We awoke on a rainy overcast day to walk to the Saturday Market in Portland. The mix of people milling about and getting in some early morning food was a sight. I spent time watching a man play a reggie tune on a Jamaican Drum under an umbrella as Maria went shopping for a new hat. People just seemed to take it in stride and didn't care that the weather was miserable.
After getting in some breakfast and making for the highway, we got on the I-84 heading to the East. Apparently some freakish storm was coming in and we needed to make for the Columbia River Gorge. If one looks on Google earth, you can see that east of the Portland lies the Cascade Range - of which Mt. Hood is a part of. East of this line, the land looses its forests in favor of steppe and then desert. In theory a good line of protection from any incoming storm.
The Gorge is beautiful. The tributaries and waterfalls were raging with the incoming rain. A soft quite mist and low laying clouds gently caressed the shear high walls of the canyon. We made our way to Multnomah Falls where a stone house served as a way station to get food and strong coffee. I couldn't help but think how much I liked the idea that 30 minutes from Portland was this wilderness oasis. Reminded me of San Francisco in that extent - that one can be downtown and drive 30 minutes to be in the woods.
Just 30 minutes down the road we got into Hood River, OR. I think next time, I'm going to plan to spend a few nights here. It would make a perfect jump point to the mountain trails of Mt Hood and the River Gorge. Its also a surprisingly hip little town with a multitude of galleries, restaurants, and a wine bar converted from a gas station. After walking about, we got to the Hood River Hotel - though, we didn't stay the night, I think I'd pick this as my place to stay:
We then took the 35 highway up towards Mt. Hood. The weather was getting bad and the summit was blanketed by dark clouds. We did manage to stop and get in a hike to Tamanawas Falls. Its about a 2 hour hike up and down some jagged rocks at one point. Well worth it.
We were hoping to get in Trillium Lake - but the weather was getting really bad and so we got back on the 35 and took it to the 26 towards Madras and Bend Oregon. The scenery changes at the drop of a hat. Tall ever green trees give way to an almost (in comparison) barren landscape of scrub brush and high desert fauna.
We did manage to escape the brunt of the bad weather. As we headed south we actually managed to get in some sun light and had a reasonable time in Bend and then at Sun River. However, time was limited and our last night we spent in Ashland Or.
Ashland is where the Shakespeare festival is. Again, a small trendy town with a host of restaurants. We stayed at the Springs hotel - which is the tallest building in town at a whopping 9 stories. I actually wouldn't recommend this place. Snobby, overrated, and overpriced quickly come to mind. Some of the motels - especially the one near the high school were very reasonable.
That said, we made back to bay. As always, it is good being back home.
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