Thursday July 23, 2015
After all the craziness and arrangements of the house flood we were finally on our way. The anticipation was killing us and we were ready to get out of town. We got out the door at 8:30!! The Shields came with us for this trip.
Our first stop was Idaho falls. We ate lunch at Subway and walked around the temple grounds.
We knew we wouldn't make it to the coast in one day so we arranged to stop in Pendleton for the night at the Holiday Inn Express. We ate dinner at the only place we could find. It was called Hals and it left us less than impressed. The town was creepy, dirty, scary and gross. We tried to go to the neighborhood park and river walk and there were a bunch of sketchy people walking around so we opted for a night in the hotel. We got settled and let the kids watch Home Alone in the Hotel room.
We didn't even take any pictures in Pendleton. I don't think we will ever stay there again. We couldn't wait to get back on the road the next morning.
Friday July 24, 2015
Friday July 24, 2015
We had arranged to stay in Portland the first night. On the way there we made several stops.
We saw a stand for smoked salmon and had to stop to check it out. It was so yummy.
We drove through the Colombia River Gorge. I could't believe how wide the river was.
We crossed the Bridge of the Gods. They charged $1 toll to cross it and it was worth it. You could see right down into the river. It felt kinda eerie.
We stopped at the Colombia River fish hatchery.
Our favorite part was this huge sturgeon named "Herman".
Then we stopped at the Bonneville Dam & Locks. It was so fun to watch the fish jump up the ladders.
There were wild blackberries growing EVERYWHERE. We took advantage and picked several handfuls right by the dam.
We stopped and had lunch at the Cascade Locks. They had a restaurant called "Water Front Grill". We loved sitting right on the river edge to enjoy our lunch.
The kids got to wave and watch a ferry take off from shore.
After lunch we headed to Multnoma Falls. The Shields had arranged to stay with some friends in Portland so we separated at this point and planned on meeting up in the morning.
Randy decided we should hike to the top of the waterfall. I wasn't prepared. I wasn't wearing good clothes or shoes to hike in but I was up for whatever.
We started hiking and hiking and hiking and I started thinking we would get there at any moment. The view was incredible. Then we saw a sign that said "Switchback 1 of 11" at that point I started freaking out, we weren't even close. We decided to just kept going. The trail was really steep. Randy finally put H on his shoulders to carry him the rest of the way.
This was one of may stops along the way.
We made it!!! Lots of cheering! The view of the Colombia river was amazing.
View from the top of the waterfall.
Sweaty selfie! I was tired!
Our next stop was Oneonta Falls. There is a spot up top that you can swim in a waterfall. The climb up was too difficult for H and too dangerous to carry him so we stayed down at the bottom of the river while Randy, Brad and Claire hiked to the top.
Back at the bottom. H was really sad he couldn't go to the top so we will have to go back and do it again.
On the way to Portland we took the Old Highway 30. It was so scenic and beautiful. Well worth the extra travel time. We stopped at the Vista House. It was closed by the time we got there but, the view of the Gorge was incredible from the top.
Our first stop in Portland was the waterfront. Randy told us stories of when he was younger hanging out at the waterfront. We parked and talked to one of the locals. He said there was a "Blue's festival" going on. We thought that sounded fun so we walked over.
Once we got there we realized that we heard the guy wrong. He said "Booze festival" We got a good laugh out of it. We were the ONLY ones with kids there. The kids were starving so we decided to at least go in and get something to eat.
The kids were a bit nervous so they ate really fast.
On the way back to the car we had to have a talk about why there were tents set up everywhere. Our kids are pretty sheltered and hadn't been exposed to homelessness. At one point Claire saw a homeless guy peeing in a patch of wild blackberries. She quickly announced "Don't eat ANY of the blackberries!"
We got settled into our Hotel. We stayed at the Marriot Residence Inn in Hilsboro. It was a condo style hotel. The rooms were really nice and roomy. We were beat. I got the kids in bed and I sent Randy out in search of a Jamba Juice. I think it was the best tasting Jamba I have ever had.
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