White Christmas in Hood River

We woke up on December 23rd to a fresh layer of unexpected white frosting in Hood River and the Columbia River Gorge–a refreshing first peak out of your bedroom window, to say the least. The mountains you see are on the Washington side of the Columbia River.
We decided to go out and play in the snow before I left for my Christmas visit to Pennsylvania. After driving west down 84 for a few miles in search of a hike, the snow turned to rain, so we turned around and headed back into it.

We ended up driving south towards Mount Hood and pulling over at one of the many campgrounds, where there is a popular summertime hiking trail. We popped on our snow shoes and started looking for the trail. Unfortunately, the trail bridge that crosses the creek was washed away during the November flooding, so we just wandered along the creek, which is flowing on the right side of the photograph below. Picnic anyone?

A great way to spend a few hours. This place is breathtaking.

There's my little RAV4 smiling in the snow.

Main drag of Hood River. :) And I'm off to Pennsylvania to celebrate Christmas with my family! Happy Holidays!