Mount Hood

Already the second week of my sister's visit has gone by .. yikes, time goes soooo fast!

Now their jet-leg was mostly gone and we'd showed them a little around our direct neighborhood, we ventured a little further from home and drove all the way to Mt Hood last Sunday.
It's a 2 hour drive and by the time we drove through Sandy at 10.30 we stopped for coffee at Joe's Donut shop:

                                               

Unfortunately they didn't have any coffee but a coffee shop on the other side of the street saved our tail (although this being a Sunday, which made for long lines at both places)!

We made a short stop at Government Camp which is the only town within 5 miles of Mount Hood and therefore the de facto "mountain town" or "ski town":



It's a cute little town (basically just one street with some shops, restaurants and bars) even in the summer.

After that it's only a 10 minute drive to reach the Timberline Lodge, which is as close to the summit you can get by car:

     

James and I had been here twice already but it's still a beautiful place to visit.

Declared a National Historic Landmark in 1977, Timberline Lodge sits at an elevation of 6,000 feet (1,829 m), within the Mount Hood National Forest.

Constructed from 1936 to 1938 by the Works Progress Administration, it was built and furnished by local artisans during the Great Depression.
Considered an architectural wonder, its still being used for its original intent: a magnificent ski lodge and mountain retreat for all to enjoy:

        

Another fun detail: It is notable in film for serving as the exterior of the Overlook Hotel in The Shining (1980).

        

After a tour of the inside of this beautiful lodge we walked a little around the outside.
We'd picked an absolutely gorgeous day, temperatures were mild, the sun was shining and the sky a deep blue which made for great pictures!

These skiers had until 12pm after which they have to come off the mountain because this late in the season snow will get too slushy and it will get too dangerous.

A crazy tourist ..

              

And the obligatory 'we were here' picture 😁  

Time to get back on the road! We'd planned to drive from there to the Columbia river and follow the Gorge which is a nice drive down the mountain while passing lots of of pretty farms and orchards which that area is known for and getting a peek of a view of Mt Saint Helens in Washington state in the distance.
(Its eruption on May 18, 1980, was one of the greatest volcanic explosions ever recorded in North America).

                             

When we finally arrived at the falls it turned out you needed tickets to see them up closely which you had to download via an app (which neither of us could get to work) and which could give you a time-slot that might be an hour or more out!




Sjeez! By that time we also happened to get very hungry, so needles to say we give up seeing it close-up, took a picture from the parking lot (where you can see the falls actually fairly well) and drove to the closest little town of Troutdale for something to eat.

                                                
               
              
We ended up at Ristorante Di Pompello, a rustic little Italian restaurant that we'd eaten before and serves surprisingly good, authentic Italian food!

        

On Tuesday they ventured out by themselves again to visit the Rose (test) Gardens and the Japanese Garden in Portland.
The roses were in full bloom right now and are always quite a spectacle and the Japanese gardens are a welcome piece of serenity after the hectic Portland city-scenery.

              




And if that wasn't enough sight-seeing, after a day of rest, they went for a trip over the coastal hills to the coast, up north and back through the forest, on that following Thursday!

Again, a trip that we've made ourselves a couple of times, and absolutely love!
We let them go by themselves though, since it's nice for both of us to have some time 'off' each other and enjoy some time alone.
(Especially since we'll be together for 5 days next week when we're going for a trip south to see the Redwoods!)

                                                  The beach at Cape Kiwanda

               

           

Cape Meares is one of the nicest spots on the northern Oregon coast, known for its lighthouse and stunning ocean views.

Than today we were ready for some good, old fashioned, small-town-America fun so we took them to Sheridan for their yearly Hometown Days!

We'd hoped to attend the rubber duck races at the river/bridge, but I misread the flyer and it turned out that happened yesterday. Duhhhh  ..

                                                     

But we strolled over the market, took a look at the art-show at the High School (done by students), checked out the band at the food court and tried some Strawberry Shortcake.

   

 
We ended up paying a visit to the Sheridan Museum of History to kill some time before the main event of the day would start.

                                                    

It initially didn't look like much to speak of, but turned out much bigger than we thought.
The best part though was talking to several of the volunteers who flocked to us after we'd put our names, and where we came from, in the sign-in book upfront.
It turned out that at least three of them had ancestors who were from Holland and/or had been there themselves and were thrilled to speak with some 'dutchies'.
So funny!

At around 5pm finally the last, but arguably the main, event of the festivities took off .. the Parade (which in Sheridan also serves as the homecoming parade)!

First up, as usual, the Sheriff's 'Posse'

A posse is group of volunteers who help the police force when necessary.
They might transport prisoners, assist in courtroom security, guard crime scenes, escort dignitaries, backup patrol deputies, provide security for festivals and other events, and perform many other important duties.
(Of course in classic Western movies, when the sheriff gathers together a posse, its members usually work to find and arrest the bad guys.)

I bet practically he whole town was lining the streets ...

   ... including some dutch tourists (hey, that's the same guy we saw at Mt Hood!)

                                               

The usual procession of floats, the high school marching band with cheer leaders and numerous businesses and organizations of Sheridan and the surrounding country-side came by:

This years theme of the parade was to 'follow the yellow brick road' meant as an advice for the high-school graduates to 'follow your dreams'.

        

The kids had a ball running for the candies! I must confess I picked up a few as well ..

   

Also as usual the parades are 'closed' by police and fire trucks, using their raising their sirens and flashing their light.
This fire-women held up a boot for donations and held up that smile the whole time she walked by ..

And that was the end of week two! Phew, I'm exhausted just writing this!
As I said, tomorrow we're leaving for a 5 day trip along the coast to the Redwoods in Crescent City, California, after which we'll return via an inland route through the forests which will include a visit to Crater Lake.

I'll better get a good night of sleep!