This Week on the Road - November 13th-19th

Hello Everyone,

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Beautiful Clouds This Week

It’s been a busy week out here on the road in Central and Southern Washington. I’ve traveled down some beautiful roads this week, many following winding streams and rivers, and stopped in some really cool little towns. I’ve been listening to a great radio station out here playing real oldies – like oldies that were oldies when I was a kid. I haven’t heard a lot of those songs in decades and my toes have been tapping as I cruise down the road. This is apple country and it’s cool to pass through the apple orchards and see many with fruit still on the trees, while the leaves have turned bright orange with the season. Empty apple crates dot the landscape from earlier picking. There are plenty of grapes out here too as this is Washington’s wine country. The weather hasn’t been great, but it hasn’t been terrible and there have been some wild clouds in the sky overhead much of the week. The days are short, but I’ve been trying to make the most of the daylight I have as I wind up my time in Washington State.

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Empty Apple Crates Stacked Everywhere

When I left you last week, I was in the tiny town of Grand Coulee which grew up around the building of the United States’ biggest dam (and the 6th largest in the world). I had hoped to tour the dam, but it was, like most things in this part of the state, closed for the season. The night after I finished last week’s newsletter I was parked at an overlook of the dam enjoying my dinner when an officer from the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (the USBR guards the dam) knocked on my window to tell me I couldn’t park there for the night. He was the cheeriest law officer I may have ever met in my life and told me where I could park overnight which was very kind of him. It turned out to be a nice, quiet park with a huge “No Overnight Parking” sign, but it was also a USBR area so I figured it would be strange of him to send me there unprompted if it wasn’t okay. It turned out it was just fine and I had a nice quiet night near the dam.

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Grand Coulee Dam

I made a short stop at the dam visitor center in the morning and it had a lot of great and interesting information to take in, but I had other plans so I was only there for a short time. I headed upriver along the Columbia to the little town of Nespelem on the Colville Indian Reservation. They were having a small powwow at the government center there and I thought how fortunate I was that it was going on the day I was in the area. The theme was Generation Rising and it turned out that it was for school children to gather, dance and share their culture. There are 12 confederated tribes on the 1.3 million acre Colville Reservation, but they have been living and working together (and intermarrying) for 130 years at this point and it was nice to see both tribal and shared culture at this event. The man who was leading the powwow did a fantastic job of keeping things moving, sharing stories and songs, and generally keeping the day light but inspiring. He spoke for a short time in his native language which was fascinating as it didn’t sound like anything I had heard before and had sounds not common to other languages, but obviously most of the program was in English. The students wore beautiful regalia and danced joyfully to the beat of the drums and the singing of the drum groups. The best part was that they seemed to really be enjoying themselves and wanted to be there (of course missing a day of school for it probably didn’t hurt). I’m also always a bit surprised (though I shouldn’t be at this point) at how patriotic these events usually are, with the tribal veterans leading the Grand Entry and Exit and the American flag prominently and proudly displayed. I appreciated that they look at the problems we are facing now through the lens of 10,000 years of history, not 300 years of history. It was also interesting to look around the building during breaks in the program and catch up on news that was important to the confederation like cuts to the Bureau of Indian Affairs and the Indian Health Service. They were also rightly upset at attempts to cut out the Code Talkers and Ira Hayes (who helped raise the flag at Iwo Jima) from military history under the current administration. I had a delicious pork chop with wild rice and veggies from the cafeteria for lunch and really enjoyed the singing, storytelling and dancing. I had a great day and was just thrilled to be a part of it and be a quiet fly on the wall for the day.

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Lake Chelan

After the powwow I spent a few minutes driving around Nespelem. I know it is the final resting place of the great Chief Joseph of the Wallowa Band of Nez Perce who was a fascinating historical figure and a great military leader. I wanted to find his grave and pay my respects, but the Nez Perce cemetery seemed a little too off the track and I didn’t want to intrude so I left it be. It was getting late in the day, so I headed back to Grand Coulee and then continued on to Chelan on the southern shore of the lake of the same name (the third deepest lake in the country). Chelan is a pleasant little town with a nice Main Street business district and beautiful scenery all around. It was Restaurant Week so several local eateries were serving up three course meals for $35 (a steal in Washington which is the most expensive state in the country to eat out in). I chose the Lakeside Tavern and was really glad I did. My meal started with a lovely beet salad, continued with a delicious homemade pasta dish with a lamb and beef ragout sauce, and ended with a delightful Basque cheesecake. The atmosphere was great and the service was excellent and I was really glad I decided to step out for dinner.

