Museum Plans Petroglyph and Winery Tour

This event has been canceled due to a medical emergency. Thank you for your interest in this event.

Stevenson, WA- Seats are filling fast for the Saturday, Oct. 20, “Petroglyph & Winery Tour,” sponsored by the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center Museum in Stevenson. The day will include a short presentation at the museum; transportation to the Columbia Hills State Park where the group will receive a guided tour by park personnel, then enjoy a box lunch, and proceed to two wineries for wine tasting.

“We are so delighted that Marilynn Weaver and Les Hastings have taken on this project,” said Executive Director Sharon Tiffany at the museum. “They have put together an excellent adventure.” Weaver, who is of Native American descent and frequent volunteer presenter at the museum, will introduce the group to ancient rock art with a PowerPoint presentation in the DeGroote Theatre at the museum at 8 a.m. Hastings, a long-time board member and head of the education committee, will assist her and also speak to the geology of the gorge.

From the museum, the tour goes by bus, provided by Martin’s Gorge Tours of Stevenson, to the state park for the guided tour. The park is home to dozens of examples of early art, including the internationally famous Tsagaglalal, also known as She Who Watches, considered by experts to be the best example of Native American rock art on the continent. (A stylized version of Tsagaglalal is the museum’s logo, with the generous permission of the Wishram people.) The group will lunch at the park, and then proceed to the first winery, Cascade Cliffs, in Wishram, then on to Alma Terra Winery, before returning to Stevenson by 4 p.m.

Cost of the tour is $40 per person (non-refundable) which covers transportation and a box lunch. Tour company owner, Martin Hecht, is offering museum participants more than 50 percent off his normal winery tour fee. There is an optional $5 tasting fee at each winery. The tour of the state park is strictly limited to 20 people, as is the bus. Travel by private transportation will not be allowed. “Our advice,” said Hastings, “is to register as soon as possible.” This is an adults-only event. Registration must be completed by Friday, October 12.

Participants should park in the museum staff parking lot and be in the DeGroote Theatre by 8 a.m. sharp. “Wear comfortable clothes, a hat or sun glasses, sun block lotion, and walking shoes for the narrow trail,” advised Weaver. “And don’t forget the camera – there is a gorgeous view of the river, and of course, all the beautiful petroglyphs and pictographs.”

Photo Caption: Martin Hecht of Martin’s Gorge Tours stands below Tsagaglalal (She Who Watches) just one of the hundreds of petroglyphs to be seen on the guided tour at Columbia Hills State Park, Saturday, Oct.20.

To register or ask questions, call the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center Museum at 800-991-2338 or 509-427-8211. The museum is located at 900 Rock Creek Drive, Stevenson.