The Columbia River Gorge

Last week we had some gorgeous weather with temperatures hitting the low 70s on several days. I spent two days last week working for a local woman doing yard work and then spent my usual two days at the community garden, so I loved the nice weather! Katy was also able to take advantage of the weather as she was able to do some running in the evenings. On Saturday the weather cooled down and stayed in the low 50s with rain off and on. Katy and I were up early Saturday morning as we were both volunteering at the Grass Roots Garden's annual plant sale. After going down to the barn to feed the animals and grabbing some coffee we took off for Eugene where we spent several hours helping out with the sale and also doing some manual labor in the garden.

Multnomah Falls

A friend of our's, Heidi, met us up in Eugene at 11:00, and we all took off for the Columbia River Gorge. Heidi, who is an occupational therapist, works with Katy at Mercy Medical and is also a traveling therapist. Once you hit Portland and turn east it becomes a very scenic drive with the mountains and the river surrounding you. We decided to drive along the Columbia River Scenic Highway and hike to a couple of the waterfalls in the area. We ended up going first to the Multnomah Falls, which is the largest waterfall in the state of Oregon. We hiked up to the bridge (you can see the bridge in the picture) despite getting rained on and then hailed on. That's Oregon for you!

Another view of Multnomah Falls

Lower Horsetail Falls (that's me and Barlow in the left corner)

After leaving our first stop we drove up the highway a little farther and stopped at the Horsetail Falls. We decided to do some hiking here as there is a three mile trail that leads you to the upper Horsetail Falls where you walk behind the water!

Upper Horsetail Falls

Katy and Heidi in front of Wahkeena Falls

After hiking for a while and getting the dogs nice and dirty, we let Colby and Barlow take a little dip in the river to try and clean them off. We then headed down to the Wahkeena Falls to walk around before driving to the Vista House, one of the most well known tourist attractions along the Coumbia River Gorge. This is a peculiar building that was built in 1916 that sits atop Crown Point, which offers one of the most stunning and beautiful views of the gorge.

The Vista House

A toast at the wine bar

After spending the whole afternoon exploring around, we had worked up a good appetite, and so we drove into Portland to have dinner. We went to The Farm Cafe, which is a well known restaurant in Portland that serves all local and organic food, hence the name as they pride themselves in serving food from local farms. The wait at The Farm was an hour, but since space is a hot commodity in downtown eateries and their waiting room was big enough to hold two people, we simply gave them our cell phone number and they said they'd call us when our table was ready. So, we walked around for a little bit until we found a wine bar where we did some taste testing before each ordering a glass. After some drinks we headed back to The Farm where we enjoyed the best dinner I have had since coming to Oregon. I ordered the Braised Greens and Toasted Stuffed Ravioli, which is a handmade ravioli stuffed with braised greens, caramelized onions, pecans, sharp white cheddar and ricotta cheeses, and then drizzled with tarragon brown butter. Katy got the farmhouse veggie burger which is a burger-style sandwich made with eggplant, bread crumbs, cheese and spices, and served with caramelized onions, roasted red peppers, and Dijon mustard. For desert we split their signature Sunken Chocolate Soufflé with Coffee Ice Cream. Delicious!


Sunday was what most of our Sundays have become, a day full of rest and relaxation. We spent lots of time outside with the dogs as it was another pretty day. Colby swam in the pond like it was her private lap pool, and Barlow snoozed in the grass, occasionally rousing to charge at Colby. Another good week, and as our time in Oregon is getting less and less, so is the time until we will see some family out here to visit. Dave and Sherry will fly out here on April 16th and stay through the 20th, and then Josh arrives on the 21st and will leave the 26th. Then after that, its off to somewhere in California! Where you might ask? Well, as soon as we know we'll tell you!