Heading northwest, now, towards the Columbia River which forms the border between the states of Oregon and Washington. Went thru Madras, OR, which was directly in the path of the eclipse that was to cross the US a month or so later. There were signs for camping on private land, etc.
Very pretty drive thru forest; this area looked similar to Flagstaff, AZ. We encountered some traffic slowdowns at one point, and eventually got to the scene of a horrific one-car accident. Go slow!
This whole trip I frequently set the cruise control right at the speed limit, and pulled over often for faster traffic. I didn't have to worry about taking turns too fast, and I could enjoy the scenery a lot more. Here's a pic of that area.
On a previous trip we'd visited the Columbia River area, and had views of Mt. Hood from the north. This time we were approaching from the south, so we drove up to the ski area and lodge on the south side of the mountain. This whole area seemed to be the "snow play" zone for Porlandians. There are lots of places to pull off and sled, etc., and many campgrounds.
We then backtracked east a few miles, and took Hwy 35 north over the mountains. This took us near Parkdale, OR, which is the endpoint of "The Mt. Hood Railroad", which starts at the town of Mt. Hood, right on the Columbia River. We rode that train on the previous trip, and it's interesting. It runs thru seemingly endless orchard country, like something out of "Wizard of Oz". Pretty cool for desert folk.
We had a picnic lunch here, which was a little nostalgic and sad, because the last time we picnicked here my mom was along. (She passed in 2014.)
After lunch we continued north almost to the Columbia River, when we saw a turnoff for "Panorama Point". Additional views of Mt. Hood and surrounding.
We reached the Columbia River and proceeded along the highway "downstream", towards Portland. There is a well-known "scenic bypass" that goes by a dozen or so waterfalls. This is a busy tourist area on almost any summer day, and we happened be here 4th of July weekend. It was bumper-to-bumper traffic. We got in far enough to get the feel of the area, and then turned around and headed back out to the main route.
Here's an old highway tunnel.
Here's a waterfall.
We headed on in to Portland, where we had reservations at the Motel Six that was right in the city, because it was close to the rental car place. This motel was "interesting". Being right in the city there were people at the motel who seemed to living there, perhaps temporarily in-between government-assisted housing. One lady had a cat living in a bush. It didn't seem unsafe, but it certainly wasn't a "resort" feel. For just one nite it was fine, and it worked out well, because we had a really easy drive to the rental place the next day.
Motel Six
9225 Stark Street
Portland, OR
541.923.2100
Budget Car Rental
10947 NE Holman Street
Portland OR 97220
503.249.6332
On Tuesday, July 4, we had a easy trip to the car rental and the airport, and a surprisingly relaxed time getting thru ticketing and security at the airport. The Portland airport is impressive and nice.
Then we flew home to Phoenix, which seemed rather dusty, drab and hot after the Oregon greenery and cool weather. Of course, we won't be complaining come November. :)
What a trip!
(Thanks Len Senior for hosting the trip, and to my brother Harry for taking care of my cats while I was gone.)
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