WHITE SALMON

The town of White Salmon sits on the northern bluff of the Columbia Gorge and dips its toe into the White Salmon River, from which it takes its name.  Proximity to the river makes White Salmon a great jumping off place for stream fishing and river rafting.  Highway 141 wanders through town and up to Mt. Adams, with lots of opportunities for hiking and sightseeing and more extreme wilderness sports.  This small German-themed city has lately become a mini center for the arts, with local artists in residence around the White Salmon Glassworks on Jewitt Boulevard.

BINGEN

Bingen, named after Bingen on the Rhine in Germany, lies low along the Columbia River and Highway 14.  Bingen is all about commerce.  Wood products, fruit packing and shipping (on the Columbia River) are vital to its prosperity.  Bingen is at the northern terminus of the Hood River Bridge, has an active port and marina, and the only railway station between The Dalles and Vancouver, Washington.  (It is also the only railway station in the United States to be named after two towns:  Bingen - White Salmon.)  The Broughton log flume, the last in operation in the United States is just west of town.  It closed in 1987.