MOUNT HOOD - View from the Oregon side...as close to snow as I want to get in a long, long time!
So we spent this past week, which was hot (90-100F) and sunny every single day, at an RV park in White Salmon, Washington with some old friends, Chris & Ian and where we met some new ones.
The park is right on the Columbia Gorge, just opposite of Hood River, Oregon where it’s a mecca for kite board fanatics (Ian is learning to be one!) and wind surfers. When it’s windy, it’s insane how many are out there at once.
Dave and I could spend months in this area, there’s so much to see and do with Mt Hood on the Oregon side and Mt Adams on the Washington side. There are so many hiking trails and water sports to try a person could get tired just trying to make a decision. We’ll be back for an extended stay in the future!
So in a nutshell, here’s what we did this week. Check out the ALBUM!
- Got a bunch of truck repairs done - replaced the alternator, fixed the leaky exhaust manifold, replaced a blown seal in the rear axle and got a oil change. Expensive but considering we thought we’d be out of pocket a few thousand, we got away with just under $1000...very happy about that!
- Went white water rafting (our first time) on the White Salmon river (glacial fed, frigging cold!) and it was a blast! Used a company called Wet Planet. Loved every minute of the Class 3 & 4 rapids! Wished I’d taken my waterproof camera for shots of us doing it but chickened out, didn’t want to loose it. Once I saw how it worked (there were a # of stops) I could have managed it...... Next time! They took pics of us but way too expensive to buy! Oh well, got some pics on the 4th of July when it was total chaos on the river. The guides sure earned their money that day.
- On Canada day hooked up with some crazy Albertans, Marina & Anthony! No one will ever eat pulled pork again without thinking of you Marina! :-) We kinda pushed the limit on the quite hours rule, haven’t laughed or drank that much in a long, long time! We were all very hungover the next day, which happened to be the day we all went rafting and thought we were going to die getting into the wet suits in 100 degree weather. Once the adrenaline of the rafting and the cold glacial water hit us, we were all fine.
- Did a couple of hikes in Mt Adams National park, one to an amazing 3 tiered waterfall that had to be at least 200 ft high. Impressive!
- Watched some pretty good July 4 fireworks on the Columbia Gorge.