Come visit on a sunny day. It's gorgeous! No restroom so…read morecome prepared. Quite windy.

I went on Easter Sunday with friends. Many people had the same thought, but we had no problems…read morefinding parking. Beautiful wildflowers were blooming. It was such a a glorious sight of balsamroot and lupines! It was much too windy for me, so after walking around for a bit and holding on to my hat, I went back to the car to enjoy the scenery while my friends hiked around for a bit. Definitely come out to enjoy a spectacular wildflower show if you get the chance!

Located right in Scenic Highway 30, this little park is the perfect place to stop before or after…read morehiking or touring the gorgeous area. There are picnic tables and benches and you can grab a sandwich at the Mosier Market just across the street or tacos at the adjacent food truck. The Totem Pole is what catches your attention but it's the magnificent view of the Columbia River that gets you to linger, relax, and take in the beauty all around. It's a tiny area, but so pretty! If you are in your way to or from Rowena Crest, stop here to use the restroom as there are no facilities at Rowena Crest and Tom McCall Plateau. Plenty of parking.

This plaza is so great, it is very pedestrian friendly. It is a Safe way to slow down the passing…read morecars, and it has good aesthetics. There are also outhouses to use, if needed. And, there are some picnic tables, so you could bring a picnic or grab food from a food cart or adjacent restaurant and hang out for a bit. This is a really well thought out space, and well designed!

It's been a long time having the Stonehenge Memorial on my bucket list to pay a visit to. We tried…read moreto go here a few years ago but tourist season was over and gaining access to the area didn't seem like an option as the gates getting to the memorial were closed and locked. So we reattempted again this summer and made sure it was during a time where the tourists would be out and about. And they were! There were lots of visitors here but not to the point where it was overwhelming or unpleasant. It wasn't a problem getting the timing right to get the pictures you wanted without a bunch of people standing in the way of them. As it says it's a memorial and is dedicated to the lives lost and sacrifices given in W.W. I. So it's a bit of an older memorial but everything is well kept and clean and the Memorial looks ageless as intended. The memorial overlooks the Columbia Gorge so you can get some beautiful views of the river and Gorge in a wonderful panoramic vantage point. Below the the memorial is the small town of Maryhill. It looks quaint and cute but we didn't go down and check it out as we had a reservation we couldn't miss back in Goldendale. The Stonehenge Memorial is indeed a worthy stop and it's a kind of a stop where there isn't much of an excuse to avoid and one big incentive involving that is that there is no entrance fee to enjoy the memorial.

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.

So glad we stopped here! Parking is $10 and the switchbacks go on and on but 100% worth it! Enjoy…read morethe views along the way and the engineering feat to creating the switchbacks. Don't rush to the top so many wonderful overlooks along the way that are even better than the top. Dog friendly but slightly tricky with the narrow sidewalks.

Amazing hikes & views at the park. Beacon Rock Trail, that goes up to the top of the rock, is well…read moremaintained and had gorgeous views the whole way up. Even the drive through the Gorge to get to the park is amazing. I would absolutely recommend visiting! Only issue I ran into was that the parking payment meter in the parking lot was broken and I had to buy a pass online and write the info on a scrap piece of paper like the taped-on signage on the meter said. Many over grown blackberry bushes, but they were not a problem.

It is such a beautiful and scenic drive each and every time going through the Columbia River Gorge!…read moreIt's something I never tire of and there are so many things to go see both on the Oregon and Washington side of the Gorge. One of the most notable places to stop is Multnomah Falls. It's a highly popular place and it is certainly understandable as to why but it is best to go early. You may even need to look into getting a reservation in order to get a parking space as well... because yes... it is actually that popular all year round. There are so many cute little towns through the Gorge as well. Hood River is a favorite of ours and I believe it's a favorite for a lot of people but Cascade Locks is nice as well and the Washington side has cute towns as well. On the Oregon side is Interstate 84 but don't explore this Interstate or route as a quick, brisk route to get east to west (or vice versa) as you cannot go typical Interstate speed through the Gorge. The curvature of the road and through this long stretch simply doesn't allow you to do that so it would be worth looking into alternate routes as possible if quickness is the only thing in mind otherwise you kind of just have to endure the reduced speeds. The Columbia River itself one doesn't have to repeat how beautiful it is but it's understandable if you do. River activities never fail to mesmerize. Like the group of people we once saw sailing down the river with boogie boards ( perhaps there's another name for it I'm not in the know with that) and the almost other worldly appearance of numerous fisherman on boats once fishing season was in full swig in the early morning. It's something one can never get tired of, The Columbia Gorge and I enjoy it each and every time I drive through it. It's breathtaking and truly one of essential drives to partake if visiting Oregon.

Very scenic drive throughout the Columbia River Gorge. We didn't know that the parking exit off the…read more84 for Multnomah Falls has timed-entry to let you cross underneath the bridge and over to see. When we ended up looping back around on one of the inner roads, we saw another paid parking lot that isn't timed but was quite expensive (~$20), so we skipped Multnomah Falls and went to a couple of others with free parking that were easy to get to as well (Horsetail Falls + Wahkeena Falls), then drove up to Vista House before the weather got bad in the afternoon. Vista House has great panoramic views of the gorge, and a restroom!

This is a climb! Especially with my two bad knees. I'm glad I took the challenge because the views…read moreof The Columbia River are so gorgeous from above, but it's a one and done for me! Start the climb at the Horse Brew Pub and catch the first of six steep, cement steps. I was there on a sunny day but if you do the stairs in rainy weather, make sure you have appropriate shoes. no flip flops in any weather! The stairs - with hand rails - climb up to the neighborhoods with houses on the bluff overlooking the river. Lucky people! You wind up then gradually loop your way back down. There are some little, and I mean little, neighborhood parks and some have a bench to rest on while enjoying the view and stillness. I definitely had a rest. Once back in Hood River there are countless things to do! So many breweries that also serve hard cider, shops, restaurants, bars, coffee shops, wine tasting, ice cream - all walking distance and concentrated on three main streets, Oak and Cascade the most popular.

