From there – we took off towards Mount Hood, and found a great little farmers market (in Sandy I think), where we got some homemade sweet treat cakes, a few veggies, a watermelon and some fresh kettle corn. There was a bluegrass band, and antique shop full of rooms and rooms of antique and semi antique (junk) items, about 20 vendor tents, and a nice friendly bunch of people. Hand made Bow and arrows, Home made Cider, Cooked to order Mexican food, fruits, veggies, soaps, candles, jewelry, and a lady who made “paint your own cookies” and other sweet treats.
We drove around clueless last night on tight, rough, one lane, loose gravel forest roads, looking for a cool place to camp – but there were very few spots you could actually get off the road. Pine boughs were rubbing the side of the van, and it was only a matter of a time before we found ourselves stuck behind a fallen log, or in a spot that was too long or hard to back out of. We finally gave up on the forest roads since we had no map and no idea where we were going, and the roads seemed to be endless, going on for miles and miles in the pine woods around Mount Hood.
I found another place a “ vanlifer” had recommended as one of his top 10 places to Boondock.. Again, it was OK, but definitely would not make MY list of a “top ten”. Not satisfied with that spot, we were going to continue looking around a bit (and keep that spot in mind as a back up), and not a mile down the road we found a FANTASTIC level spot on the side of the highway and next to a beautiful large waterfall!
FRIDAY JULY 20th
It is 43 degrees on July 20th at 8:00 in the morning as I wake up next to a thundering waterfall, beside what must have once been the original scenic highway running around Mount Hood. There has been not ONE car drive down this road since we got here last night. Until this morning, just as we are getting ready to leave, a Pick up truck containing EIGHT near seniors pulls in behind us and starts unloading like a volkswagon full of clowns at a circus.
We instantly make friends as they start commenting on our collection of stickers on the back windows, and ask us where we have been and where we are going.They are supposed to be setting off on a hike, and us on a drive, but we still manage to spend an hour or so talking about traveling, different regions of the country and the van. Very friendly folks – Jennifer gave them a card, hopefully we’ll hear from them again sometime.
Today we will head North from the Mount Hood National Forest Scenic Drive up to the beautiful Columbia River Hwy, and Valley which proves to be one of the most beautiful areas of the trip. Jennifer is instantly in love with the area because of all the vast orchards and fields of berries and vegetables growing for miles and miles. She daydreams and talks about moving here.
This Valley is an agricultural wonderland, and there are fruit stands every mile or so where one can get get fresh nearly ½ supermarket price fruit and vegetables. A delicious assortment of berries, cherries and Peaches seem to be what’s in season right at the moment.
We stop at the chamber of commerce info center in Hood River and a few very helpful and friendly ladies chit chat away and fill us up with ideas of things to see and do. On their recommendation, we backtrack a bit to see the “White House”; a place where fruits, veggies, and patch of “pick your own” wildflowers grow. When we get there it is no disappointment as the flowers are beautiful and blooming, and we pick up even more fresh fruit from their fruitstand. There happens to be a plien air group there, painting the flowers with the rolling hills in the background. It is yet another beautiful sunny day with temps in the 70’s. Both the “restaurant” and the house itself were closed for unscheduled reasons – but even without them, this was a good stop – it is obvious this is a special place and worth re-visiting. Vista House 40700 Hst Columbia River Hwy, Corbett, OR 97019, USA
We travel westward through the Columbia River Gorge and see a lot of great tourist stops that most tourists probably do. The Fish Hatchery, The waterfalls, even the old road and the highway are pretty scenic on there own. The waterfalls though are overrun with people. Even the trails to the less popular ones are nearly a single file line of people en route to the falls, or on the way back. They are all beautiful and spectacular and worth seeing, but I am starting to tire of the crowds. I am needing a few days away in the backwoods somewhere with nothing much to do.
We passed through Portland at Rush hour (obvious miscalculation),
but made it to Seaside (where the girls wanted to hunt sand dollars) before Sundown. Seaside is a great old fashioned looking “seaside” tourist town with lots of t shirt and souvenir shops down the main drag. I liked the atmosphere – seemed legit, and reminded me of what a 1950’s or 60’s beach town might be like.
Overnight camping, we are told, is strictly patrolled in Seaside and Canon Beach, so we went north a couple miles to Del Ray and parked in a Beach parking lot just the other side of the Dunes and saw yet another beautiful sunset over the the Pacific. Another beautiful (and free) boondocking spot.
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