Thorough appreciation of the surrounding charms necessitates climbing some of the neighboring hills, or traveling over the wooded river banks and visiting the rustic towns that lie at the foot of the mountains and guard the gateway to the alluring valleys. Near Stevenson, county seat of Skamania county, overlooking the cascade locks, and Carson, are several hot springs where accommodations for the most particular are available. From these towns one may follow the Wind River Valley to its source beyond the headquarters of the rangers where the U. S. forest nurseries are maintained. A few miles further are the Government Hot Springs, near which many low peaks, easy for climbing, offer expansive views of the surrounding country.

[THE SNAKE RIVER COUNTRY AROUND CLARKSTON.]
Photo by Asahel Curtis.

A twenty-five mile drive up the famous White Salmon Valley takes one to Trout Lake, not far from the ice and lava caves in the foothills of Mount Adams, and near Huckleberry Mountain, a pow-wow place for the Indians. On the way, hundreds of scientifically developed orchards, and oat fields yielding over 100 bushels to the acre, are passed; also the Northwest Electric Company's power plant, which, generating 20,000 horse power, supplies power to cities seventy-five miles away. From the massive bluffs of White Salmon a panorama of perfectly blending color may be seen, formed by the unusual combination of the Columbia River and the mountains to the east and the west, while the entire Hood River Valley, with Mount Hood beyond, is visible on the Oregon side.

The trip from Lyle to Goldendale along the Klickitat River is a journey of surprises. The railroad follows the winding canyon past pretty waterfalls, crosses hurrying brooks, and emerges finally into a wide, fertile plain overlooking the Columbia basin. Fields of waving grain and other products exhibit the richness of the Klickitat valley. Those desiring can motor from Goldendale into the Yakima valley or return to the Columbia via Maryhill, where Hon. Samuel Hill has built a $100,000 road across his 6,000-acre farm.

Nor do all the wonders belong to the lower Columbia. Before being joined by the Snake River, it has drained a region noted for agricultural superiority and contributed liberally to the needs of irrigation. The "Big Bend" on the left, and the valleys watered by its tributaries from the right, are described under the chapter entitled "The Inland Empire."

Following its channel still farther towards the source, wilder scenes are met with, the gorges are deeper, the cascades noisier, native trees more plentiful, waterfalls higher, and the course of the stream more winding. Startling phenomena appear in rapid succession, and scenes unimagined will astonish the tourist who spends a little time in re-exploring this great river, for ages a prize eagerly sought by the searchers for the unknown.

ROCK LAKE, 25 MILES SOUTHWEST OF SPOKANE.
Photo by Curtis & Miller.