March 2014 – Just Peachy

Despite a rainy forecast we decided to head out to the Columbia River Gorge on Saturday and do a hike. We hiked up to Devil’s Rest, a high point with no views. But the lack of views on such a cloudy day was no problem, and the exercise was much-needed.

After all the rain, Fairy Falls was really gushing:

It felt great to be back in the forest again:
Green forest

Recent windy weather has resulted in the trail becoming covered with little branches and debris:
Covered trail

There’s a viewpoint a little before the summit, but there wasn’t much to see on this cloudy day:
Peeking through clouds

Cloudy view

The summit is just a pile of boulders in the forest:
Boulder pile

For some reason there a garden gnomes up here:
Gnome

The hike up was dry, but the hike down was rainy and we got soaked. Felt good to take a hot shower when I got home!

Date of visit: May 27, 2012
Population: 6,906 (2010 Census)

Oregon Women won the right to vote in 1912. In 1916 in Umatilla they exercised that right to elect some of their own into city government. Citizens were dissatisfied with the way the all-male city council was running things (or rather, not running things). So on December 5 they voted seven women into power: four city council members, a recorder, a treasurer, and a major. Laura Starcher was elected mayor, defeating her incumbent husband, E.E. Starcher. In her victory speech she said “We believe the women can do many things and effect many reforms in this town that the men did not dare to do.” The press called it a “petticoat coup.”

The Umatilla government continued to be female-dominated until 1921. The women felt that they had accomplished what they wanted done and bowed out that year. No other women stepped up to replace them and the government returned to being all-male.

Welcome to Umatilla