We left Plymouth Park Campground on one of the prettiest drives we’ve had to date. The highway took us along the Columbia River and it was so beautiful. We saw barges as we got further west and the mountains and terrain started to shift into what I would expect from the Pacific Northwest. We started to see more of the mountains and the tall pines that I pictured as part of the landscape in this area.
We checked in to Memaloose State Park in Oregon for two weeks – definitely one of our strangest state park stays to date. The state park is attached to a rest area off of I-84 in Oregon and on the Columbia River as well. We could see parts of the river from the back of our site as well as as we walked down further into the campground. Being on the highway it was a very transient campground with a lot of 1 and 2 night stays. We saw very few people there long term – we were there the maximum they allowed which is the 2 weeks. Our site was not nearly as large as the one in Plymouth but we enjoyed our time outside all the same and grilled lots of yummy food – warning a second food pic blog is coming after this one.
While in the Hood River/Gorge region we spent time relaxing and enjoying the beautiful weather while seeing some of the sights of the area. We took the Mt. Hood Railroad ride which while it was not all we had hoped it would be still took us on a pretty ride and we were able to see both Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams from the layover point. We also tasted some decent wines while at the layover as it’s right at a fruit market and a winery.
We had a few lunches right on or near the water at Full Sail Brewery and The Bargeway. We saw barges and trains at the Full Sail Brewery – and while we hoped to at The Bargeway we didn’t see any there but did see some personal watercraft going by.
Our last Sunday there we drove the Hood River “Fruit Loop” which is essentially a loop around the Gorge area through and among the orchards and vineyards. It takes you towards Mt. Hood and we had some beautiful views of the other mountains as well. We did a few wine tastings, grabbed some fresh corn (it was so good), and had lunch at a really decent bbq restaurant in Parkdale.
GnomadicLife 