Catching up time

When we took off in September, one of my goals was to write on the blog everyday. I don’t do a great job, so it only takes a few minutes, but it seems to be like exercising…I always have something more important to be doing!

And then I get so far behind that I need to do some catching up before trying to go back to the daily write up. If I didn’t want to have this all downloaded into a book, I would probably just fast forward. But I do want the memories recorded, so here I am doing catch up!

While in Portland we had many great times with my sister Sandra, our Excel friends Tom and Donna, and new friends Rita and Tom. We visited the Chinese Garden, the Japanese Garden, rode the train and the streetcar, played cards, ate in great restaurants, and watched the clouds. We also did one long day trip on the only sunny day we had. We drove along the Columbia Gorge visiting viewpoints and waterfalls. We then stopped at the fish hatchery, dam, and fish ladders. From there we drove along the fruit loop (none of the fruits were in however) and on up to Mt Hood. We were lucky to see the sun peak through during the day.Our first stop was the Vista House and Overlook. Inside Vista House was all marble and stained glass. A beautiful spot to enjoy the Columbia Gorge.Bridal Veil Falls was the first of several falls that we stopped at to admire and hike around.

The largest fall was Multnomah Falls. It was also the most crowded as it was easy to reach from the nearby Interstate. At 611 feet it was pretty impressive. Walking up on the bridge resulted in a shower of mist, but worth the adventure.Horsetail Falls was one of the prettiest. Probably because there were fewer people and the sun was shining. This is where we sat and enjoyed a packed lunch before heading on to the dam and fish hatchery.

After the falls we continued on to the dam, the fish ladders, and the fish hatchery.

As the fish swam through this ladder they were counted. There was a viewing room down below and the fish would have to swim through a narrow channel. While we weren’t able to see very many, there were thousands that went through on a daily basis. Counting them must be a pretty boring job!

This dam and lake, like most COE’s, included a beautiful campground on the lake and hidden from the dam.

Fish raised in a hatchery have a top fin snipped off. The wild fish still have this fin and so fishermen know which fish they can keep – the ones without the fin. This hatchery is mainly salmon. It is one of the oldest hatcheries in Oregon (opened in 1909) and it is the largest in terms of fish production.

This is Herman the Sturgeon who lives at the hatchery. He is over 10 feet long, 450 pounds and 70 years old.

Because the day was so full, we did not do the hatchery justice. There was so much more to see – maybe we will get back someday.

The wildflowers and rhododendron have been amazing all throughout Oregon and Washington.

After the dam and hatchery, we continued on the fruit loop toward Mt. Hood. While none of the fruits were ripe yet, we did stop at a lovely winery and of course had to buy a bottle of wine!This valley is all orchards, nurseries, and flowers. If the sun would shine a few more days it would be a utopia for living.

Our first peak at Mt Hood. Its top is way up in the dark clouds.

The sun comes out and we see Mt Hood in all its glory.

 

At  6,000 feet on Mt Hood’s slopes, Timberline Lodge was built by the WPA in the 1937, is 55,000 sq. feet and is a National Historic Landmark. It is still used today as a magnificent ski lodge and mountain retreat. It is huge, impressive, and a fascinating part of our American history.

Mt Hood has snow year round and is used as a training site during the summer for ice climbing, skiing and snow rescue. The day we were there a girl had to be rescued after a huge sheet of ice fell on her. The ice was the size on an in ground swimming pool, so she was lucky to escape with just an ambulance ride and overnight hospital stay.

The views as we left Mt Hood:

One of the few days we saw some blue sky and sunshine and wow was it beautiful! A great ending to our two weeks at the Portland Fairview RV Park.