General Discussion

I was on Amtrak's Empire Builder train headed for Portland. The train splits in Spokane WA and part goes to Seattle and part goes to Portland. In fact, the train travels on that railroad track in your second picture. It goes through the gorge right along the river the last morning of the trip, with a stop in Vancouver WA before it crosses the river and the trip ends in Portland. I highly recommend taking the train instead of driving.