We had heard that this three hour round trip drive would take us past some beautiful places, so we decided to devote Tuesday to the trip, stopping wherever took our fancy and going on at least one of the many possible hikes.
Our first stop was at Multnomah Falls. This high waterfall was impressive but I didn’t think that it warranted the vast crowds that thronged around it, perhaps because it was situated only about fifty feet from the busy main road. So we jumped back in the car quick smart and continued to the village of Cascade Locks, right on the banks of the mighty Columbia River. This was much quieter and therefore more to our taste. We went for a stroll along the banks of the river and arrived at the jetty for boat tours just in time to board the attractive sternwheeler “Columbia Gorge” which was about to set off on an hour long cruise. This took us under the Bridge of the Gods and up to the Bonneville Dam. Both of these things (and the locks which preceded the dam) made a huge difference to travelling in the area, because in the 19th century the pioneers on the Oregon trail had a terrible time getting past the rapids which used to be here; they had to take their boats and all their possessions out of the river and drag them on land past the dangerous parts. It was back breaking work.
They wouldn’t recognise the wide river now, flowing along majestically with Oregon on one side and Washington State on the other.
Back on the road again, we soon turned south towards Mount Hood. How stunning it is, rising up from the green forest all white and snowy. The countryside became much more agricultural with lots of orchards and vineyards. We stopped at the Hood River Ranger Station where the rangers were really helpful and informative, and gave us a detailed information sheet on our trail of choice - Mirror Lake.
But before we set off we stopped for lunch at a little village, the strangely named Government Camp, after a troop of soldiers who became stranded there in the mid 19th century by the weather had to abandon their supplies. I was astounded to find that it is a ski village complete with Swiss style chalets; it seemed so out of place in the middle of the forest in summer. And what is more, it was in full swing because Mount Hood has enough snow for summer skiing so there were people walking about with skis! We had lunch in a lovely restaurant where I had a slice of yummy Huckleberry pie.
We then parked the car at the trailhead for Mirror Lake, which is a glacial lake which has great views of Mount Hood. It’s a short (forty minutes) but steep hike through the woods up to the lake. It was well worth it; the lake is perfectly round and surrounded by forest, and Mount Hood can be see reflected in its surface. I went in for a paddle and nearly had my toe nibbled by a crayfish (or crawfish as they are called here!)
It was then time to start heading south, a couple of hours drive to our next destination of Silverton. It’s a while since I booked all of our hotels for this road trip so each one is a surprise! The Oregon Garden Resort is a bit like an old-fashioned country club with extensive gardens. It reminds me of the hotel in the film “Dirty Dancing” but sadly there is no Patrick Swayze.
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