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Christmas Lights in Leavenworth

I spent a little more time in Chelan on Friday morning, and then enjoyed a pleasant drive down the length of Lake Entiat on my way to Wenatchee. Wenatchee was a sprawled out town with a nice little downtown core, but I really just drove through and kept going. I continued up Route 97 to the little town of Cashmere where I pulled into the Liberty Orchards factory, the home of Washington’s beloved treat Aplets and Cotlets. Aplets and Cotlets is definitely an old-school kind of candy made of fruits and nuts and I enjoyed some free samples in the store and took some for the road. From there I headed up the road to Leavenworth, a one-time railroad and logging town now transformed into a tourist-centered faux Bavarian village. The transformation began in the 1960s and has really changed the fortunes of the town which now attracts over 2 million visitors a year. They are just now getting their Christmas lights up which makes it even better. It’s silly and very touristy but also incredibly photogenic and a whole lot of fun. I loved seeing people light up when they walked into the heart of the village and line up for bratwurst and beer. Although it was a rainy afternoon when I arrived I tried to get some photos in before it got too dark. I enjoyed a beer or two and was thrilled to see someone playing an alphorn in the street. Unfortunately the town doesn’t allow overnight parking at all during the winter months, so I had to cruise back down to Peshastin for the night. I stopped for a beer at The Old Mill and found a nice quiet place to park nearby.

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Downtown Leavenworth

When I woke up early on Saturday I could see the sunshine through my window. With no sun in the forecast, I jumped out of bed, got dressed as quickly as I could, and headed back up the mountain to get some photos while it lasted. Of course when I arrived, Leavenworth was fogged in so I tucked in for a coffee and waited for the fog to lift. When it did I was thrilled to get some photos with sunshine and blue sky. It was crowded on Saturday, but the town seemed to manage it well and again, everyone seemed to be having fun. I spent some time in the local history museum which did a great job of telling the story of the local Indians, the town that grew up there and then the transformation into the tourist town of today. The lady working there was really informative and I enjoyed talking with her very much. Since it was so sunny and pleasant I decided to sit down and enjoy one quick beer in the beer garden before heading down the mountain.

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Hanging at the Roslyn Cafe

From Leavenworth, I wound south along Route 97 following several pretty creeks up and over Blewett Pass and then northwest into the mountains to the tiny town of Roslyn. Roslyn is another old mining town, but one that was very familiar to me as it was the filming location of the great old TV show Northern Exposure. It really is a tiny town and looks a lot like small-town Alaska in many ways so I could see why it was chosen. I had fun poking around town for a bit and then stopped into Marko’s pub for a beer after it got dark. The cook came out and told me he made some barbecue beef and potato salad as a special and told me that I really should order some. Normally I don’t eat barbecue OR potato salad west of the Mississippi River or north of the Mason Dixon Line, but I gave it a shot and it was actually really good. Afterwards I stopped into a strange little speakeasy bar under a book store for a cocktail, and then headed just up the road to The Brick. The Brick is the oldest continuously operating bar in the state, having opened in 1889, so of course I had to give it a go. The old wooden bar was great and there was live music which was even better. I ended up staying until closing time which is not common for me these days, but it was a fun night and the music was too good to walk out on.

