OR - Hood River and the surrounding area

This weekend we went up to Hood River, OR. It is an hour drive east of Portland. We decided to go up to ride the Mt. Hood Express which is a scenic train ride from Hood River up to a small town called Parkdale. We went up on Friday night so we would be there bright and early for the train. We also learned it was the weekend of the blossom festival, but turns out the pear and apple trees won't be in bloom for another couple of weeks (due to weather).

We stayed in a town across the Hood River Bridge called White Salmon. They have an RV park right there called Bridge RV Park (www.bridgerv.com). It was a really nice site, really clean bathrooms, lots of grass, pet friendly, but on the pricey side (my calulations were off when I booked). It was the closest to town, but the bridge is a toll bridge (and you pay each way...also adds to the expense). One other note (to add to the ambiance of our train weekend), we had a freight line running right next to the park, and the trains came through every 15-30 minutes.

The RV Park


The weekend was flat out wet, until the day we left (then the sun came out). We figured a few things out as to how we are going to handle tents and their locations and trying to stay completely dry while cooking. Found the back of the trailer stayed wet with the water draining off the roof, and that went all over my pants. Also noticed leaking in the storage areas above the pantry and the utility drawer (it was worse over the utility drawer) even though the whole area was covered. We don't get that leaking when the hatch is closed, and we were having trouble figuring out where it was coming from. We had some nice hot chili and cocoa to warm us up (it was cold too). We took a couple of showers to warm up (they were not warm showers and they cost $0.25/2.5 minutes) and turned in early.

The Mt. Hood Express was pretty neat (www.mthoodrr.com). The train goes nice and slow so you can really enjoy the views along the Hood River and through all of the orchards. Oregon is second to Washington in pear production, so we have a lot of trees. They also tell you the history of the area, and explain the reason some things are the way they are. Coming from a pioneering family, I really love learning more about the history of the place they settled, and the bits that weren't necessarily a part of our family but helped shape the place we live. Plus, it is just beautiful, and when it is clear, the views of the mountains are amazing (we weren't so lucky). It was great and relaxing and the lad loved riding the train. We wandered around Hood River in the afternoon and headed back for an early dinner and movie before bed.

Some of the cherry blossoms in Parkdale.


The next morning we woke up to glorious sun and mountain views. With all of the rain we had, the waterfalls in the Gorge were amazing (and more plentiful than usual). We did the drive to Hana on Maui a few weeks ago to see the waterfalls, and we were not really impressed, mainly because we are so spoiled in Oregon (the drive was beautiful though, don't get me wrong!). We stopped at Multnomah Falls (the US's 2nd highest waterfall, www.oregon.com/attractions/multnomah_falls ), and I have never seen it as powerful, with as much water ever. It was amazing. We have done lots of hiking in this area, and we highly recommend that too!

Hood River Bridge over the Columbia River with Hood River and Mt. Hood in the background


Multnomah Falls


All in all, a fun weekend!

 

Looks fun, Sarah! When you do the drive to Hana it's important to know in advance that there isn't really anything to see in Hana. It's all about the drive, not the destination. BTW, did you drive around the backside? I'm guessing no - if you weren't impressed by the drive.

Also, your photos are so large it's almost impossible to see them. If you scale them down to 600 or 800 pixels wide they should work much better.

 

Sarah,

I love Hood River particularly when the trees are in bloom.

Do you think that the leak was the water off running of the roof? I wonder if you had put up the rolled up side out over the rest of the raindrop if that would have helped. Not sure if there is enough room to put the whole thing into the Northern Breeze and still be able to use the kitchen.

Thanks for the writeup.

 

We found the drive beautiful...we just didn't find the waterfalls as spectacular as the hype. We did break the rules and drove around the back side. It was really beautiful. The changes in climates and envirnoment in such a small space is really amazing. We did a lot of driving on that trip...trying to out run the rain. I am starting to think we bring it with us! I'll try to leave it at home for the NW Round Up!

 

Joan, we were kind of thinking about that at the end of the weekend. We had put most of the trailer in the tend after dinner was finished on Friday, and reworked the space with our little table and the one that goes with the trailer. It was a bit tight, but it worked. It was raining less on Saturday (not the torrential downpour we were having Friday). We also were able to have the vent open with the tent over the top and kept dry inside too. That was helpful. We will have to give it a go the next time!

 

Thanks Sarah. Just making mental notes on how to deal with the rain.

 

Kewl, fun trip it looks like...
Like the train thing... I keep the Mt Rainier train and the one up in Canada on the ToGo list... Rain, go figure, getting close and closer to working with it... at each campout...
Thanks for the pics, looks like fun..

 

Just asked Mick about the tent, and he said he took a closer look and he didn't think it would have made a difference (especially since we had been driving in the rain too...everything was soaked). I am wondering if there might be a spot that the water gets through when the hatch is up, but it seals up when the hatch is closed. It was not blowing in. Not sure. Things seem to be dry right now.

Mt Hood express turns into the Polar Express in the winter for the kids. I think we might have to try that, now that the lad is old enough, but not too old!