Oregon Vacation - Day 1 - Columbia Gorge

There are times in our lives where Mister and I think we are super informed and on top of things.  Last April, we had one such moment.  I was reading the monthly Texas Journey magazine from AAA and saw an article about an upcoming total eclipse.  It said the best viewing spot would be in Madras, Oregon.  I mentioned that it would super cool to see this and reminded him that the Portland area has been on his list for awhile.  Done.  We literally bought the plane tickets that day.  A week or so later, he started looking for places to stay and we discovered that perhaps we were really behind the eight ball on this one.  Some places told us they have been booked for YEARS preparing for this.  Hmmmm.  He kept looking and found a great cabin for us (not in Madras, but driving distance) and an Airbnb in Portland.  Whew --- we booked a rental car and were set.  Now all we had to do was wait until August.

Fast forward and here we are.  The day has finally arrived and I'm super excited to have over a week with my sweet Mister all to myself.  We are up, up, and away bright and early.  Hello, Mt. Hood.  Our flights went right on schedule and with an arrival in Portland at 9:30 a.m., we have a whole day ahead of us.

It's hard to believe, but by 10:00 we are leaving the rental car lot and starting our fun.  That was slick Portland.  Nice airport.

Now even though I said it was 10 in the morning, we have been up a LONG time.  With a two hour time change, we've now been going for 9 hours.  Yep - crazy.  What that means is that I am hungry and rapidly becoming a bear.  Feed me please.  We start up the old Highway 30 towards the Columbia Gorge and stop at the first roadside spot we come to.  Perfect.  Texans in Oregon eating BBQ.  I don't care, it's food.  Truth be told, it's a market that happens to be selling food - fresh brisket being BBQ's right outside.  See the smoke?

Now, it may not look super wonderful, but this girl is dang happy.  AND the macaroni and cheese is simply perfect.  Woohoo.

We also pick up a bottle of wine for our cabin tonight, some pretzels for the car and, of, course, red solo cups.  Okay, now I'm ready to see the state.  Bring it on.

We barely get down the road and my sweetheart sees a sign that makes him turn around.  I have no idea what he saw, but he turns into a driveway and oh, wow, look what he found.  Lavender.

It is a private u-pick farm and since we are traveling, picking is not really an option but pictures are wonderful along with the aroma and watching the bees work.  Look close in the picture above, you'll see them.

Across the yard, under a tree, sits a little booth.  There are no humans around but the table has lots of items for sale.  While Mister takes pictures, I select a little jar of lavender honey.  Yep, those bees are working hard.  I'm, pretty sure I can get this home with me as it's 3-4 oz.  Now, how do I pay for this?  Oh, the sign tells me.  Hahahahaha.  Dropping my $5 in the box, away we go.  What a great stop.

Time to roll.  Our next stop is at the Vista House.

Built in 1917 as a place for travelers to rest as they made their way down the gorge, it is now a museum with a spectacular view.

You can see both up and down river from different vantage points.

The interior is equally grand.  I love it all.  The main floor is an information center with the museum and gift shops downstairs.

As we near the Multnomah Falls, we hit traffic.  Seriously, it takes us about 1/2 an hour to go a couple of miles and then there isn't anyplace to park.  This is one of the premier destinations around Portland and from what we hear, it could be pouring rain out and this is just how it is.  Well, alrighty then.  There is more than one way to tackle this.  Fortunately, for us, Mister did his research and read about a parking lot on the interstate with a tunnel to the lodge.  We decide on that option and find a 3/4 empty parking lot just beckoning us.  Score.

The walk through the tunnel and up to the lodge takes about 5 minutes.  Yep, should have done this to begin with.  A quick potty break and we start the journey up to the viewing point.  I spend more time enjoying the beauty of the moss on the trees.  Simply gorgeous.  It's lovely up on the bridge, but hard to photograph anything as many people have the same idea and you are not far enough back to get the whole view anyway.  We do take some pictures, but nothing stand out so I'm moving on.  Back at the lower platform, Mister does get to work.

Funny story here -- he does get a lot of cool pictures, but the best one is taken by me with my phone.  I got lucky this time.  Woohoo.

