The towering basalt cliffs of the lower Columbia River Gorge rank among the most scenic places in the United States. The tour route follows the oak-clad slopes of the Columbia Gorge east from Portland through varied habitats that offer a wide variety of birds, other wildlife, and a brilliant array of wildflowers. We have two nights at Mt. Adams Lodge, at the foot of 12,281-ft. Mt. Adams in the South Cascades. This comfortable lodge offers fine food, sits in a large area of forested grounds, and its feeders are busy with grosbeaks, crossbills, other finches, and Calliope Hummingbirds. Nearby Conboy Lake National Wildlife Refuge hosts nesting White-headed Woodpeckers, Cassin's Vireos, and Gray Flycatchers. The mountains and foothill habitats nearby hold Hermit Warblers, Common Poorwills, and many other species, from Western Tanagers and MacGillivray's Warblers to American Dippers and Lazuli Buntings. The oaks along the Columbia are a summer home to lovely Lewis's Woodpeckers, Ash-throated Flycatchers, and lots of bluebirds.