The Columbia River Gorge is one of those places that is so pretty that it sticks in your mind even a quarter century after you first see it. (I first saw it as a freshman at Walla Walla College.) Vista House is memorable both for its charming appearance and the fact that it has views in three directions.
After Ford Motor Company made it possible for everyone to have a car, the demand for high-quality (not dirt) roads increased. Someone had the idea to build a road through the gorge, and the first planned scenic drive in the United States was completed in 1922. Vista House, which opened in 1918, was created as a rest stop.
The view looking east toward Walla Walla, which if you squint just right you still won’t be able to see. (Walla Walla is another couple hundred miles upriver.)
The view north to Washington State.
The view west toward Portland.
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