Hood River, Oregon, essentially marks the upstream terminus of the Columbia River Gorge.

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After breakfast, we crossed the Columbia River back into Washington, and traveled west before stopping at Washington’s Stonehenge. It was erected under the auspices of Sam Hill as the nation’s first WWI memorial and dedicated in 1918 to the servicemen of Klickitat County, Washington, who died in the service of their country during the Great War.

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Nearby was the Maryhill Museum of Art is a small museum with an eclectic collection. The museum is situated on a bluff overlooking the eastern end of the Columbia River Gorge. The structure was originally intended as a mansion for entrepreneur Samuel Hill. It was named Maryhill for Hill’s wife, daughter of James J. Hill, a Great Northern Railroad baron, and was intended to be used as a home at which they could entertain Samuel Hill’s school friend King Albert I of Belgium. During a 1917 visit by his friend Loie Fuller, he decided to turn his unfinished home into “a museum for the public good, and for the betterment of French art in the far Northwest of America.” Hill’s contribution to the new museum included almost 90 American Indian baskets, more than 70 Rodin sculptures and watercolors, and many personal items.

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Also, a few butterflies remained still enough to photograph despite the wind. These both may be “lifers’ for me.

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Next was nearby Maryhill Winery. Family-owned and operated since 1999, Maryhill Winery is one of the largest and most visited wineries in Washington, offering spectacular views and a tasting. We sampled a number if wines, while Kay sampled the vanilla bean ice cream.

Our last stop of the day, and of the road trip, was Beacon Rock. Beacon Rock is an 848-foot-tall basalt monolith on the north bank of the Columbia River. It was named by Lewis and Clark in 1805; they noted that the rock marked the eastern extent of the tidal influence in the Columbia.

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We returned to the Wilhelmi’s to spend the next couple of nights. Debra prepared razor clams and sides for our dinner, and Ralph paired the perfect wine from Maryhill Winery with the great dinner.