Mt Hood, Oregon

7887mm08

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Traveling to Oregon from NY this week for a wedding. Any sight seeing tips? Will be staying in Hood River
Thanks
Gary
 
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Originally Posted By: jumprightinitBonneville Dam has a parklike area with several types of trout ponds and a sturgeon pond.
That's sounds like something we will check out. Thanks
 
Just a drive up through the Columbia Gorge would be a high point of your trip.

Bonneville Dam, Multnomah Falls, Maryhill Museum and the replica of Stonehenge to name a few. That and the natural beauty of the place makes for a wonderful time.

Heck, skip the wedding, you got better things to do
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Originally Posted By: KenlguyJust a drive up through the Columbia Gorge would be a high point of your trip.

Bonneville Dam, Multnomah Falls, Maryhill Museum and the replica of Stonehenge to name a few. That and the natural beauty of the place makes for a wonderful time.

Heck, skip the wedding, you got better things to do
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From the airport heading East towards Hood River.

If you have time you may want to check out The Vista House. You will need to google up directions. This will put you onto the old hwy and goes up the side of the gorge. The Vista House has incredible views of the gorge. This will then drop you back down to regular river height and continue on east on the old hwy. If you choose to not take in the Vista House, you will be wondering what that round looking thing is way up on the side of the cliffs. There are also lots of small water falls to take in along this route on the old hwy. Just be sure to lock any and all valuable in the trunk, as the undesirables have a tendency to smash and grab anything left in sight in cars.

Multnomah Falls is only about 20 minutes from the airport as you head east to Hood River. It is a LEFT hand exit, so pay attention and be in the left lane when you see the signs. The parking lot fills up fast and for most of the day, so hopefully you are either early or later in the day. They will close it from the west when it is full but not from the east. If you miss it on the way you can always catch it on the way back to PDX.

Rooster Rock state park is nice if you want to soak your feet in the Columbia and sit in the sand. It is a day use fee park, and also one end of the beach is clothing optional---just in case you are into that.

Cascade Locks is a small town along the way. It has a great little burger joint (East-wind Drive in) with giant ice cream cones. It is on the main drag---one road through town so hard to miss it. In the afternoons it often will have a line on the sidewalk outside. Great burgers but the ice cream is what everyone stops for. Real nice park right behind it to walk along the river while eating your ice cream cone.

Bonneville Dam has a great fish hatchery which you can easily kill an hour at. Trout, Salmon and GIANT sturgeon to see, and feed if you have a couple of quarters for fish food. The Dam itself is also off the same exit and a great place to kill another hour---fish ladders should have some salmon going through and summer steal head. If you are into it the dam tour is also pretty neat. The visitors center at the dam is worth taking some time to check out even if you don't do a tour. The fish ladder viewing windows are in the lower level of the visitors center.

Hood River has all sorts of great eats and drinking places especially if you are into micro brews. Just ask around and you can find them easily. It is also pretty neat to just hit the park on the river and watch the people kite boarding, sail boarding, etc. I never knew that the little hotties actually wear thongs around there. Pretty nice eye candy wondering around the area. When parking by the river be sure to remember that the wind blows here often and hard. When you open a car door pay attention to the wind direction. I have seen more than one get the door hinges tweaked but the wind catching them.

Take a drive up the Hood River Valley (hwy 35) and you will see all sorts of fruit orchards and fruit stands. Really pretty drive with nice views of MT Hood. Also just 5 miles up there is 2 little gas stations that often have the cheapest fuel in the state.

If you have time go on up hwy 35 it continues all the way around Mt Hood and you can come back into Portland that way. When you reach the summit take a drive up to Timberline Lodge. Obviously not much snow this time of year but it is a historical lodge built in the 30's. Pretty awesome architecture and just neat to see, plus great views if the skies are clear. If you have kids along there is all sort of stuff to blow $$$'s on at the summit. Alpine slide, go carts, standard tourist stuff.

If you have time on your hands you can go across the river at either Cascade Locks< The Dalles, or Biggs. On the Washington side is the Mary Hill museum and a complete replica of of Stonehenge. I have never been through the museum, but Stonehenge is pretty neat to see---especially if you don't have plans to ever make it across the pond to see the real one in England. It was built as a memorial to local fallen war hero's. Nothing fancy just somber and neat to see. If you make it to Stonehendge before heading back to the West, go East just 2 miles and there is a wide roadside turnout with awesome views of the gorge both directions. To the East is the John Day Dam and to the West is back towards Portland. Really outstanding photo opp's especially sunrise and sunset from this spot.

I forgot to mention that if you are not up on Oregon geology, this will give you a quick lesson. From Hood River West is all pretty and green. From Hood river East is Oregon high desert with sage brush and wheat fields.

I drive this section of hwy weekly and never get tired of the scenery and changing seasons. You are at the peak of the dry season. Keep in mind that the gorge has some extremely nasty weather in the winter as you are passing from the "wet side" of Oregon to "the dry side" of Oregon. The Hood River Valley has some incredible scenery during the changing of the seasons. Beautiful fall colors and really pretty spring blossoms on the fruit trees in the spring.

Hope you enjoy your visit and do your best to stay out of Portland proper. Between the homeless and the protesters the city itself can be fairly ugly.
 
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If you head east on 90 and make it over to The Dalles, Oregon there is the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center. Lots of info there from geology to Lewis and Clark up to the turn of the century.
 
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