Tuesday, December 16, 2014

Travel Tuesday: Vista House


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. 

7 comments:

Toast King said...

Hmmm... looks vaguely familiar! :-)

I've been enjoying your blog posts here on LFP.

Genie -- Paris and Beyond said...

What a fabulous discovery! I think that even when you are close to familiar surroundings, that you should observe like a tourist. You never know what you might discover!

Bises,
Genie

Betty Carlson said...

Steve -- so nice to know you are still out there reading! I think you had the first blog I had ever seen or heard of!

Genie -- I guess observing like a tourist is a little what this blog is about, actually. I found after so long in France, I was feeling a little blasé about it.

Susan said...

Betty: I feel more and more like a tourist in Australia. I'm always surprised at how patchy my knowledge of the country can be too.

I love Vista House.

Betty Carlson said...

Susan, have you actually been there? That's pretty far afield for an Australian (but then again, so is France...)

Anonymous said...

the trip to Vista house and the views are wonderful. striking even for the Pacific NorthWest USA known for its beautiful scenic views.
Lorac

Sarah said...

What an amazing view, and from such an elegant building. Lovely.