After the waterfalls we continued up the HWY towards Hood River, stopping at the Bonneville Dam and Locks. Paul loves this stuff and we can’t miss a lock. He had a very nice conversation with the volunteer who was a workamper there for the summer and was planning to travel to Mesa this winter. We felt we had a lot to share with him. It was fun to relive our fulltime RV days and some of the jobs we had along the way.

Hood River the windsurfer capitol. There were all kinds of water toys out on the river, Windsurfers were not near as popular as the kite type of surfing. It was fun to watch as there were beginners up to way good surfers.

There were more surfers with their equipment relaxing in the park resting up I guess for there next ride.

We moved near Portland so Paul can fulfil his need to add money to the checkbook; Teddy and I will enjoy the Sandy River for a few days. We are staying in Troutdale which is just east of Portland and a world away – beautiful tiny town at the beginning of the Historic Oregon U.S. 30 Route which runs along I84 thru the Waterfall Tour area.

You have to register for a time slot during the summer because the route of about 10 miles gets so busy. Troutdale is about 10 miles from there. Getting the pass costs $2 and you have a 1 hour window to enter, once in you can stay as long as you like. We took the route Thursday afternoon and saw most of the waterfalls. I’m still not up to long hikes so mostly viewing from the road.

On Saturday we got another pass and took a little more time. On Thursday we saw this spring coming out of a wall and people filling up so we brought our bottles!

Then we found a cute little market and bought probably one of the best Rueben Sandwiches ever. We bought it to go and moved into the waterfall region and found a spot for a quick picnic before taking an actual hike. We hiked to Bridal Veil Falls which was only 3/4 mile round trip but a lot of it was downhill as you were hiking from the top to the bottom before you actually saw the falls.

The first or last waterfall is you see on the route is Horsetail Falls

The biggest and most famous fall along the route is Multnomah Falls which we had been to many times. You can see it from the interstate. This is a definite tourist stop complete with a snack shack, gift shop, restaurant and a visitor center.

This was definitely a must do for me as waterfalls always draw me in.

Fish n Chips, Clam Chowder, Whale watching, sunshine, rain, shopping, bridges – we saw it all and enjoyed every bit. Our stay in Newport was exactly what I needed, 4 wonderful days of relaxing, campfires, quiet and some beautiful scenery.

Visiting our friends in Port Orford always is a welcome treat. The weather was beautiful, 70 degrees. We had lots of great meals, played cards and caught up. Paul talked Ed out of a bunch of rocks that we will use in our waterfall once we get back home but for now we have an extra 30# we will carry back to Roseville. That with along all the fun stuff I’ll be buying we will definitely be over our weight limit by the time we get back to Roseville.

I spent one afternoon with Peggy an the quilt shop. Judy and Peggy helped me make a quick window hanging that I’ll need to finish. I plan to hang it in the sunroom.

It was a short visit and we moved up the coast to Newport, OR.