Along the Columbia - late June, 2000
After we visited friends in Pendleton, Oregon and toured that part of the state, we worked our way down the Columbia river gorge.  In this picture, Al is standing at an overlook of the river at Bridal Veil falls.
 

During this trip, one of the most spectacular views was of Mount Hood.  We were at Memaloose State Park, which is right off Interstate Highway 84 near Hood River, Oregon. The picture of Al and the trailer is at Memaloose State Park,OR.  We spent 3 nites and left on June 25th for Eugene, OR.  It is very pretty but can be a little noisy because there is a freeway to the south and up a hill and a traintrack to the north and down a hill.
 

Lost Lake is on the west side of Mount Hood, and while we were in the area we drove to the lake.  We were told this was one of the best places to take pictures. It is a small lake surrounded by tall trees and on a clear day Mt. Hood's reflection appears in it.  Unfortunately there were clouds while we were there and they were around the mountain...a lot of the rest of the sky was clear. The peak didn't clear until we were already part way back down the mountain toward the Columbia.

There are no motor boats allowed on the lake so they rent row boats.  There is a footpath all around the lake and a large picnic area in the trees.  There is a BBQ grill at each table and most of the tables have a view of the lake.  Some of the sites are open enough that you can fish from the shore.  The rhododendruns were still blooming and it was cool--we both had on light jackets and jeans and were still cool. I bet you are having trouble working up any sympathy for us!!  There is also a campground but we didn't check it out because the road up the mountain is very curvy and fairly steep if you take into account the number of miles going up.  It was well worth the trip, however.

Before we went to the lake we went to an orchard and got a couple containers of cherries--they were not really open for sales, but the owner picked them while we were there so we could take some away.
 

The pictures of the falls (with the bridge) are Multnomah Falls.  To quote a tourist info. magazine--" The Columbia River Gorge--specifically the OR side of the western Gorge--offers the greatest concentration of waterfalls in N. America.  It's a matter of geology, not coincidence."  To cut the explanation short, tremendous floods, freeze-thaw cycle, erosion etc.    The trail to the bridge is pretty good, but I did that when I was young and didn't see any point in getting in someone else's way...pretty good excuse I thought.  Anyway, the falls is the tallest in N. America  ( 620 ft.) after Yosemite Falls. Hopefully you can see the small falls that come off of the larger fall before it drops into the pool at the top. There is also a lot of spray.
 

Another interesting experience we had...The opposite side of the freeway has an exit and parking so people heading west can see the falls also. Once parked you walk under the freeway and then under a train trestle which is only about 3 ft. above your head. A train came while we were under the trestle and you can look up thru the trestle to see the train speeding by.  The noise was incredible, too.

Oregon Coast - Fourth of July

While spending the fourth of July in Florence, Oregon, we had a chance to see some spectacular scenery.  One day we drove north up the coast highway and stopped at several state parks and waysides.
 

The first was Heceta Head Lighthouse.  This picture shows the beach we stopped at on the middle right side.  From the beach you cannot see the lighthouse.  This picture was taken at a pull off on the highway as it wound along the coast south of the lighthouse.  If you see a small white spot on the left side of the farthest hill, that is Heceta Lighthouse.

We were too late to go on the tour so we may try that at a later time. This particular part of the Oregon coast has some high cliffs with beautiful vistas.  Of course, the trees are tall and the foliage is different colors of green. Wildflowers. Today there was little surf. There are also numerous large boulders in the water on this section of the coast.  When the tide is low you can see even more black rocks near the shoreline.

Next stop: Cape Perpetua Visitor Center.  When the whales are migrating they can sometimes be seen from here.  This would be interesting to see.  We did drive up to the Perpetua lookout and walk the trail at the top. This area is a rainforest and the average rainfall is 78 inches a yr.  Needless to say there are numerous sizes and types of ferns and lots of undergrowth.

Here is one pictures from this vista.  It shows the coastline, highway and the rocky shoreline.

Oregon Coast from Cape Perpetua Viewpoint

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