Four way stop signs are ridiculous. Why don't they just put in a round about?
We depart Hood river along the Columbia and enjoy our time at the fish hatchery, locks, damn and parks. It is an impressive river and deserves the naming of America's second largest. The falls are gorgeous, Multnomah a stand out with its height, but definitely the crowd favourite, we did not linger here long. Latourell included a gorgeous walk along the back and a few nervous look outs if you dared. Sadly, a year ago saw a fire tear through these parts that has now taken a lot of the scenic Highway 30 out of action. We still had enough to see including the Vista Point from a high perch along the Columbia.
Following this we made our way into a small back town to grab some meat, the local butcher only had frozen mince meat so we took what we could and placed it in the front of the engine to defrost the 30 minute drive to our next camp site.
Fingers crossed we were hoping we could find a hideaway along a back road somewhere. We travelled further than normal as we were close to Portland and most areas had private dwellings. Sure enough our tried and tested method of 'Just a little further' turned up trumps and we found a place in Shepperds Dell. What we thought was a secluded spot, started to receive visitors. It began with a nice gentleman walking his young dog along the dirt road. He had a house further below and gave us his time to talk through the fire the year before and what had happened to the area. He wished us safe camping and we went about our meal preparation. By now the mince had certainly defrosted and our cooking of spaghetti bolognaise well underway. Shortly after we interacted with another vehicle that was full of well dressed people searching for a wedding location. We couldn't help them, nor did they want some of our bolognaise. A third vehicle passed us and returned a few moments later, a man asked if we had some spare water, we did see a child in the rear seat so we were happy to oblige. Our fourth visit, in hindsight turned out to be our favourite as a vehicle came to a halt and words from the dark said, "You spoke to my husband earlier." We now met the wife our of earlier dog walking friends. They invited us down to their house for food, supreme generosity, but as our travel routine had almost gotten us into sleep mode we suggested a morning coffee would be preferred. So with precise directions to the first house on the right down the hill, we booked a date.
The following morning we gathered our things and made the steep decline to our invitation. There we met Milt and Niki, two welcoming individuals happy to chat and find out what we were doing. With a great morning of conversation over some breakfast and coffee, an invitation to their accommodation in Portland was also extended. While we were so used to our habit of not knowing where we would stay the night until the evening came upon us, it felt strange for us to organise something so far in advance. So we gave a tentative yes, knowing how much a shower meant to us, and organised to meet up later in the day in Portland.
Following this we made our way into a small back town to grab some meat, the local butcher only had frozen mince meat so we took what we could and placed it in the front of the engine to defrost the 30 minute drive to our next camp site.
Fingers crossed we were hoping we could find a hideaway along a back road somewhere. We travelled further than normal as we were close to Portland and most areas had private dwellings. Sure enough our tried and tested method of 'Just a little further' turned up trumps and we found a place in Shepperds Dell. What we thought was a secluded spot, started to receive visitors. It began with a nice gentleman walking his young dog along the dirt road. He had a house further below and gave us his time to talk through the fire the year before and what had happened to the area. He wished us safe camping and we went about our meal preparation. By now the mince had certainly defrosted and our cooking of spaghetti bolognaise well underway. Shortly after we interacted with another vehicle that was full of well dressed people searching for a wedding location. We couldn't help them, nor did they want some of our bolognaise. A third vehicle passed us and returned a few moments later, a man asked if we had some spare water, we did see a child in the rear seat so we were happy to oblige. Our fourth visit, in hindsight turned out to be our favourite as a vehicle came to a halt and words from the dark said, "You spoke to my husband earlier." We now met the wife our of earlier dog walking friends. They invited us down to their house for food, supreme generosity, but as our travel routine had almost gotten us into sleep mode we suggested a morning coffee would be preferred. So with precise directions to the first house on the right down the hill, we booked a date.
The following morning we gathered our things and made the steep decline to our invitation. There we met Milt and Niki, two welcoming individuals happy to chat and find out what we were doing. With a great morning of conversation over some breakfast and coffee, an invitation to their accommodation in Portland was also extended. While we were so used to our habit of not knowing where we would stay the night until the evening came upon us, it felt strange for us to organise something so far in advance. So we gave a tentative yes, knowing how much a shower meant to us, and organised to meet up later in the day in Portland.
a wedding photo with two Aussie travelers would surely have been great in the album, can't believe they passed it up!
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