Our day began in Hood River. A beautiful small town renowned for wind surfing as well as wine and food. We visited Draper Girls’ Farm, one of the small independent farms, in the Hood River Valley. Known for its apples and pears, this small family-owned operation gave us insight into the thriving agricultural community of this region. We enjoyed food samples and visited the resident pigs and goats to the delight of our photographers.
Hood River was our next stop. We explored boutiques, coffee shops, and bookstores and then proceeded downstream to Cascade Locks for hikes at Multnomah Falls. The total height of the falls is 620 feet. Eleven switchbacks took hikers to the scenic overlook at the top. One interesting point to note, as we have moved through the gorge, we have learned that precipitation increases by 1.5 inches per mile upstream. We saw evidence of this fact demonstrated by Western Red Cedars, an indicator of the temperate rain forest of the Pacific Northwest.
A perfect end for a perfect day…cocktails on the sundeck as we cruise downstream and passed through the locks of Bonneville dam.
