Flag bridge through the seasons in the Old Mill district of Bend, Oregon
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Oregon Trunk Railroad Bridge
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Designs in… nature
may be spikey and sharp
curve around contours
or fracture along fault lines
Designs in… the human-made world
may symbolize city skylines
carved details of the cosmos
or footpaths leading us forward
Lens-Artist Photography Challenge – Looking back to 174 – Shapes and design
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The Bridge of the Gods spans the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington state. We had never driven over the bridge before and decided to check it out on a trip last year. About 1.6 million people cross this bridge every year.
The south end of the 1,858-foot long bridge is located at Cascade Locks in Oregon. In 2024, the toll for a passenger car to drive over the bridge was $3. A list of tolls for vehicles of other sizes is on this page.
I thought the structure over the toll booth had a simple yet elegant design.
The bridge is 35 feet wide with two 12 foot wide lanes.
In 1920, the U.S. War Department issued the initial construction permit for this bridge. Construction stalled. In 1926, the Wauna Toll Bridge Company bought an interest in the bridge for about $600,000. It was originally 92 feet above the river, but had to be raised 44 feet due to rising waters related to the Bonneville Dam construction in 1938. Ownership of the bridge passed to the Columbia River Bridge Company and then to the current owner, the Port of Cascades Locks, in 1961.
The grid construction style has an industrial feel to it. This is a steel truss cantilever bridge.
You may be wondering why this structure is called the “Bridge of the Gods.” Around 1450, a massive landslide blocked the Columbia River near where the bridge is presently located. Eventually, the river breached the dam. At that time, it was 200 feet high by 3.5 miles long.
Here is a view of the Columbia River to the east. The bridge sits 140 feet above the water.
Native Americans may have regularly crossed over the temporary land bridge before it washed away. Cascade Rapids formed when it was breached, but disappeared once the Bonneville Dam was constructed.
There is a Native American legend about this site. It says Manito, the Great Spirit, created a bridge to cross the river. She appointed a guardian, Loo-Wit, to watch over the bridge. The grateful people named it the Bridge of the Gods.
Manito sent his three snow mountain sons to Earth. Multnomah, the warrior (Mt. Rainier), Klickitat, the totem maker (Mt. Adams), and Wy’east, the singer (Mt. Hood) got along well until Squaw Mountain moved between two of them.
Squaw Mountain loved Wy’east, but flirted with Klickitat and eventually a rivalry arose between the brothers. In their anger, they shook the earth, spat ash, and belched clouds of black smoke. The hot rocks they hurled at each other caused forest fires. The rocks piled up on the bridge and the earth shook, causing the bridge to collapse.
Their angry father, Manito, punished them by creating huge rapids in the river.
Read a more complete version of the story, and the conclusion, here.
When you travel about halfway across the current bridge, you’ll see the “Welcome to Washington” sign.
Here’s the view of the river to the West.
When you get close to the north end of the bridge, you’ll see why Washington is called the “Evergreen State.”
Fun Fact: In 1927, aviator Charles Lindbergh flew his plane low over the newly constructed Bridge of the Gods then turned around and flew underneath it.
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Here’s the view as we were driving across the Columbia River into Hood River, Oregon on a recent trip. You can see Mount Hood peeking over the hills on the left side of the picture.
We happened to be there when the annual Association of Wind + Watersports Industries event was taking place. Here’s a picture of the Hood River Bridge from the Oregon side. Can you see all the windsurfers out there?
Historic Short Bridge, built in 1945.
I saw these lodgepole pines on pilings next to a bridge crossing the Deschutes River. I was hiking the trail to Benham Falls but had to pause to marvel at these little trees. Trout swam around the pilings, providing a little extra fertilizer for this odd nursery.
Who knows why the trees settled there. They certainly found a nice piece of waterfront property with a view. 😉
Crooked River Railroad Bridge
You might drive right past the Peter Skene Ogden Viewpoint but stop and check it out. Driving along U.S. Route 97 north of Redmond, Oregon, a bridge dramatically spanning a deep canyon grabs your attention. The Crooked River Railroad Bridge was built in 1911. It passes over the Crooked River, 320 feet below.
There is a nice rest area here with picnic tables, restrooms, and scenic viewpoints. You can get a bird’s eye views of birds of prey, swallows, and other cliff dwellers from here. We had a bald eagle glide over our heads while a turkey vulture drifted by nearby.
The Crooked River, true to its name, meanders in a twisting course through the canyon below the bridge. You get great views of the lichen covered cliffs from this viewpoint. This area was formed about 350,000 years ago as lava flows from the Newberry Volcano, 40 miles to the south, moved northwards.
This viewpoint is named after Peter Skene Ogden, who first entered central Oregon in 1825 when working as a trapper for the Hudson’s Bay Company. For more about the park, click here.
Crooked River
