Mt. Hood-Columbia River Gorge Loop - The Most Scenic Drives in America: 120 Spectacular Road Trips - page 107

For a change of pace and a chance to let someone else drive, take a relaxing trip on
the Mt. Hood Railroad. Leaving from the town's historic district, the train makes a scenic
44-mile tour through the Hood River valley, with ample picture opportunities.
10. The Dalles
An interstate highway, I-84, parallels the Columbia River to The Dalles, which was named
by French explorers who thought the area's basaltic rocks resembled flagstones, or les
dalles.Astheinterstatefollowsthegenerallywideninggorgetotheeast,theroadleadspast
tall pinnacles of volcanic rock deposited in ancient eruptions, floodplains, tablelands, and
on the opposite bank, hills covered with mosses and an abundance of majestic conifers.
When Lewis and Clark came to the region on their epic journey in 1805, they found
it to be a center for Indian trade. Their glowing descriptions—and the discovery of
gold—inspired others to follow, and the town was established in 1838. Today wheat fields
and cherry orchards edge The Dalles, and the historic district contains numerous fine ex-
amples of 19th-century homes and government buildings.