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Mike’s Tavern in Cle Elum

Roslyn was really quiet on Sunday morning which was a good thing. I wandered around a bit and took some photos but was really interested in spending some time in their cemeteries. Just outside of town, there is a fascinating stretch of graves divided into 26 distinct sections, each originally bought and maintained by the town’s different ethnic or civic organizations. There is a Moose Cemetery, one for the Elks’ Club and the Odd Fellows. There are also plots for Lithuanians, African Americans and Croatians and a reasonably sized military cemetery as well. It’s really quite an interesting place to wander around and quite unique as well. After I finished with the cemeteries, I headed just down the road to the small and strangely named town of Cle Elum (“swift water” in the Kittitas Indian language). Cle Elum is a neat little town right on the railroad and I was shocked to find an amazing fish market on the main street. Normally I avoid fresh fish that far inland, but these guys seemed to have their act together and I’m sure glad I stopped. I had a delightful cup of lobster bisque and some ahi tuna salad that was to die for. Next door was Mike’s Tavern which of course I had to stop in for a beer. From Cle Elum I followed the Yakima River down to the little college town of Ellensburg, home of Central Washington University. There was very little happening in Ellensburg on a rainy Sunday evening, but I was happy to wander around the quiet downtown for a while and then call it an early night.

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The Beautiful Capitol Theatre in Yakima

On Monday morning I headed out of town and followed the Yakima River through the Yakima Valley to the old town site of Yakima. When the railroad came through the area, Yakima was considered too marshy to hold the tracks, so the whole town was moved about three miles north to a site called North Yakima. At some point the post office told them it was all too confusing so North Yakima became Yakima and the old town site became Union Gap and Union Gap was where I headed first. There’s a little hole-in-the-wall place there called Los Hernandez which won a James Beard Award for their tamales and they were definitely worth the detour. The weather was still gloomy and the museums were closed on a Monday so I decided to catch an afternoon movie. Lost and Found in Cleveland was a pleasant little film to watch although not a particularly good one and I had the theater all to myself for the noon showing. From there I popped down to the library to catch up on some work and then had dinner at an old drive-thru called The Lariat. This tiny little local sandwich shop opened in 1962 and was definitely worth a shot and I enjoyed my beef sandwich and onion rings. Next I cruised back downtown to catch a show at the historic Capitol Theater. I can’t imagine what Yakima must have been like in the first decade of the 20th century to have built such a grand theater, but it must have been quite different than it is today. The theater did fall into disrepair by the 1950s and in the midst of a remodeling, burned to its shell in 1975. Thankfully someone had had it listed on the National Register of Historic Places so it qualified for federal funds to rebuild. They did a magnificent job and I was happy that there was something going on that night so I could see the inside of the place. The performance was the classic Christmas ballet The Nutcracker, performed in Yakima for one night only by Talmi Entertainment which is a touring company from Ukraine. The show was wonderful and I really enjoyed kicking off the Christmas season there.

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Central Toppenish

On Tuesday morning I hit the gym and then went straight to the Yakima Valley Museum. This was a wonderful museum with a lot of excellent displays and artifacts. Just inside the main entrance is a wagon with a mannequin of Teddy Roosevelt in it, dedicated to the 45 minutes the president once spent in Yakima. The museum then took a deep look at local apple production, including the bees which are needed to pollinate the apple trees and the historic box labels from local orchards. On the same agricultural level they took a brief look at hops as 75% of America’s hops come from the Yakima Valley. The museum recreated in exact detail the Washington D.C. office of Yakima local legend William O. Douglas who served on the Supreme Court from 1939-1975, the longest run in U.S. history. There was a great display of souvenirs from around the world collected by a local newspaper editor during his travels. I also loved their historic wagon collection, neon sign garden, Indian artifacts and great temporary displays on Washington mountaineering and the Quinceanera, the coming-of-age parties of Latina girls. Before I left I had to ask the lady working there about the slogan calling Yakima “The Palm Springs of Washington”. She told me that a local man had commissioned a sign to that effect and put it up near the highway on private property (I had seen it on the drive in). She told me it was generally considered tongue in cheek and good fun and her story may have been my favorite part of the museum. I had spent the better part of the day there and I wanted to get down the road so I headed southeast to Toppenish for the night. Toppenish is known for its downtown murals depicting old west scenes and I enjoyed a short walk around the main square and a magnificent sunset, the first one I’ve seen in many days. Because of the agricultural nature of the region, there is a huge Latino population around so I got some tasty tacos for dinner and then spent the night at the nearby casino.

