Down Highway 101

Along the Columbia River

We pointed the mother ship south after our Olympic Peninsula experience and stopped in Portland, Oregon to regroup for a few days. While we were there we caught up with some of Toni's extended family. Chris and his wife Nita gave us a great tour of this vibrant metropolis where the old and new are juxtaposed in a symphonic style that is pretty unique.

Regrets to Frank and Cathy, we hope to see you along the road since Portland didn't work out. We look forward to meeting up again one day.

From Portland we headed east into the Columbia River Gorge. Our good friends Rhys and Kelly have created a beautiful home there that sits above the headlands across the Gorge from Hood River, Oregon. Surrounding their home are timbered hills interspersed by meadows, orchards and vineyards that erupted with fall colors during our visit. Good timing.

The community is filled with an eclectic group of baby boomers that seem intent on enjoying friends, food and the pursuit of wind. This is windsurfing central after all and as well known among those enthusiasts as Jackson Hole is to the ski world.

A surprising bonus for us was the number of quiet, nearly traffic free, paved roads that provided us lots of scenic road biking miles.

We are giving the Gorge a ten on our travel meter but of course friends are ninety percent of any adventure. Thanks Rhys and Kelly for a wonderful time.