Aug. 31, 2014 --- Columbia River Gorge; Mt. Hood; Bend:
 Next morning we were up bright and early.  After our very good free breakfast, we were off.  Our accommodations for the 31st were near Bend, so we made a day out of getting there.  First we drove the scenic Columbia River Gorge byway, then up to Mt. Hood, and finally on to Eagle Crest near Bend.
  The Historic Columbia River Highway is an approximately 75-mile-long road between Troutdale and the Dalles and was built between 1913 and 1922.  The 24 westernmost miles starting in Troutdale provide access to dozens of hiking trails, Crown Point Vista House, and numerous waterfalls. This section forms a loop with the Mount Hood Scenic Byway which we traveled to get up to Timberline Lodge on Mt. Hood.  In 2000 it was designated a National Historic Landmark by the National Park Service as "an outstanding example of modern highway development".
Even though we only drove the 24 westernmost miles of this highway, it took us a few hours with stops at several of the falls and a couple hikes.

even the weeds in Oregon look interesting!

 View towards The Vista House from Portland Women's Forum State Scenic Viewpoint.  The original tract for the park was a gift of 3.71 acres in 1962 by the Portland Women's Forum to the state. This had been the old Chanticleer Inn property with a magnificent view of the Columbia River Gorge.  Much more magnificent on a clear day!

 

 It happened to be pretty cloudy that day, so the distant views weren't as pretty as they could have been.

 Next stop was The Vista House.  It was built in 1917 as place for travelers to rest and refresh themselves as they made their way down the magnificent Columbia River Gorge.  It is also a memorial to Oregon pioneers. It was formally dedicated on May 5th, 1918.

The octagonal stone structure sits 733 feet above the Columbia River and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.   Vista House was closed for almost 5 years while an extensive restoration was completed, and was reopened to the public in the summer of 2005. 

 In all the years we've been coming to Oregon, we had never been inside Vista House, it was always closed when we were by here.  The last time we were here, it had scaffolding all around it, before that it was open very limited hours.  It was really neat being able to go inside it and check out the little coffee shop, museum and gift shop.

 The fundraising goal of over $4 million was completed in 2003 by joint efforts of Oregon State Parks Trust, The Friends of Vista House, and the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.  It's free to tour, but they do have a donation box.  Nice to see that's it's enjoyed by so many foreigners, too.

After wandering around here awhile, we continued on our way to our first waterfall stop--Latourell Falls.  The falls plunge 224 feet over a massive wall of columnar basalt - some of the best formations in the Pacific Northwest.  Latourell is unique among the best-known Columbia Gorge waterfalls, in  that it drops straight down from an overhanging basalt cliff. Most of those falls tumble to some degree.

 We took a short hike to the bottom of the falls and marveled at the river it created.

 bottom of Latourell Falls.

 Loved the colorful foliage all around, too.

Would have been nice if we had more time to check out more of these falls.

 We did do the walk to Bridal Falls.  I was still suffering my calf muscle tears from Utah and my sore knee with torn cartilage (which was repaired a week after I got home).  But I used the hiking stick I bought in Utah and hobbled to and from the falls.  It was worth it.  Like I said in the Utah blog---I was going to see the parks if I had to crawl.

 river along the way.  Although short, this is a steep little trail full of switchbacks and rocks.

Beautiful Bridal Falls.

Next stop was Wakeenah Falls.  Wahkeena Creek falls this way and that, now a plunge, now a horsetail, now a cascade.

 Perfect opportunity to "drag" the shutter again.

By far the largest and most popular falls on the route is Multnomah Falls.  It's easily assessable and pretty much where I-84 and the Columbia River Gorge Highway meet.

 Plummeting 620 feet, in two different sections, Multnomah Falls is the second highest year-round waterfall in the United States.

We hiked several hundred feet up the paved trail to reach Benson Bridge, which spans the falls at the first tier's base.

 along the walk to the bridge (and beyond).

 mossy trees.

Standing on the bridge you have a perfect view of the top tier's full 542-foot height 

 The last waterfall we stopped at was Horsetail Falls. 

It plunges 176 feet and is very close to the road.

I didn't remember that we would be so close to Bonneville Dam and Hatchery when we were done with the waterfalls.  So we took a short detour to check out the fish ladders since the salmon were running. 

 We've spent quite a bit of time here before, but since we were in a bit of a time crunch, we just showed our friends the fish ladder and the viewing windows.

 A Public Works Administration project of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, portions of Bonneville Lock and Dam Project were declared a National Historic Landmark in 1987.

Then we continued on the  Mount Hood Scenic Byway.

 Lots and lots of orchards there.  I believe most of them are Bartlett Pears.

 First views of Mt. Hood as we were heading around the east side of it.

 On around the the south/west side of the mountain we accidentally ended up first in the little town of Government Camp.  I don't recall ever going there, but it looked like it would be a neat place to spend some time.

 Heading up to Timberline Lodge.

It looked pretty barren from the road, but there were lots of "wild" flowers by the Lodge.

 Considered an architectural wonder, it’s still being used for its original intent—a magnificent ski lodge and mountain retreat for all to enjoy.  The lodge was constructed between 1936 and 1938 as a  WPA project during the Great Depression. Workers used large timbers and local stone, and placed intricately carved decorative elements throughout the building.

 The main lobby features three fireplaces at the base of a 90 foot chimney.

 They did have a buffet set up when we got there, but it was about to close, so we passed on it.

 Instead we went upstairs and had some lunch there. 

 View from the upper restaurant while we waited to be seated.

 We've never been to Mt. Hood in winter, but of the many times we've been here in the summer, this is the least amount of snow I've ever seen on it! 

 I remember being here one time when they had snow all the way to the Lodge and a pathway dug along the back of it.  Here's that picture from the summer of 1999.

 another view from our window.  Loved watching the clouds moving through.

Our lunch.  I got chili and berry crumb pie. 

Ken got tuna salad (or was it chicken?).

Appetizer of Oregon cheeses and filberts or hazelnuts.

 a couple more pictures from our table.

zoomed in.

wandering around the Lodge some more.  

 Love this bench!

 One last look at Mt. Hood as we were heading to the car.

Then we headed to the high desert area where Eagle Crest Resort is.  The landscape sure changed alot!

looking towards the west where the Cascades are.

I believe this is near Smith Rock State Park just outside of Redmond.  I had hoped we'd make it there, too, but didn't have time.

Lots of farms in the high country--even with alpacas.  

After several changes in reservations over the preceding months, I managed to get us 3 nights in a 2 bedroom condo in the Eagle Ridge section of Eagle Crest Resort.  It was nice having our villa like condo with parking right in front of our unit.

 the golf course outside our back door.

the kitchen dining room area

living room with gas fireplace, Murphy bed to the left.

 master bedroom. 

2nd bedroom with the 2 twin beds put together.  Nice feature with Worldmark that housekeeping will put the beds together if you request it in advance.

A quick run to the grocery store for a Styrofoam cooler, lunch meats, drinks, and about $100 worth of snacks.  Then back to the condo to settle in for 3 nights.