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Downtown Toppenish

This morning I headed straight for the Yakama Nation Cultural Center just up the road from the casino. This was another great museum and one that was spacious and easy to navigate. It began with the Yakama’s creation story and of the giant beings that roamed the world before they arrived (“mosquitos as big as bears” – I think I’d pass). It looked at their connection to salmon as a staple food and historic fishing at Celilo Falls before the dam at The Dalles destroyed the waterfalls and the salmon run. The Treaty of 1855 was on full display, and they were quick to point out that their treaty predated the State of Washington. There was an important look at the underreported epidemic of missing Indigenous women and girls across the country and I really respected their statement “we’re going missing, but you haven’t noticed because you didn’t see us in the first place”. There was also a look at tribal religious beliefs (many Yakama are devout Christians), a display on Yakama military veterans and beautiful photos from Edward Curtis, The Shadow Catcher himself (after whom my van is named). I also really liked their explanation of tule reeds (also called hardstem bulrush) which they use in all of their houses and tipis. The tule mats they use are lightweight, easy to make and therefor replace, and most importantly when they are wet they expand and block out the wind and water but when they are dry they shrink down and let a breeze pass through while providing shade and keeping things cool. There was a lot of beauty and wisdom conveyed in this museum and I really enjoyed my time there.

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Granger Dinosaurs

Afterwards, I headed back downtown in Toppenish to take a few more photos and then headed down the highway. I had to make a stop in the little town of Granger which is filled with dinosaur statues from a bygone era of Americana and tourism. And then I headed on to Sunnyside to the library here to finish up this post at the local library. When I’m done here I hope to stop at a local winery for a tasting and then head on to the Tri-Cities to check out the last segment of the Manhattan Project National Historic Site at Hanford.

This next week will be my last week in Washington for the time being. From the Tri-Cities I hope to get some photos out at Palouse Falls and stop through Walla Walla on my way out of the state. From there I will head back to Oregon and hope to see some of the Wallowa Valley, Hells Canyon and to learn more about the Oregon Trail. I’ve looked at some of those areas but I’m not sure how they will play out when I actually head that direction, so you’ll have to check back next week and see where I end up. Washington State has been an amazing journey but it’s about time for me to be moving on. Have a great week out there, wherever you are, and thank you, as always, for reading.

-Mike

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Bull Durham Building in Cle Elum

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Beautiful Regalia at the Generation Rising Powwow

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The Lariat in Yakima - Since 1962

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Yakama Cultural Center

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The Davidson Building in Ellensburg

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A Cool Cow Bench in Ellensbrg

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Fresh Fruit Near Leavenworth

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A Cool Old Mobil Gas Station in Ellensburg

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A Cool Post Clock in Chelan

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A Cute Sweets Shop in Chelan

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James Beard Award Winning Tamales in Union Gap

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Sunset Over Toppenish

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I Love a Good Water Tower

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The Brick - Washington’s Oldest Bar

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Teapot Gas Station in Zillah

This Week on the Road - August 27th-September 3rd

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Portland Stag Sign

Hello Everyone. It’s been kind of a quiet week for me out here on the road. It was Labor Day Weekend here in the United States this week (for my international friends), which is always a busy travel weekend so I thought it would be best to lay low for it. I spent a good bit of this week in Portland, catching up with some friends and exploring the city. Since then, I’ve been cruising up the incredible Columbia River Gorge which is really just outside of Portland but has so much to offer. I’m writing this newsletter this week from Hood River, so I’m as far inland as I’m going to go for now but it has been spectacular and so good to be back out and hiking again. It is definitely noticeably and considerably warmer the further I get from the coast which is why I am headed back towards the Pacific starting tomorrow. I will save the rest of my time in Oregon for later in the year when it has had some time to cool down a bit. While not a particularly busy week, it’s definitely been a good one, so let me tell you what I’ve been up to.

