FALL VACATION 2011 - Tuesday, 9/27/11 - Columbia Gorge Waterfalls

All night we are snug in our van listening to the soothing sounds of the falling rain on the VW’s tent top.  It continues to rain in the morning.   We eat a bowl of Sugar Frosted Mini Wheats and drink a hot cup of our favorite Caffé D’Vita Mocha Cappuccino.

Today we will explore Oregon’s Scenic and Historic Highway 30 along the Columbia River Gorge and the many fantastic waterfalls.

Autumn is late this year and the leaves are only just beginning to turn.  Usually our September vacation is filled with lots of bright splashes of red, gold and orange Fall colors.

We leave Oxbow Regional Park and make a short stop in the charming little town of Troutdale – lots of art galleries and cafes.  We consider having lunch here but decide instead to stop somewhere and make sandwiches with our leftover salmon.

We continue down Highway 30.  Our first stop is Latourell Falls.  A light rain continues to fall.

Next stop is a short hike out to the view point at Bridal Veil Falls.  Fall colors are starting to show here.

We make a quick stop at Wahkeena Falls and walk the short path to the viewpoint.

Next is the famous Multnomah Falls.  People are using umbrellas but the rain is gentle.  I’m sure you’ve seen photographs of this amazing waterfall.  If not, here’s one for you:

Multnomah Falls

The last waterfall of the day is Horsetail Falls.  We will hike some other trails tomorrow if the weather is better, but today the trails are muddy and slippery.  We are hoping for better weather tomorrow.

Horsetail Falls

We drive back to Timberlake Campground and our welcoming home away from home.  We unpack the Volkswagen.  Fred starts a campfire and we enjoy soup and bread as we warm our feet by the fire.  After dinner Fred downloads our day’s photographs.  Guess what I do….I blog!

Lights out at 10:00.