Today, we have traveled only 85 miles and enjoyed all of them. We started the day in Welches, OR, and went through Portland then south to Mt. Hood (highest peak is 11,239 feet). The mountain had cloud cover but even so, is impressive. We had a gourmet lunch at the Timberline Lodge, at elevation of 6060, that was built in the mid-’30’s. The AAA tour book says that Mt. Hood is the country’s most climbed glacier peak. When I was here in 2007, the peak was clear but today it was making its own clouds. We were surrounded by skiers in the parking lot and the lodge. 

After spending the night at a beautiful campsite, we backtracked to a rainbow trout farm where we managed to persuade a couple of fish to bite a worm-on-a-hook. I caught a 13” and a 16” trout which we ate for supper with enough leftovers for supper tomorrow night. What a delicious treat – fresh mountain trout. Cliff, who cooked the trout, says that it was cooked to perfection. It fell off the bones and the skin peeled off – as if it would dare not. Cliff took pictures of me landing the big one. It was fun and I love catching a fish. 

We took our lives (and vehicle) in our hands and crossed the Hood River Bridge from Hood River, OR, to Bengin, WA. The worst moment came at the peak of the bridge when we met an 18-wheel truck that appeared to be much wider than we were, but both the truck driver and Cliff managed to stay between the lines and we made it across the bridge without incident -- unless you count my audible sigh of relief when we hit dry land. Not my favorite bridge in the world. I remember it from 2007.

The highlight of our trip to the Columbia River Gorge so far, was a visit to my very favorite glass artist, Peter McGrain, who lives in Bengin, WA. We sat in his shop for a few hours and talked about glass stuff. Peter has done wonders with his surrounds and is starting a class on Monday with glass painting enthusiasts. Wish I were one of the lucky folks taking the class. 

We’re in a park in Bengin and will be taking in the Columbia River Gorge tomorrow on both sides of OR and WA and then up north toward Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainer, although some of the roads, just like Crater Lake, will be closed because of snow. Guess this would be a better trip in August when it is insufferably hot in Florida.