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Full Tiki Gear at Alibi

When I left you all last week, I did, in fact, drive all the way to Portland. There were some cute towns along the way as I drove up the Columbia River, but none that called out to me to stop and explore. When I got into Portland it was pretty late, so I decided I would go check out the two main tiki bars in town and see what they were up to. The first one I stopped at is a classic called Alibi which has been serving up delightful tiki cocktails since 1947. The décor was great and I loved the fish tanks and fountains. After a drink there, I made my way down to Hale Pele, a much more modern bar hidden behind an incredibly bland façade. Hale Pele is owned by Martin Cate who also owns some of the country’s best tiki bars – Smuggler’s Cove in San Francisco, Max’s South Seas Hideaway in Michigan and False Idol in San Diego. While I would say of those four, this was my least favorite, that doesn’t mean I didn’t like it. I had a couple of great cocktails and they had an extensive rum list as well. It was small and very crowded, but I definitely enjoyed my visit. After a few cocktails, I was thrilled to find a Northern Thai restaurant called Sweet Basil open late and right up the street where I could get some spicy noodles to soak up the rum. It was a nice first evening in Portland.

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It’s a Bus That’s a Bar

On Thursday I ran some errands around town and then went out to meet up with my friend, Andrew, in the north part of the city. Andrew is a fraternity brother of mine from Penn State and has been living in Portland for many years now. I try and catch him when I come through town, but usually I’m here with a tour group so it’s usually a short visit. This time I had more time so it was good to be able to spend the evening hanging out in his neighborhood. We went to an event called Last Thursdays in the Alberta Arts District which is a fun neighborhood street fair held on the last Thursday of the month. There were street musicians, food trucks and plenty of cool stalls selling all kinds of things. We wandered up and down the street, stopping here and there to check out a stall or watch some music (the break-dancers were particularly fun). We stopped for some good Mexican food and a beer and then headed back to his place for the night. As much as I enjoy my van, it was nice to spend a night inside for a change.

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Keep Portland Weird

I left my van parked at their house in the morning and got a ride downtown from his girlfriend and I spent the day at the Oregon History Center. I spent several hours in their permanent exhibit on the third floor which covered Oregon’s history from its indigenous roots all the way to present day. There was a lot to see and to read and I was surprised when I checked my watch for the first time and realized I had been up there for over four hours. I had afternoon plans and I was also nearing the end of my attention span, so I whipped through the rest of the museum over the next hour and then headed out. I grabbed a quick lunch from a nearby food truck and a beer from a bar in a converted English double-decker bus and then hopped on the city bus back to where I was parked. From there it was just a quick 15 minute drive to my friend Josh’s house. Josh lived in the city just north of me when I lived in Japan many years ago and I particularly remember a wonderful ski trip we took together to Sapporo. I haven’t seen him since I left Japan and was really happy to catch up with him in Portland. He took me down to Mississippi St, another of Portland’s many business districts. We had a nice stroll up and down the street, stopping here and there for a beer. My favorite was at a spot called Moloko that had several big saltwater fish tanks lining the walls. I love tropical fish and I really enjoyed watching them swim around while we caught up. Some of Josh’s friends joined us and we wandered down the street for some barbecue from Matt’s BBQ which was pretty good. Right around the corner is an alley filled with Star Wars characters and lights and sound effects which was pretty cool and very Portland. From there we went to a cool little bar near Josh’s house in St. Johns which had some fun old video games and pinball machines before winding up at a great little dive bar which reminded me a lot of some of the places I used to hang out at in New Orleans. It was another fun day and so good to see Josh after a dozen years.

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We Are Penn State!

I stayed in my van that night, but right at Josh’s house, so we were able to have breakfast together in the morning before parting ways. I made my way down the road to Satellite Bar, which is the Penn State Oregon Alumni Association’s official viewing site for football season. Andrew joined me for the game, as did my friend Cristen who also went to school with me. There were probably about 80 people there to watch our Nittany Lions sail to an easy win over the Nevada Wolf Pack. The weather was a little cooler than it has been in Portland recently and it was nice to sit outside and enjoy the game. Afterwards I went back to Cristen’s house for the night. Her husband and daughter came home soon after we got there and we had a wonderful dinner and some great conversation before calling it a very early night, which was much needed at that point.

