U.S.#5 Hood River: Windy one day, Gorge-ous the next

Hood River provides a lot of hospitality even to those of us who don't 'wind dance'. Most of the holiday rental accommodation is located on the gorge side of the hill maximising views of the river and Mt Adams. If you wanted, you could view the windsurfers and parasailors through binoculars. Click the photo to link to the Picasa Web album.

The steep hill provides a good workout for a walker - that's me - the sole walker. All the rest cruise the streets in their mini-vans or F350 pick-ups.

As a middle-class holiday town, there are many boutique and gift shops, and restaurants, cafes and pubs with balconies to sit out on and enjoy the views and the summer air.

Out of town, car touring reveals the many faces of the Columbia River valley and surrounding hills, dales and waterfalls.

This album includes the drive to Mt Hood and the monumental Timberline Lodge. Vehicles stop here (so do chipmunks) but snowboarders get to go further up the peak for a summertime ski.

For grand accommodation nothing beats the Columbia Gorge Hotel, actually located just out of town (near the highway) but obviously well out of our price range. It has loads of history, you'll need to 'google that' because we didn't stop long, just to admire the landscaping including the cliffs and huge waterfall.

We explored the waterfalls loop back along the road to Portland: Multnomah Falls are by far the biggest and most visited. Check that spectacular walkway over the falls. They are situated conveniently right on the 4-lane freeway and train line... The frequency of freight trains through the valley is staggering - I'd say, every 7-8 minutes there's a train of 80 to 100 wagons. And that's just on our side in Oregon. On the Washington State side there's another track servicing that state.