U.S.#6 Hood River hots up

When it's a hundred in the shade, what can you do but jump in the Chrysler people mover, pump up the air con and tour the countryside? We got up too late and moved too slowly to undertake the long loop to Mount St Helens so decided to do the Fruit Loop and Columbia River valley up to Maryhills, the desert end of the valley.

Having purchased most of our fruit at Safeway yesterday, we dropped in on the Lavendar Farm instead. The owner explained that he got the idea for it from a visit to one outside Launceston. With views to Mt Hood in the background and rolling hills covered in fruit trees and vineyards, I could've sat in the pergola all day and watched the bees busy at work amongst the lavendar bushes.

However, we had other sites to see and several more wrong turns to take, before leaving the Fruit Loop and heading east toward the desert country. One of our party was bitterly disappointed that her favourite Western outfitter in the Dalles was closed for Sunday trading (how dare they - the outlet shops don't!). With the temperature rising we wound our way toward Pilbara country except there was a giant river threading its way through the valley.

We found the petroglyphs in Columbia Hills State Park: they had been moved to a convenient site away from the gorge which had been flooded with the building of the dams. Most of the petroglyphs were barred from public access without a tour guide due to vandalism. Oh well, these were great anyway, and, with the 'I'm feeling lucky' button in Picasa, they actually come up better than in situ.

Quick swim in the river at a van park / rocky beach with significant irrigation run-off and chained off for protection from the water skis. Hmmm - not my favourite swimming hole.