What a blast we had going up and down these stairs!! Other folks were friendly. Quite the workout…read moreand the view is wonderful! Can't miss this when you come into town. Makes the shopping or a coffee break all the more worth it

Even though I visited on a day when they were closed, meaning I could not go into the schoolhouse…read moreor other buildings, I still enjoyed walking around this outdoor museum and marveling at the buildings and farm equipment. It totally transports you back in time to the days when pioneers followed the Oregon Trail and settled in communities to farm and build a new life. Still a farming community, at this outdoor museum in Dufur, you can see several wagons that were used back in the late 1800s and early 1900s by pioneers embarking on the Lewis & Clark Trail. Even a Studebaker wagon! Who knew? The wagons were vastly different than I imagined or had seen depicted in movies. They are much, much narrower and very long. With their wooden wheels and rickety structure, it's absolutely amazing that they carried so many on such a long journey. And underscores how risky the journey was with so many breaking down along the way. The farm equipment and tools were equally amazing. The John Deere tractor, the logo still prominent, was clearly groundbreaking in its day. Pun intended! Each of the buildings, like where the horses were kept and well cared for, the school building, the mercantile, and barns are there to explore. Loved the 2 story, hand built log cabin built by the Schreiber family, completed in 1901. Family members lived in the cabin until 1973 and then, the following year, donated it to the Dufur Histirical Society. All of the buildings and landmarks have information about the history and function. I learned quite a lot and now want to research more. Located right next to the Post Office, you can't miss this outdoor museum. As I was driving through this part of Oregon on a one day drive adventure, I'm so glad I stopped to explore! While in Dufur, have lunch at the historic and beautifully restored Balch Hotel, stop at the market that has lots of curated goods, the coffee shop, and of course, just take a ride and marvel at the unobstructed views of Mt. Hood, whose presence is so grand from this vantage point. Still a dry, wheat farming community, the words "amber waves of grain" come to mind as you drive through miles and miles of golden fields.

It's a spectacular tour if you're interested in where Portland Water Bureau get their water. Run…read moreby the Bureau themselves, it's more of a community outreach than anything else. I doubt our $10 tour fee covers their cost of the nice mini bus (fits about 26 people), the driver and the guide. Both our driver & guide are retired employees. They were VERY knowledgeable about how the system works. It's a very protected piece of land (with an interesting history) which is restricted to the public. There's a 9 mile section of the 2000+ mi PCT that cuts through it, but no one else is allowed to trespass.... except for us :) We even get to walk inside the service tunnel of the dam. We started with a short hike to a water spring, followed by lunch at the cabins next to Bull Run Lake and then visited the Chief Engineer's house near biggest Reservoir #1 and the Hoover Dam-like Dam #1. I can't recommend this tour enough. The only downside is that it's quite popular and the weekend tours will be sold out within a day - you can ask to be added on their mailing list though, then they'll send you an email when they posted new tours.

This is a review of a watershed. Or rather visiting a watershed. Which you can do too. And you…read moremight want to, because it's an educational tour of where and how Portland, Oregon gets its water, its ultra pure water. It is also one of the reasons our microbrews are epic. It all started with citizen volunteers in the 1890's to find a clean supply of water for the City. Think we have a lot of pollution from cars now? Back then it was horses. Horses eat and " ". All that " " runs downhill. To where? The river. So not such a great idea to get your drinking water from the Willamette, or any stream with horses nearby. They found a completely isolated watershed near Mt Hood. It gets three times Portland's annual rainfall, but is independent of Mt Hood glaciers, which someday may be no more. They built pipes and dams, and the rest is history. Recently the Portland Water Bureau started bus tours of Bull Run. (By the way, on the bus they have a small scrapbook of historical photos, including horses used for logging in Bull Run, wearing diapers. I kid you not. They are very serious about keeping that water clean! No " " in those waters!) Leaving from Portland, we traveled toward Zigzag then onto Forest Service roads. Through a secure gate we dropped down into the watershed's steep terrain. We visited the source of the Bull Run River, a substantial spring. Bull Run lake with some very old cabins where original builders lived. The we visited the reservoirs and dams and a beautifully restored home where the dam's chief engineer lived. Throughout the tour, you'll hear about the area's natural history, the unique legal history protecting the watershed, including some presidential proclamations, how the water is treated, and the best thinking on future developments. The trip leaves 8:30 or 9AM and you are back by about 4. Bring a lunch. The bus is very comfy, not your childhood school bus. There are two lunch spots used. Because of the rain we chose indoors at the chief engineer's house which is up to date with a microwave. So if you prefer that to the other lunch outdoor picnic table spot, discuss it with the tour organizers in advance. I recommend the engineer's house for lunch. It is a geeky outing, but because the watershed is closed to campers, hikers and visitors, and guarded, the tour is your only opportunity to see this virgin forest, catching 140 inches a year of pure Cascade rain, connected directly to your tap. The City has 3 videos, with this first, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=10wrNwyXmmk, made in 1959!

" Small, Hidden, Fire Museum "…read more My wife and I visited the Fire Museum in the City Hall building in The Dalles, Oregon last week, and when we walked into the door we said, WOW ! The Museum is very small, but the old fire equipment they have on display is breathtaking. It was awesome to see how our Fireman in the old days fought fire, with the equipment in this Museum. From the original old fire pole, to the beautiful old fire engines, you will enjoy this quick historical adventure.