From Portland, I headed to the coast and it’s a lot farther than I expected. Once at the coast, the first part of the drive is super-touristy with lots of windsock, fudge, magnet, salt water taffy stores. After suffering through that section, the drive becomes much more scenic.
One of the coolest parts was watching the ATVs and dune buggies racing around on the giant sand dunes.
From Hood River, I headed down highway 84 and the Historic Columbia River Highway toward Portland. There are lots of beautiful spots to stop with one of the most popular being Multnomah Falls. While most people hike to the top of the waterfall, maybe take a few pictures, and relax for a while, I went right up and took this photo, then ate an ice cream sandwich and was back in the car.
In an effort to actually experience some summer-like weather, escaped the fog of San Francisco and headed out on a road trip to Oregon. I went north up Interstate 5 but got off and hit the back roads.
The first stop was Crater Lake National Park. I spent two nights in the lodge, toured the lake by boat, did some hiking, and had dinner in the lodge. Here’s a view of “The Phantom Ship” rock formation.
The next stop is Hood River, OR. Click on the photos above to see more pics in the gallery.
