We crossed the Columbia at The Dalles and then went east along the river. We took a side trip down to the tiny town of Wishram, which claimed to have a historic train. We found it, but I couldn't get a good photo of it because it was behind a chain link fence and under a shelter. So we got back on the highway headed for Maryhill.
We had been told by several people to be sure to stop at the Maryhill Museum, which we did. Maryhill Museum was originally planned to be the residence of entrepreneur Sam Hill, who bought 5,000 acres of land in 1907 along the Columbia and planned to start a Quaker agricultural community. The town never materialized, so Hill turned the home into an art museum, which opened in 1940. Along with a collection of paintings and Rodin sculptures, there is a large collection of Indian art and artifacts from the Lewis and Clark expedition and about 100 chess sets from around the world.
In addition to being a lawyer, Hill was a road and monument builder. Among his accomplishments are the scenic Columbia River Highway and the Peace Arch at the Canadian border. The setting of the museum is really spectacular.
From Maryhill we went north on Highway 97 to Goldendale. It isn't much of a town, but the scenery around it was pretty neat. The town is surrounded by wheat fields and we had some wonderful views of Mt. Adams, the second tallest mountain in the Pacific Northwest, after Mt. Rainier.
From Goldendale we headed southwest along Highway 142. It turns into a very narrow, but paved, twisty road along the Klickitat River. It was a beautiful day and a very pleasant drive.
We arrived back in Hood River in time for tea. Later in the evening we had a wonderful dinner at Celilo in downtown Hood River.
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