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Star Wars Alley

I stayed with them for breakfast in the morning and then said my goodbyes and headed just up the road to Firestone. Shadow Catcher has been making some noises and I figured since they were open on a Sunday, it was as good a time as any to get it looked at. As I mentioned above, it was Labor Day weekend, so I knew it would be super busy everywhere nearby and I figured I’d get the work done and be ready to hit the road when everyone else was headed back to town (plus school started Tuesday in Oregon). I spent the day in Starbucks catching up on some work and editing some photos while I waited. They closed at 6 and when I hadn’t heard anything I wandered back over at 5:45, only to be told that they weren’t going to get it done that day (despite having promised that they would). That was incredibly frustrating and made more-so by their complete lack of communication about the whole thing. It was half done and they at least pulled it out of the garage and parked it in their lot so I had somewhere to sleep. Getting repairs done when I’m on the road is always a pain, but at least I didn’t have to go find a hotel somewhere. That left me with the night to explore a bit of Tigard which is a cute little suburb of Portland. I got some food and had a few beers and met some really nice people which made for a pleasant evening.

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McMennamins’ Crystal Hotel

I didn’t sleep great though, in part because I was right next to a busy road and in part because I don’t like confrontations and I knew I was going to have one first thing in the morning. I didn’t roll in right when they opened at 7, but gave them a half-hour to get the lights on and their opening work taken care of. When I did come in, the manager was expecting me and knew I wasn’t going to be happy. He told me the situation and apologized profusely. I told him that I didn’t know if I could trust them to do the work and he assured me he would get his guy on it immediately, check the work himself and get me out the door as soon as possible. He seemed genuine and was true to his word and even knocked about 20% off of the price. It was way more expensive than it should have been in the first place so that helped, and I couldn’t drive much further down the road with it clinking and clanking away back there so I’m glad I got it done. At the end of the day it’s all part of life on the road.

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Q D’s Bar in Portland

Shadow Catcher did sound a lot better and it felt as though they did a good job, so we headed up the road to the gym and then I drove back to the north side of Portland and took the train into the city. It was nice to have an afternoon to myself to just wander around. I stopped here and there for a beer, ate some dinner at one of the food truck courts, checked out Powell Books (the largest independent bookstore in the country), and generally had a good time of it. I think my favorite spots that I hit were QD’s which had an old school Americana vibe, Kelly’s Olympian which is just full of old-school neon, inside and out, and Raven’s Manor which is decked out like Halloween every day of the year.  I’ve been slowly getting to know Portland over the years, but I’ve rarely been able to just wander aimlessly about and see what I can find and it was nice to do just that. While Portland definitely has some problems that it needs to address as far as drugs, homelessness and the general state of its downtown area, everywhere outside of that central core is pretty nice. Within the city center there is still a lot to do and it is getting better, but there’s still a long way to go.

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Shadow Catcher at Vista House

Bright and early Monday morning I put Portland in my rear view mirror and started heading east for the first time in a long time. I made my first stop in Troutsdale at a place called Edgefield. Edgefield was once the Multnomah County Poor Farm, but today is a part of the McMenamins enterprise. The McMenamins brothers are pretty famous in Oregon and especially in the Portland area. They take over old bars, hotels, restaurants and other properties and rehabilitate them into something special. I’ve been to a few of their places since arriving in Oregon, but after visiting Edgefield I will definitely be paying more attention. They have turned this institutional property into a beautiful and whimsical hotel with a brewery, a winery, several bars, a restaurant, a live event venue, a glass-blowing studio, a golf course and a spa. It was fabulous to walk around and see what can be done to a place like this with the right amount of inspiration (and money, of course). I often seek out old institutions in my travels because they are architecturally interesting to me, but more often than not they are abandoned and falling apart. I always think how amazing it would be if someone would invest the time and money to restore these old buildings and I’m happy to see that in this part of the country they are doing just that. And by the looks of the place they are doing quite well with it too.

