Join me as I share some pictures I've taken over the years while traveling Highway 197 in Oregon. It stretches almost 70 miles north to south from Shaniko Jct NE of Madras to The Dalles in the Columbia River Gorge. It then extends a couple more miles into the state of Washington where it junctions with SR 14. There are many things to see along this route these are just a few of the sights. 😀
Leaving The Dalles
As you begin traveling south from The Dalles you are very quickly into the rolling wheat fields. Below you can see the contrast in the landscape from spring to summer
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A little further down the road you are greeted with a magnificent view of Mt Hood. Another spring time shot.
Some of the grain storage on the edge of town.
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The Balch Hotel inside the town of Dufur. A boutique hotel that is even rumored to be haunted. 😱 👻
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Of course just down the street are some more modest accommodations. 😁
Shots of a rain storm in the Cascade mountain range as you drive up the road out of Dufur.
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Mt Hood as you approach the Tygh Grade Summit.
Decending into Tygh Valley you are treated to some "roadside" artwork up on the hill
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Very creative I must say.
A llama at the bottom of the hill.
A stone farm house.
A spring time look at the valley as you climb out the other side.
As you reach the top of the hill you are treated to this view of Mt Hood behind an old homestead.
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A view looking down river that also shows the old abandon power station
A view of White River Falls from the old power station.
A full blooming lilac above the falls.
Maupin is probably best known for its rafting culture during the spring and summer. I can attest to how much fun it is as I am the one in the green/yellow shirt. 😄
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Most of the time when I pass through though I use the little boat launch/camping/picnic area as a rest stop. On this occasion I was lucky enough to catch a train on the way through.
The Mountain Finder at Criterion Summit provides spectacular views of the Central Oregon Cascades...
As well as a view back to Mt Adams in Washington some 90 miles away.
Hope you enjoyed this little visual tour along Highway 197 in Oregon. It is a lightly traveled route with a lot of incredible scenery.
Please feel free to make comments or ask me any questions about this post.
Photos taken by me, @oldmans, with a Nikon D3300 and some Lightroom post processing.
Please visit Pinmapple to see the locations of some of my other posts.
Thanks for looking and enjoy your day!
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