Three Week Road Trip - Third Leg to Columbia River Gorge/Mt. Hood, OR, September 25, 2013

Oh, it's raining in Oregon.  Big shock!  Downstairs for a quick BW breakfast (these are getting old fast), and packing the car up for our trip to the Columbia River.

More of the same on the road; small towns, fields of trees (unidentifiable), lots of sheep, cows and horses.  But so lush, green and beautiful.  We passed many fields of solid green; it looked just like grass.  And then we passed a sign that said we were in grass seed country.  Who knew there was a grass seed country!  And, thanks to the farmer who identified his hazelnut trees.  

Off the freeway in Eugene for a quick lunch at BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse.  I wanted someplace local, not a chain, but there wasn't anything on Around Me, and we weren't in the mood to look around for a place in the pouring rain.  Their menu is quite large, and I knew both Stan and I would find something we liked.  I settled on teriyaki chicken with rice and veggies, and Stan got....a burger!!!  Both were good, the teriyaki a little sweet for me, but the chicken was cooked just right and the veggies were crisp-tender.  Stan liked his burger with bacon on the side; it was cooked the way he ordered it.  

When I told my sister, Carolyn, that we were going to the Columbia River, she told me to talk to her husband, Scott, and that he would give us some pointers about where to go.  He mentioned a place called Silver Falls, which is on the way from Grant's Pass to Troutdale, our next stop near the Columbia River Gorge.  We followed directions from Siri on the iPhone, who promptly got us lost, but that allowed us to meander around the fields near Silverton and the Silver Falls Tour Route.  Along with the many acres of grass that are grown in the area, Christmas trees are a huge crop.  It is like Napa Valley, but instead of grapevines, there are Christmas trees everywhere!

Fields of grass and Christmas trees.

Christmas trees - a bumper crop.

We bumped along a gravel road for what seemed like forever with nary a car in sight.  I felt that if there were no other cars in the lot once we arrived at the falls, I wouldn't be getting out of the car.  I was having a "Deliverance" moment.  Stan finally figured out where we were and set us on the right path.  We made it to the Silver Falls South Falls parking lot, got out of the car, and, within five minutes, we were gawking at the beautiful river and the falls tumbling into it.

Stan on the way to the falls.

The South Falls at Silver Falls.

The Silver Falls area is a rain forest with a primeval feel.  There is moss and lichen on almost every tree, mushrooms sprouting here and there, and we were essentially alone while on our hike down to a lesser fall, about a 2.8 mile trip.  It wasn't too terribly difficult, some stairs and the usual ups and downs, but we made it even though I got my feet wet crossing a big puddle as we went behind another, smaller fall.

 We crossed the bridge over the river and went back to the car, and were very happy we had made this side trip to a special and extremely beautiful place.  As we were driving, we saw a parking lot for the North Falls, got out, made a quick stop to see the second largest fall in the park.  

An hour and a half later, after driving through several little towns, including a Danish town that had nothing on Solvang, we arrived at Bumper's Grill and Bar for dinner.  Bumper's Grill and Bar  There wasn't much near the Best Western Plus Cascade Inn and Suites, so we drove right down the street and there was Bumper's. 

The ambiance at Bumper's was super.  There was a large aquarium separating the bar from the dining area, dark wood, comfortable booths, good service.  I ordered the hazelnut encrusted halibut, switched the shoestrings out for mashed, and fresh veggies.  The fish was rather dry, the veggies were cold and undercooked, and the potatoes were also a little cold.  Tasty, though.  Stan was very, very happy with his french dip.  He had hoped that the roll was crustier and wasn't crazy about the waffle fries, but was happy overall. 

We're here in Troutdale for two days.  I feel like we're staying here a lifetime.  I'll unpack a little and look forward to tomorrow where we may play 9 holes and see Mt Hood and Multnomah Falls.