Mt. Hood and Falls Tour

To conclude our tour of Oregon, we visited Mt. Hood and drove the scenic Columbia River Gorge area. We were fortunate to have another clear day to make the most of our picture-taking opportunities. Roads presented no problems as we made our way to the Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood although the snow was still piled high on the mountain and around the lodge. The interior of the lodge is unique because of the massive timbers and rock used in the construction by the WPA in the mid 1930s. The furniture was also impressive, handcrafted on site by a single furniture builder. It, too, is massive by design. On the mountain, there were numerous snowboarders and skiers.

From Mt. Hood we continued northward to the Historic Columbia River Highway in order to view the many spectacular waterfalls that are present in the area. Enroute we also visited the Bonneville Dam, saw the locks and toured the visitors center. At the visitors center there is a fish ladder to allow the salmon to migrate upstream for spawning. We were only able to see a couple of fish while we were there but we were told the week before the fish ladder was packed with salmon. We also were able to view the dam at The Dalles, a large backward "L" shaped structure that we were unable to visit because of security measures that have been in effect since 9/11. The hydroelectric plant has sufficient capacity to supply the electric needs of two cities the size of Portland.

On the "falls" portion of the trip, which led back to our campground, we saw five large waterfalls, the most famous of which is Multnomah. Multnomah is a 629' high double falls which has always been one of Oregon's top tourist attractions. Pictures of it seem pretty exciting, however it must be viewed in person to really appreciate it's awesomeness. The other most interesting attraction on our way home was the Vista House at Crown Point. It sets 733' above the Columbia River providing a majestic view of the river and the surrounding area.

Last, but certainly not least, was another new place to eat!  It was called The Big Bear Market, a combination grocery store, restaurant and bar.  It didn't look like much, but the food was GREAT!  So good, in fact, that we returned the next night for the Ribeye Steak special, a 12 oz. ribeye with all of the trimmings including fresh-picked asparagus from a local farm.  All of that for only $10.95.  WOW!!