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Latourell Falls

Just outside of Troutsdale I headed into the Columbia River Gorge. The Gorge has been a transportation route for centuries as the American Indians used it as a trade and travel route. Lewis and Clark came down the Gorge on the last leg of their overland trip to the Pacific Ocean. It was the last obstacle that emigrants faced on their way down the Oregon Trail and the road that runs through it was the very first paved highway in the Pacific Northwest and the first designated scenic corridor in the country. I have been up the Gorge several times in my life, but always with a tour group in tow and always on a tight schedule. It was nice to be able to just take my time and get out and explore. I started my day up at Vista House which sits high above the Gorge and offers nice views over the road and the river. Just down the road, I stopped at Latourell Falls and hiked the scenic loop trail to the upper falls and back. At the top, I met Helen and KC and their sons Chase and Liam. I had actually taken their photo at the start of the trail and was taking some photos at the top when they caught up with me. The boys took off behind the falls, laughing and having a blast which was good to see. I chatted with their parents for a while about my trip and my photos and they gave me some places to check out when I move into Washington State. It was nice to meet them and I really enjoyed the conversation, but I said my goodbyes and then headed back down to the base of the falls and back to my van.

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Punchbowl Falls

My next stop was Bridalveil Falls which was just a short walk from the parking area, but also very nice. Then I went to the Wahkeena Falls trailhead and took another nice walk up past Fairy Falls to the Wahkeena Spring. This walk was beautiful and I felt good doing it but it’s definitely been a while since I did any hiking and my legs were feeling it. It was starting to get late by the time I got down from this hike, but I did make a quick stop at Multnomah Falls on my way past. This is probably the most famous stop in the Gorge and one of the more famous waterfalls in the country. Funnily enough it is the bridge in front of the falls that makes it such a photogenic and beloved spot. I have been to Multnomah several times before, but I’m still glad I stopped. From there it was just a quick 20 minutes into the little town of Cascade Locks. I made it to Thunder Island Brewery just before last call so at least I could have a quick beer to celebrate the day. Cascade Locks is the town where the Pacific Crest Trail crosses the Columbia River via Bridge of the Gods, so there were a lot of hikers in town on their long walk from the Mexican border to Canada. They looked tired, but seemed in good spirits and I’m sure the beer tasted even better to them.

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Dusk on the Gorge

Another early start this morning got me to the Eagle Creek trailhead nice and early after a quick photo stop at Horsetail Falls. This was a hike recommended by my friend Cristen and it was definitely a good one. The hike travels up Eagle Creek which comes down a pretty impressive gorge of its own. The trail ascends above the creek and is sometimes narrow enough that the Forest Service has installed a metal cable into the rocks to hold onto. It was absolutely beautiful the whole way up and down, but also more exposed than a lot of the trails in the area so I’m glad I started early. I only went as far as Punch Bowl Falls, but it was a wonderful 5ish mile walk and a really nice way to start the day. I returned to Cascade Locks because I had spotted a little burger stand called the East Wind Drive-In last night and thought I would treat myself to a burger and fries and a little bit of ice cream as well. It was excellent and fresh and a real treat. After lunch I made my way on to Hood River, grabbed a shower at the Aquatic Center and have tucked myself into the library to finish this week’s This Week. I have added a few photos from my time in the Gorge, but hope to take some more and do a full photo post this coming week.

Tomorrow I will leave Oregon behind as I cross the Columbia River Gorge into Washington State. My normal plan is to spend my 6-8 weeks in each state in one continuous push, but it is still too hot in the inland parts of Oregon. I don’t love the heat and it’s especially hard to sleep in so I am moving on back to the coast and will pick up where I left off in Oregon later in the year. Since there was no way to get to Washington from California without traveling through Oregon, I started my exploration en-route and have really enjoyed it so far and am looking forward to getting back here in late October. Tomorrow will begin my time in Washington and I hope to be there for all of September and a good bit of October as well. I will make my way back down the Gorge and back out to the coast and head north again along the Pacific. I hope to explore some coastal towns, do some backpacking in Olympic National Park and then head out to the San Juan Islands on my way to Tacoma and Seattle. That’s about as far into things as I’ve thought right now, but I’m really looking forward to it. By this time next week I hope to be getting back to the coast and hope I’ve had some good adventures along the way to share. I’m definitely excited for what lays ahead. I hope you’ll come back next week and see what I’ve gotten up to. Until then, have fun out there and thank you, as always, for reading.

-Mike

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Portland’s Chinatown

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Last Thursday Street Fair

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The Portland Theater

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Multnomah Falls

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Bridal Veil Falls