Vista House -- as fascinating as a rest stop can get
After nearly 25 years of life in France, I still feel right at home in Olympia, where I was born and raised.
But once I leave Washington's fine capital city, even for a day, I feel like a tourist in the USA.
Last summer, my mother and I took an overnight trip to Portland and the Columbia River Gorge. As you can see, we had the grandest weather possible, and I discovered a quirky historic roadside stop: Vista House.
Roll on Columbia, roll on...
As its name implies, Vista House offers a stunning view..
Built by Multonomah County as a rest stop in 1917, the octagonal "comfort station" lives on, financed in part by Oregon State and in part by FOVH, or Friends of Vista House.
A long renovation, completed in 2005, restored Vista House to its former glory
I found the building and its viewpoint pretty exciting to visit in 2014.
I can only imagine what motorists who stopped there for the grand opening in 1918, just 5 years after the completion of the Columbia River Highway, must have felt.
A video illustrates the history of this intriguing site.
