we faced these trees and the rock wall fountain. The wall fountain runs the entire length of the garden area and the water flows on both sides of the wall, inside and outside of the garden area. I'm sure the fountain represents the Columbia River flowing from eastern Washington to the Pacific Ocean through the gorge.

We spent our morning at the hot springs resort basking in the sun's rays, soaking in the hot tub,

using our muscles in the swimming pool and relaxing them in the sauna.

It made for the perfect outing!

If you're ever driving up the Columbia River Gorge and have a few hours to spare, this is one place where you could invest them!

*the mountain you see in the silver silhouette is Mt. Hood, the highest mountain in the Cascades Mountain range in Oregon.