Whenever anyone comes to visit us in Portland, my first instinct is to take them to the Columbia River Gorge. So when Laura was in town last weekend, we did just that. We started with breakfast at Sweedeedee in Portland (get there right when it opens or wait in line forever) before heading to the Historic Columbia River Highway.
Along the highway, we made our usual stops at the Portland Women’s Forum Scenic Overlook, the Vista House, Multnomah Falls, and a slow cruise by the various waterfalls along the way. Having been overwhelmed by the number of tourists along this road all summer long, I feel safe in saying that October is the ideal time to visit. Nothing was terribly crowded, the leaves are changing, and the weather was perfect. October for the win.
We drove all the way east to the Rowena Crest Viewpoint, where we were amazed by how dry and brown everything was compared to everything just a few miles west. But take a look at that beautiful Columbia River!
We wanted to show off the bounty of Oregon’s Autumn, so we went apple picking at Kiyokawa Family Orchards. Unfortunately, with such a hot summer and fall, most of the apples had already come and gone from the trees, but we managed to pick our share of Jonagolds (and buy a bunch of pre-picked apples from their huge collection).
I think this was the point where our bag broke. Whoops.
We had pretty excellent views of Mount Adams from the orchard, but Mount Hood was hidden by the clouds.
We continued on around Mount Hood for a stop at Trillium Lake. We first visited here a few years ago during a snowstorm and couldn’t see a thing, so it’s always nice to see the grand reflection of Mount Hood.
We made our way up Mount Hood for a visit to Timberline Lodge. It’s not nearly as impressive without snow, but it’s still pretty cool. Plus, the view from the front door is pretty spectacular. You can go inside and take a look around at the little museum of Timberline Lodge history, and see the amazing wood and stone work that went into building this thing.
Here’s to you, Mount Hood!
-Ally
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