Around The Mountain Once Again

In my last post I shared about our dear family member who visited us last week. While she was here we wanted to show her some of the beauty of God's creation nearby so my sweetheart, my dear little mother and I took her on an all-day tour of a favorite part of our state. We had such fun together - so relaxing and refreshing. Most of all we just enjoyed being together as a family. Last month we shared this same tour with some of my sweetheart's out-of-state family. Here's just a bit of what we saw this time beside the river and around the mountain.

A stop at Chanticleer Point high above the floor of the Columbia River Gorge gave us a fabulous view of Crown Point and the Gorge to the east. Our weather had been clear and sunny for many days and we were a bit dismayed to wake that morning to a cloudy day. But that didn't stop us from enjoying every minute of our trip.

A short drive farther along the old, scenic highway took us to one of the many breathtaking waterfalls along the way. The sound of the water rushing down the mountain was very loud and amazing. I wish I could have captured it so you can hear it, too. The falls comes from the top of the rocky bluff, overhead. . .and passes under a stone bridge (about a third of the way up from the bottom of the picture) where a hiking trail crosses over, and. . .

continues down past the main viewing area. . . and under another footbridge near the highway below.

Driving a bit farther east on the old highway we arrived at Multnomah Falls. The beauty and magnificence of this incredible waterfall never gets old!My dear little mother and I stayed on the plaza below while my sweetheart and our dear cousin hiked the trail to the Benson Bridge above. We waited and watched for them to appear and wave to us from far above where we sat. After a short drive on the freeway east to Cascade Locks we found a beautiful park beside the Columbia River. A table not far from the water's edge was the perfect place to eat our carefully prepared picnic lunch. While we ate we were thrilled to see a tugboat pushing a barge upriver. River traffic on the Columbia River transports many different products to various destinations for shipment to local markets and to others around the world. Wheat from Eastern Oregon and Washington is often seen as it is moved to the ports of Portland and Astoria.The Columbia Gorge Sternwheeler was docked not far from our picnic site. After lunch I wandered over, with camera in hand, to take a closer look at the bow. . .the stern (and the wheel!). . .

and I wished - oh.how.I.wished - I could join this line of people who were boarding the vessel for a cruise on The Mighty Columbia!

Not long after we rejoined travellers on the freeway headed east we turned south at Hood River for the drive around Mount Hood. We were amazed to see how much she had changed since our visit a month ago. There was much less snow and the meadows and trees have begun to change in preparation for the winter snows to come. We wanted our cousin to visit Timberline Lodge and enjoy the history and beauty there. Since my dear little mother cannot tolerate the effects of the very high altitude on her heart she and my sweetheart stayed in the little village below while I drove our cousin up the mountain to the lodge. While we girls were away they enjoyed a visit to a new cultural and historical museum.

The Lodge is amazing and I always see something I haven't noticed before. The dining room was being prepared for the dinner hour and the aromas from the kitchen were almost more than I could bear! The darling little chairs at each table were handmade by the craftsmen who built and furnished the Lodge during The Great Depression.An old, weathered fire hydrant near the walkway behind the Lodge captured my attention. I wonder how long it has been there. Does it still work? While we were at the Lodge the clouds began to roll into the valley below. On a clear day, from the second story observation deck, you can see some of the Cascade Mountains to the south of Mount Hood. By the time we climbed the stairs and walked outside onto the stone deck this is what we saw. I loved our cousin's positive attitude when she decided to take a picture to show how high we were above the trees!We love the beauty of the world around us and we enjoy sharing it with our dear family and friends. My sweetheart and I will make this trip again, probably many times. We hope to go again soon - just the two of us - to see the changes autumn brings to the gorge and the mountain. What a sweet day that will be!