The Dallas DMV has the friendliest staff. Never an issue and great customer service!!read more

Compared to downtown Portland DMV, these were the nicest people ever. Everything was on time…read more Quick, painless process to get a license. Very surprising for a DMV experience! Just wanted to give a shoutout because nice people deserve reviews too.

Stonehenge Memorial is a unique monument, constructed to honor the local residence that lost their…read morelives in World War I. There is a smaller memorial to honor those that served WWII, Korea & Vietnam. The views are captivating. You can reach Stonehedge via car or bicycle. I think this review is one best told through photos.

This is a beautiful memorial created in memory of those who truly deserve it…read more This architectural marvel sits just off of the roadway and features many tributes to fallen soldiers. We stopped here to read the memorials and enjoy the hard work of those who created this. We ended up staying much longer than anticipated because of the beauty of the memorial itself and the peace that we felt walking through it. It should be a must do for anyone coming through this area. It is free to visit, there are clean bathrooms and you will be overwhelmed with a sense of History and connection to the men who are remembered here and to the land itself.

Wow! We visited The Dalles this weekend and did the Sunsational Charm Trail. So impressed with The…read moreDalles and every single merchant we met! We had so much fun! While we weren't able to visit every location, now we have a great excuse to come back! Honestly, we were somewhat apprehensive what the reception would be as we were many times making a single purchase of just a couple of charms... Every single location we visited was super friendly, helpful and engaging. We are thrilled with our awesome souvenir of our visit! Would have liked to have been able to print the map from your website.

For sweeping views of The Dalles, Columbia River below, and surrounding landscape stop at Kelly…read morePoint View. Located along East Scenic Drive across the street from Sorosis Park, the views are spectacular, especially at sunset when the entire sky is illuminated in vibrant colors. For those that enjoy history, Kelly Point is dedicated to the memory of Virgil Kelly who made many contributions during his years of service city councilor (1939 -1961) Kelly View Point is also the site of several veterans' memorials honoring those that served our country in various wars, and who gave the greatest sacrifice. Take the time to visit each memorial, read the inscriptions and honor those that selflessly served. The memorials are: the Loren R. Kaufman Monument, the Vietnam War Memorial, the Veterans Memorial, and the Desert Shield-Storm Memorial. This area has its own parking strip so you can pull right up. Perched overlooking the expansive landscape of The Dalles below, it's a beautiful spot. There is a great walking path across the street if you want to enjoy a one mile walk and really take in the sweeping views. There are always people walking and jogging along the path. Across the street is Sorosis Park with a playground for the kids, picnic tables, covered gathering areas and restroom facilities.

With expansive views of the basalt cliffs in the Washington side, the magnificent Columbia River…read moreand The Dalles Bridge, the Port of The Dalles Marina isnt just for those who are launching a boat. I enjoyed walking around the docks, checking out the boat launch ramp and taking in the beautiful scenery. Parking lot is huge and free, several people enjoying lunch in their cars. There is a public restroom here and easy access from I-84. If you want to picnic, I suggest driving to the Riverfront park which is to the right (east) when you arrive at the river.

