Hood River

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Pretty crazy...30 min. ago we were at Lost Lake, cold and foggy, now it's hot and like a desert. We're near The Dalles, east of Hood River along the Columbia River Gorge. We stopped at the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center http://gorgediscovery.org/for some good information on the area. Several short hikes and headed toward Hood River.

Looked like a lot of activity down by the river. We happened upon some kind of windsurfing and kite boarding competition. It was quite windy, so they were putting on quite the show. Then we went up to the B&B and getting settled. We got some info on recommended restaurant and headed down to one of the brew pubs. Full Sail Brewery had tables overlooking the river and the kite boarding competition.

Villa Columbia B&B http://www.villacolumbia.com/ We had the Hood River room with access to the balcony overlooking the river. Enjoyed conversation with another couple staying the night. They were from Vancouver, Canada, and had made the trip to Hood River annually for the windsurfing. Also enjoyed watching a World cup match.

We spent the next day crossing over to the Washington side of the river for several hikes. Also visited another fish hatchery. Driving west along the river we crossed the Bridge of the Gods, back to Oregon. The bridge got its name from a historic earthquake/landslide that spanned the river, allowing the native Americans to walk from what is today Oregon to Washington. (Unfortunately, some locals refer to it as "Bridge to the Gods" because of the too frequent persons jumping to their death.)

Before heading back to Hood River, we took the tour of Bonneville Locks and Dam. Pretty amazing complex for the navigation of the river traffic and power generation. There was also a fish hatchery with the ability to get down and observe the salmon fish ladder (and Lampreys, incorrectly referred to as eels, but actually "jawless fish.")

Amazingly, we have identified some 120 birds on this trip. As many as I saw in Peru, and probably more since we didn't have a guide to help identify the different water fowl, sparrows, flycatchers, etc. Finally got a great view of a Western Tanager, so can check that one off.

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