My Smallest Visitors

On July 1st, two small friends and two medium-size ones boarded an airplane in Philadelphia. I had been looking forward to this visit for a long time, and was VERY excited. My sister, niece, nephew and cousin were all on their way to visit me in Oregon!

All belted in and ready to go!

I picked the tired-looking crew up at the airport (a layover in vegas will do that to ya), and we hit the road for the Columbia River Gorge and Hood River.

Damian, Sierra and the pink bunnies smile at Multnomah Falls.

Our first stop was the impressive 611-foot Multnomah Falls. We walked up to the bridge you see at the top of this photo—Benson Bridge—to get a nice view of the top portion of the waterfall. On our way to Hood River, we stopped at Horsetail Falls for a little picnic lunch and a cold beer. The kids had fun splashing around in the water and getting the seat of their pants wet and dirty. :)

Day Out with Thomas 2007, Mount Hood Railroad, Hood River

Since Damian was turning the big FIVE the following day, we all went for a train ride on Thomas, who was visiting in Hood River. The kids played in a hay maze and the big girls played with some giant bubble makers while we waited our turn. In fact, we were having so much fun, that we had to run to catch our train before it left without us. Whoops!

Sierra and I snuzzle while we cross the Hood River.

Nik's head and the train trestle.

Little leg break.

The next morning, we had some breakfast and did a short hike in the gorge to Wahclella Falls.

Snack spot.

Damian poses with a rainbow trout for a hat.

After our hike, we visited the Bonnevile Fish Hatchery. We visited Herman the sturgeon, and 11-foot long, 500-pound, 70-year-old white sturgon and fed the fish throughout the hatchery.

Sierra dances with a plastic fish.

Where better to blow out birthday candles than right up on Mount Hood? We took a ride up to Cloud Cap Inn, which was built in 1889 at 6,000 feet on Mt. Hood's northeast shoulder.

What a view! Here we are around 7,000 feet on Mt. Hood. Only 4,245 feet to go to the top!


Our next adventure was a hike that winds through the dramatic landscape at Smith Rock State Park. This tough trail wakes up your butt muscles and climbs to a very expansive lookout point.

Taking shelter from the sun in a cool little cave.

The monkeys.

Here's the PA crew at the top. The big, funny-looking rock right behind them is called "Monkey Face" and is a popular spot for climbers. When we got to the top, Damian said, "where are the monkeys?" This 360 degree panoramic view of the Central Cascades is amazing. You can see as far north as Mt. Hood, 115 miles away!

Nik on the final leg of the hike.

We stopped for a well-deserved ice cream on our way into Willamette National Forest. These guys are Oregon rock stars.

Melis and Nikki. HEY!

We spent the night camping at Belknap Hot Springs. Campfire, hot dogs and ahhhhhhhhotsprings. We did some nighttime exploring and got a little silly with headlamps.


The next morning, we rolled our stuff back to the car. Melis is on the far end of the bridge. Nik poses for a pic with the giant sleeping bag and the McKenzie River.

Sierra and Damian check out the trail map.

We did a cool hike that follows along the swirling, turquoise blue McKenzie River, which boasts some enormous waterfalls. Melis and Nikki adventured behind Sahalie Falls. There's a little spur trail that zigzags down and goes all the way behind the waterfall. It's amazing. One of my favorite things I've done in Oregon.

Melis is the master of the self-portrait.

We stopped at Clear Lake for an icy treat. This aquamarine lake is know for its clarity and is popular with scuba divers. There is a 3,000-year-old forest still standing underwater!


We headed back to Hood River for 4th of July festivities. We spent some time on the beach checking out the windsurfers and kiteboarders.

Cute dress.

We had a few friends stop by on the 4th to meet the PA crew and watch the Hood River firework show right from our deck. We also had a private show in our driveway, courtesy of Melissa Donovan Fireworks, Inc. :)

Sand Teddy.

Our last road trip was to Cannon Beach on the Oregon coast. This is where they filmed a lot of "The Goonies". Beautiful spot. We camped a short walk away. Cannon Beach is named for a cannon that was discovered on the beach from a shipwreck that occured in 1846.

Sisters!

Sisters and cousin! Sweatshirts are Oregon HOT.

Sierra and "The Needles".

We found a great spot to relax and enjoy the sunset. In the background, you see Haystack Rock, which is 235 feet high and is the third largest coastal monolith in the world. In the morning, we explored the tidal pools at low tide, where we saw lots of interesting sea life including sea anemones, starfish and sand dollars. Haystack Rock is a designated marine and bird sanctuary. Western Gulls, Tufted Puffins, Pelagic Cormorants, Pigeon Guillemots and Black Oystercatchers all call Haystack Rock home. That's a lot of bird poop.

Running around on the sky, I mean. sand.

Melis, Damian, Nik and Sierra in the last of the day's light. Good night, Pacific Ocean.

Melis took this nice pic of me and Tom. :)

Hood River really comes to life on "First Friday". We had some beers at the pub and then headed to Jack's for some scorpion bowl action.

Bowl-o-booze.

Whoa-ee-whoa-whoa. HEY! Wha?

Damian plays in the waterfall at Dog Creek.

We took the kids to the waterfall at Dog Creek on the Washington side of the gorge for a little swim and some relaxation. Melis and Nik scaled the rock face and the kids played around in the water.

Our last hurrah was some sandwiches and cold beers enjoyed at Panorama Point, which overlooks the orchards, vineyards and farms of the Hood River Valley. Mt. Hood smiles in the distance.

Bathing beauties and Sir Hood.

We had a fun-FILLED week touring my new state. Head on pillow every night was a great feeling. We got up-close and personal with the waterfalls, mountains, forests and rivers, and experienced the great outdoors of this wonderful place together. I hope my buddies are still dreaming of Oregon. :)