These are photos from September 22, 2019, the day that I decided to check out Goldendale,…read moreWashington. For 19 years, I had passed by the exit to this little town. My journey started like a lot of my travel adventures. I just wanted to venture a little bit further down the road. My plan was to get gas, do a quick drive through town, then get back on the road. It was a rainy, overcast day, but the rain has stopped and the sun was shining down, casting the most beautiful golden glow on the open fields approaching Goldendale. There was something magical about it. I arrived to find a quiet little town. There was nobody out on the streets. I was drawn to a large mural titled The Universe of Imagination. I got out of my car to take a couple of pictures. As I was getting ready to head out, as often happens, something else caught my eye. it was an old gas pump across the street. Knowing that I would probably never visit Goldendale again, and seeing how small and walkable the downtown area was, I decided to get a closer look at the gas pump, and take a quick walk up one side of main street and return down the other side. Almost as soon as I started, it began to rain again. I ducked under the alcove of a building with a bulletin board. While I waited for the rain to let up, so I could run back to my car and grab my umbrella, I began reading the bulletin board posts. Doing so, it occurred to me that you can learn a lot about a community by reading a public bulletin board. By the time I finished reading the bulletin board, the rain had let up a bit. I grabbed my umbrella and proceeded my walk down Main Street. The Bake My Day Cafe looked inviting, but it was closed. One things that struck me was how members of the community had made an effort to beautify the downtown area by planting container pots full of flowers. But I also saw multiple security camera warnings, which suggested Goldendale, with its population of approximately 3,500, may have a crime problem. Living in a town of 470,000, and never having seen a sign like this on any business in my community, I was struck by the discrepancy between our tendency to romanticize small towns, and the reality that no matter how big or small, every community has its challenges. A few store fronts down, I ran into another community bulletin board. Like the first one, it had a story to tell. Then I found the most wonderful mural. It had been created by the children of Goldendale in 2000, who made it while participating in the Summer Daze youth activities program. Whatever struggles Goldendale faced, the mural's message was more powerful. Beauty is all around us. The next time you approach the exit for a town you've always wondered about, take the exit. You never know what wonders may await you on the other side... * I was in Goldendale for almost 4 hours. During that time, I only encountered one person, a woman who was walking her dog. She had recently moved there. We visited for about an hour. I began taking photos at 3:15 PM;, I stopped around 6:35 PM. The photos I took included individual pictures of each child's contribution to the community mural. The absence of people made me think about The Lost Colony of Croatoan. The bulletin board postings were the only thing that remained... * When I travel, I tend to lose track of days. It wasn't until after I submitted this post that I realized I had visited on Sunday. I am from Idaho, where smaller communities are quiet on Sunday too. For me, visiting a town on a slow day, isn't a bad thing. I like to take photographs of the places I visit, and I try not to be intrusive. It was because there weren't many people in the downtown area that it was able to take all of these great photographs. I also really enjoyed being able to explore Goldendale at my own pace. It was one of the highlights of my trip. * One of the things that impressed me most about Goldendale is how many wonderful murals there are. Goldendale has more murals per capita than any town I've ever been in, and I have traveled a lot. The citizens of Goldendale have a lot of creativity, ingenuity, and a strong sense of community. * For those of you who live in Goldendale, I love your community! And I will definitely be back! Small towns have always been a favorite of mine, but there's something very special about Goldendale. Thank you for sharing it with me.

I needed to resolve an issue for my 95 year old mother in MN this morning…read more I was fully expecting a wall of bureaucracy. Instead, I received a smile, reassurance we could solve the issue with a phone call to the nursing home, and that it would be done. There was no sigh because the appointment was going to take longer than usual. There as no annoyance with me not having all the proper paperwork - just a super helpful guy behind the counter who figured things out for me and got it done. Thanks! Definitely not what I expected and a very bright spot in my day.

On a clear day from this pullover, you can see 4 iconic mountains! Mt. Hood to the south; Mt. St…read more Helens towards 1:00; Mt. Adams standing tall and the most visible; and if lucky, Mt. Rainer. Even on a cloudy day, it's a beautiful sight. As you drive north on Highway 97, past the windmill farm, and start to head downhill, the land is flat with several wheat farms providing an unobstructed view. There is even an old barn in the foreground that makes for some beautiful pictures. I discovered this area on one of my adventures and the first time there, it was a cloudy day. So as soon as summer hit and the blue skies were everywhere, I took another ride out that way. While my smartphone camera couldn't capture it, I was able to see all four mountains. Just gorgeous! The fields are all golden right now, dotted with purple wildflowers, and the sky was bright blue which was the perfect backdrop for the white snow capped mountains. It is quite the panoramic view!!! There is a very large pullover so you can safely park and get out of your car to snap some pictures. Next time I will head out earlier when the sun isn't so bright in hopes of getting better pictures of all the mountains.