Mount Hood, Oregon

We continued our day trip through the Hood River Valley and into Mount Hood National Forest to Timberline Lodge. 

View from the highway
 Mount Hood is a composite volcano with an estimated height of 11,249 feet making it the highest point in Oregon and the fourth highest in the Cascade Range. 

Sitting at about 6,000 feet up the mountain is Timberline Lodge.  Timberline was declared a National Historic Landmark in 1977 and is one of Oregon’s most popular tourist attractions, drawing nearly two million visitors every year. Considered an architectural wonder, it’s still being used for its original intent—a magnificent ski lodge and mountain retreat for all to enjoy.  In fact, people were skiing Mount Hood in June when we made our visit.



Lobby entrance
Fireplace on the right goes up three floors with balconies surrounding it

Massive stone fireplace in middle of lodge

The Blue Ox was closed at the time of our visit

Iconic Blue Ox Bar
Of course our visit to Timberline would not be complete without a refreshment in the Ram's Head Bar located on the second floor circular balcony.....just like Cheryl Strayed did in the book Wild.  Strayed took a break at Timberline before hitting the Pacific Crest Trail which coincides with the Timberline Trail on the west side of Mount Hood. (Did we mention TK's obsession with this book?)

Inside the Ram's Head Bar

If the outside of the lodge looks familiar it may be that you recognize it from the 1980 movie – The Shining.  The director used aerial shots of Timberline Lodge as part of its opening scene, and exterior footage for some establishing shots of the fictional Overlook Hotel throughout the movie.  


The movie director was asked not to depict room #217 (featured in the book) in The Shining, because future guests at the Lodge might be afraid to stay there. So a nonexistent room, #237, was substituted in the film. Curiously and somewhat ironically, room #217 is requested more often than any other room at Timberline.


Starting back down the mountain we stopped at Mount Hood Adventure Park at Skibowl to ride the Pacific Northwest’s only ½ Mile Dual Alpine Slide. We started with a leisurely trip up the mountain on the Scenic Sky Chairs, and then prepared for a roller coaster ride down the mountain. We dropped 350 feet over the half mile ride with average speeds around 20 MPH.  TK refused to go any faster even though this was "her idea" and G-man first alpine slide ride.
View from the ski lift

The slide's dual tracks

G-man's so excited to get his ride on!

POPULAR DESTINATIONS >>

Image

Ballard, Washington

Leaving Pike Place Market we headed to the neighborhood of Ballard . Ballard is located in the northwestern part of Seattle. To the north it is bounded by Crown Hill, (N.W. 85th Street); to the east by Greenwood, Phinney Ridge and Fremont (along 8th Avenue N.W.); to the south by the Lake Washington Ship Canal; and to the west by Puget Sound’s Shilshole Bay. The neighborhood’s landmarks include the  Hiram M. Chittenden Locks  (known locally as the "Ballard Locks"), the Nordic Heritage Museum, the Shilshole Bay Marina, and Golden Gardens Park. Entrance to Carl S. English Jr. Botanical Gardens and Hiram M. Chittenden Locks The Hiram M. Chittenden Locks, or Ballard Locks, is a complex of locks at the west end of Salmon Bay, in Seattle, Washington's Lake Washington Ship Canal, between the neighborhoods of Ballard to the north and Magnolia to the south. We wanted to know and followed the fish but didn't realize it was across the locks until we were on our way
Image

Caddo Lake State Park, Texas

While visiting the historic town of Jefferson we could not pass up the opportunity to make a short visit to Caddo Lake State Park .  The park sits near the small town of Karnack, in east Texas.  The name of this park is a bit deceiving as the park doesn't sit on the shores of Caddo Lake (the only natural, fresh water lake in Texas) but on Big Cypress Bayou. Entrance sign Entrance signs to Caddo Lake State Park Big Cypress Bayou from boat ramp (west) Big Cypress Bayou looking east.  Follow the bayou east to reach Caddo Lake. Like most Texas state parks the structures within Caddo Lake SP were built by the  Civilian Conservation Corps . Company 889 began the work, in June to November of 1933. Company 857 continued construction from October 1934 to March 1937. One of the cabins that can be rented at the park CCC workers converted 15 U.S. Army barracks and an Army mess hall into the nine log cabins and group recreation hall that can be used today.  
Image

Twilight Eagle Santuary, Oregon

Sadly, we left Astoria and traveled east on the East Columbia Highway (Highway 30) back to Portland to catch the red eye back home.  When we passed the sign, we knew we had found what our trip had been missing so we turned the Blue Devil around and headed to the Twilight Eagle Sanctuary. The Twilight Eagle Sanctuary is located within Cathlamet Bay , 2.5 miles east of Astoria, Oregon , and just downstream from Settler Point.  This wetland Sanctuary was established in 1992, and along with Columbia Land Trust acquisitions in 2009, now totals over 100 acres of old growth forest, tidal wetlands, and shoreline, and stretches nearly a mile along the Columbia River. The Sanctuary is just off of U.S. Highway 30. A viewing platform overlooks acres of mudflats, tidal marshes, open water, and islands. It is an excellent location to observe birds and other wildlife living on the lower Columbia River estuary. The viewing area has several interpretive panels about the wetlands, bald eagles,