As we continue back down the interstate (yes, that is where we are now), I have a little book with me that I picked up at the airport.  It mentions the Bonneville Dam and as we come to the sign for it, I tell Mister it might be interesting.  As we approach the gate, we discover that the bridge is up and we cannot reach the dam right now as a barge is going through the lock.  What?  Can I watch?  He responds in the affirmative and we are soon on our way up to see.  Yep, that is definitely a "bridge to nowhere" right now.  The minute we arrive, the bridge starts to close, signaling that the barge is now in the lock.

As I glance right, I see the barge and two tugboats down at the other end.  The water on the other side is level with the solid part of the gate.

Before they can close the gates on our end, the barges and both tugs need to be tied securely into place.  It takes a few tries to connect the rope into the side wall but soon the whistle blows the "all clear".

The gates right in front of us begin to close and it only takes about 15 minutes to fill level with the water on the other side.  We decide to walk to the other end and watch from there for the rest of the event.

Here is the front of the tugs.  Crazy.

It's full and the gates are open (no close outdoor viewing) and away they go, trying to keep the barge straight and not run into the sides.

And that's that.  Talk about arriving at just the right time.  Now, should we see the dam?

The water release is pretty cool and I have to admit that the sound is amazing.

No tour for us today, we done that for several dams and I loved the lock part so much that I have no need to go inside.

As we are driving away, we spot the salmon ladder.  Oh, wouldn't it be fun to be here when they are returning home to spawn?  I'm sure the water is much higher for that.

Continuing on through Hood River and The Dalles, it's time to cross the river.  Yep, our cabin is in Washington, just on the other side of the gorge and there are only a few places to cross.  We continue on the Klickitat River up to our cabin.  It's a cute little one bedroom with a small den and full bath.  The view from the front is of their grape vines.

I would LOVE to have grapes in my yard.

There is a common area for use by all who are staying in the cabins.  It has a full kitchen, large table, sofas, games and movies with a large television that only plays dvd's.  We don't have cell service here, the wifi is sketchy, and no television signals or cable either.  This is RELAXING.

As I walk down the road a bit, making a stop at the chicken coop, the owner calls me over to the side.

There are some wild turkeys behind the coop and they can't quite figure out how to get back through the fence to freedom.  I watch for awhile, hoping for a good picture, but, alas, it is not meant to be.

Discovering that we are hungry and neglected to shop on the way here, we decide to drive back into Lyle up on the river.  It is about 14 miles away but our best bet for a nice evening.  Besides, Mister spotted a wine tasting room right where we turned off the main road and he wants to give it a try.

It is called either Memaloose or Idiot's Grace depending on which bottle of wine you drink.  Yep, not real sure on that but it is what it is.

We have a delightful time and stay until closing at 6 p.m.  Oh, a nice bottle of Chardonnay leaves with us.  Tomorrow night's refreshment.  Now for some dinner.

After asking around, we have been instructed to go to the Corner Pocket for a "must have" hand-pressed burger on a homemade bun.  The camera took a break, but believe us when we say we have a great time and the burgers were awesome.  The sun is starting to fall lower in the sky and when we checked in, we were told about a sweet little spot all set up down on the river.  As soon as we are back at the house, the wine (first one from today) is opened, poured into our red cups, and we walk through the woods to the river.  There are chairs for our use and we settle in.  Oh my, this is so pleasant.

I spot a blow up turtle in the grass and haul him out to play for a bit.  Girls just gotta have fun ya know.

Returning the turtle to safety, Mister and I just enjoy the moment.  Soon bats are flying overhead and we watch for a bit.  I spot a little head come up out of the water and go back down.  Pointing it out to Mister, he spots another one and soon they are up and down all over in front of us.  River Otters!  Oh how wonderful.  They keep looking at us like, "what are you doing here?"  Finally they disappear into a grassy area right near the bank of the river.  So cool.  One of life's choice moments.

It's almost pitch dark and we need to get through the woods back to the cabin.  Time to put the chairs away and wait until tomorrow night for another quiet evening here.

Back at the common area, other guests have gathered and we join in, visiting until the wee hours.  This has been a wonderful first night.  See ya tomorrow.  (It's such a joy to bask in a starry night.)