Neales on Wheels: Sightseeing in The Dalles, Oregon

We ate an early lunch today and left the campground at 11:30 to go sightseeing in The Dalles. We pulled over onto the shoulder on I-84 to take some photos of the RV and the Memaloose State Park.

From Ft. Lewis to Memaloose State Park

We arrived at the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Wasco County Historical Museum a little before noon.

From Columbia Gorge Discovery Center

The cost of admission for seniors is $10 each. One of the first sights we saw was Pearl, a female American Kestrel or sometimes called a Sparrow Hawk. The American Kestrel is the only kestrel found in the Americas.

From Columbia Gorge Discovery Center

The first exhibit we entered was the one for the Lewis & Clark Expedition. We saw a display of weapons

From Columbia Gorge Discovery Center

and one of navigation tools - sextants, compasses and telescopes.

From Columbia Gorge Discovery Center

The next exhibit was on the Ice Age on the Columbian Plateau. We saw a painting of a Giant Short Faced Bear

From Columbia Gorge Discovery Center

and a comparison between a Giant Short Faced Bear skull and a Black Bear skull. I REALLY wouldn't want to meet up with a Giant Short Faced Bear!!

From Columbia Gorge Discovery Center

We saw exhibits on the Oregon Trail

From Columbia Gorge Discovery Center

and on the history of Wasco County.

From Columbia Gorge Discovery Center

We stopped in at the Basalt Rock Cafe for some coffee while we waited for the Live Raptor Exhibition at 2:00. We sat outside of the cafe on the patio to drink our coffee and Mike noticed these ants that had crawled into the salt shaker and died.

From Columbia Gorge Discovery Center

At 2:00 we walked back into the River Gallery to watch one of the volunteers with "Killer", a female Red-tailed Hawk,

From Columbia Gorge Discovery Center

and "Junior", a Great Horned Owl.

From Columbia Gorge Discovery Center

Both raptors had suffered injuries as young birds and are unable to fend for themselves in the wild. We learned about their different life habits and styles of hunting.

After leaving the Discovery Center, we drove into town to go to the Fort Dalles Museum. On our way to the museum we took some photos of some houses

From The Dalles, OR

and of old St. Peter's (Catholic Church 1897-1970) Landmark which was built in 1897 and can now be rented for weddings.

From The Dalles, OR

From St. Peter's Landmark we drove up some fairly steep hills until we reached the Fort Dalles Museum, which is Oregon's oldest historical museum.

From Fort Dalles Museum

After paying the $4 senior admission for each of us, one of the volunteers gave us a short orientation on the exhibits in the museum.

One of the first things I noticed was this custom-made Hoosier cabinet with all of the compartments and drawers labeled sitting in what had been the kitchen in the Surgeon's Quarters.

From Fort Dalles Museum

We walked through the first floor rooms with exhibits of period furniture and clothing.

From Fort Dalles Museum

We next went upstairs and saw exhibits of more furniture, clothing,

From Fort Dalles Museum

saddles, and this beautiful window.

From Fort Dalles Museum

We walked outside to view the antique vehicles that are stored in a separate building. Unlike the WAAAM museum we visited in Hood River, the autos and wagons here are not restored.

From Fort Dalles Museum

The Anderson Homestead is just across the street from the Fort Dalles Museum, but because it was now 4:00 and the museum was closing we just took photos of the 1895 Swedish log house.