I haven’t written for a while, but working with limited data in the US, and no wifi, means it was difficult to make updates.  

So, here is what we experienced for the remaining days of our trip!

Deschutes River

Thursday dawned cloudy and rainy so we took it easy at the campsite for the morning.  In the afternoon, weather improved so we drove the 1/2 hour to Bend to do a walk beside the Deschutes River.  The river is an important one for Oregon.   Fed by springs, and draining mountain country where the heavy snowfall seeps through the porous volcanic rock, means that it has a stable flow, and drains more than 10,000 square miles, as it makes its way to the Columbia River to the north.  It also  supports one of the most popular trout fisheries in the nation.  Right in the town of Bend there is a wonderful walk along the river.  On the way out, we walked along huge volcanic rock cliffs, with large many ski resort condos at the top.  We saw the quiet, but swift moving water at first and by the turnaround point, it was a bit more wild, with rapids and a wonderful waterfall with lots of carved rocks and potholes.  It was a wonderful walk beside the water, through the woods.

Yes, I created a video and you can see the highlights HERE.

Crooked River Gorge

On Friday we said good bye to Sisters and made our way north towards Portland.   It was a nice drive through the high dessert, with frequent views of the Cascade mountains to the west.  We made an impromptu stop by the Crooked River Gorge, which was really a mini Grand Canyon.  It was a long way down, with the river winding its way through it.  There were three bridges; one that was originally built in 1926, replaced with a larger one in 2000 and the railway bridge.  The views were stunning, and it was a great quick stop that we almost passed by!

Columbia Gorge/Multonomah Falls

Our real goal for the day was a glimpse at the Columbia Gorge, and Multonomah Falls, which Matt and Jason told us we ‘had’ to see.  They were not far from our campground for the night.  We are so glad we made the stop.   The views of the Columbia, and soaring canyon walls from the interstate highway were beautiful.  We stopped at the falls, and were surprised that the only spots for RV parking would require me to back OUT of the spot.  We rolled the dice and were successful.  The falls were beautiful.   At a total of 620 feet tall, they are the 2nd highest year round waterfall in the US, and our timing was pretty perfect, with the water flow high, due to spring melting waters.  It was a bit rainy so we didn’t walk to the top of the falls; we admired from the bridge.

We spent a wonderful evening and morning with a friend, Bryan, from Rainfocus, who lives in Portland.  It was wonderful to see another US friend and catch up.

Washington Beaches

After another good bye to a friend, we hit the road on Saturday, to drive the 400 km to Forks, WA, on the Olympic Peninsula.  We wanted to at least see some of the area to see if we want to come back at another time to explore more. Towering trees, some nice beaches and lots of hiking opportunities means that we will likely be back.  One of the beaches we stopped at had so many ‘burl’ trees; it was like an enchanted forest.

Crescent Lake

We had lots of time to drive the 150 km to the ferry in Port Angeles and we debated if we should take the ‘ocean’ road by the Juan de Fuca Strait or the interior road beside Crescent Lake.  We chose the latter and we were glad we did.  Driving early in the morning, there was no wind, and blue skies, so we admire the spectacular reflections on the lake.  The lake surface is at 500 ft a.s.l. but plunges to 624 ft deep, which means the bottom is below sea level.  Pretty cool fact!

We spend a couple hours by the water before it was time to get on the ferry, enjoyed the ferry crossing and drove home on familiar roads, enjoying the spring, with lots of blossoms and bright green leaves, that sprung while we were gone.  

We arrived home safely, happy to be home, and happier that we had such a great trip, full of great memories made with good friends, and experiencing a new and beautiful area.  We loved Oregon and I’m sure we will be back.