mlerules

Thank goodness it's cooling off some now. My previous visit to the Columbia Gorge, before it got too danged hot - not to mention overrun by tourists/crowds - took place on 17 May 2021. That trip, like yesterday's, featured a 2-mile dog-bone hike to Wahclella Falls (and back again), a drive along Historic Hwy 30 - long closed but finally reopened, and a return drive around Mt Hood in order to avoid Hwy 84's rush hour. Luckily nada was terribly crowded, since we didn't even try to visit Multnomah Falls (reservations now required from 9-6).

Yesterday's jaunt also included introducing my travel-buddy FMY to a couple of newly reopened spots: Vista House at Crown Point (only open Fri-Mon, 10-2) and Sheppard's Dell (short walk w/lovely waterfall and bridge views), and visits to a couple of lavender farms. Saw lots of pollinators, but fairly few wildflowers - other than a roadside chunk o' beauty on the flanks of Mt Hood. The pears filling Hood River Valley have begun ripening.

I can post a link to my pics once downloaded, culled, and uploaded, if anybody's interested.