Spring in the Gorge

I made plans to meet David & Glenn for breakfast at 830am at the Red Lion restaurant for breakfast. To that end, I was up and out of bed by 6450am PDT. It was pitch dark in the room. I used my Galaxy III flashlight to organize my running gear. Headed out near 7am after waking Mindy and sharing our plan to meet Glenn and David at 830am. Immediately out the hotel door I was impressed with spring. Beautiful flowers everywhere and dark green grass. Wow! Spring had already sprung in the Couv! It was still a little chilly though, only 33 degrees. Still, I was very motivated for my run.

I ran along the Columbia River to the Ilchee, Moon Woman bronze statue located at the far end of the Columbia Shores condo complex, then back. Again, taking in all the lovely spring views. Great run! Back to the room just after 730am. I promptly organized myself for a shower. I think I took one ahead of Mindy but can’t be 100% certain. While waiting for the Jacob and Mindy to finish their ready, I took Bella on a walk around the nearby grounds pointing out the spring flora and then showing her the George Vancouver memorial as well as the Columbia River and the big green bridge. She was very impressed.

Back in the room, Mindy and Jacob were all but ready. Jacob shared that a cockroach flew out of the blow dryer when he went to use it. Gross! We loaded what little luggage we removed from the minivan for our brief overnight before heading inside for breakfast. David called just as we were loading our bags back into the minivan. Joined the two of them inside a minute later.

The restaurant is heavily decorated in a ship theme - very cool – and overlooks the mighty Columbia River. While waiting on coffee to arrive at our table, we took a gander out the corner window at the river and the green bridge. Popping up to feed every so often was a sea lion. Promptly called Bella over to get a glimpse. Didn’t disappoint. Everybody got to see him.

Breakfast was superb. Guessing it was near 10am when we finished eating. Planned a rough agenda with Glenn and David. First stop was Glenn’s place so he could run in and his cooler. Next, we headed to the newer Fred Meyer at Columbia Shores for a week’s worth of condo food. Once we dropped Mindy and the kids there, he, David and I made a quick run over to Les Schwab’s to buy some tire chains just in case we needed them later in the week on the mountain. Bottom line, if you don’t use them they are returnable after April 1 for a full refund. On the other hand, if they issue a traction devices required warning and you don’t have them, you are subject to a significant fine. Glenn agreed to make the purchase to make their return easier.

We made it back to the grocery with plenty of time to spare. Mindy was still shopping for groceries. We quickly added beer and liquor. David ended up grabbing and paying for all the liquor while Mindy got all the food. Next stop Council Crest, downtown Portland, our wedding venue. Followed Glenn up the winding road. The kids were impressed with the homes as well as the views.

Already about 1130am, it was warming up in a hurry. As such, the park was as crowded as I’ve ever seen it. Must’ve been at least 50 folks coming and going, milling about. Soon after our arrival, I exchanged a few texts with Tom Sheperd, who agreed to meet us there. We took in all the sights, including peering out at all four visible peaks: Rainer, St. Helen’s, Adam’s, & Hood. Tom S. showed up about 30-40 minutes later.

We made sure he knew that he was welcome to come stay at our condo and ski with us. Said he’d likely come up for one night – Saturday - and then ski on Sunday. Discussed the logistics. We planned to stop at the Portland Nike store, Multnomah, and Hood River. Tom elected to simply meet us later that afternoon at Collins Lake.

Spent an hour at Council Crest overlooking downtown Portland. We headed down the mountain and into downtown. Had a very difficult time finding a parking spot near the Nike store. Ended up parking about 3 or 4 blocks away, but it was such a lovely afternoon no one minded the walk. It was gorgeous!

Spent maybe an hour at the Nike store. Both kids got new shoes. Jacob actually got two pair, one purchased with his own money, the other an early birthday present. Off to Multnomah. Easy drive into the gorge. By then everybody was again hungry and both kids were belly aching about having to stop at Multnomah. But we managed their negativity fairly well. Soon they were oohing and ahhing at all the beautiful sights the gorge offers.

Quick drive. Multnomah was packed. Little wonder. It was such a gorgeous afternoon. We didn’t plan to stay long. Probably there 45 minutes tops. Of note, the concrete bridge about a third of the way up was closed due to boulder damage (fallen rock). We still hiked up the gate to the bridge and then took a handful of photos before turning for the parking lot and heading further up the gorge into Hood River where we planned to have lunch.

Somewhere between Multnomah and Hood River, I had Mindy call Collins Lake to learn about the late check-in process, since we figured not to be rolling in until somewhere close to 530-6pm.

Arrived at Hood River near 4pm. We still weren’t certain which brew pub to stop and have lunch. In the end, we settled on the Full Sail Tasting Room. Good choice! It provides the best views of the Columbia River. Quoted us a healthy wait – like 45 minutes. But in reality, it couldn’t have been more than 10 minutes. Sweet!

Because I was driving, I planned to have just one beer. Opted for porter on nitro. We shared a number of appetizers, and then most others ordered entrees. I wasn’t that hungry and opted to pick at Mindy and Bella’s plates. Pretty sure that David picked up the lunch tab, too. Thanks David! Must’ve been about 5pm when we pulled out of Hood River.

Taking the back way into Govy Camp is a gorgeous drive through the orchards of Hood River County with Hood in the background. Bella was a little spooked by its ominous size when Mindy pointed out more than once that we’d be skiing on it the following morning. I tried to emphasize that it doesn’t look nearly that bad once you’re on it. Easy for me to say, I know.  Given the lovely spring weather, it was a very easy drive into Govy Camp. Not even a sniff of snow cover until we were closing in on Mt Hood Meadows. The last few miles were very exciting as we merged off of highway 35 onto 26 and eventually rolling into Govy Camp. Ahhh – feels so good! As Shannon shared earlier, the office was closed. There was a realtor lock on our condo door with keys inside (self-check-in).

Just about the time we were lugging in our gear, Darwin sent a text sharing that he and Brad were off to the grocery and would be gone for the next couple hours. Jacob went looking for Lane but couldn’t find him. It wasn’t until an hour or so later when the rest of us were heading to the hot tub that he finally found him our playing in the snow.

While we were in the hot tub Tom Sheperd showed up. He dropped his gear at the condo then promptly joined the rest of us at the hot tub. Once back from the grocery store, Darwin came by in his civies just to say hello. Said he’d be down to join us in a little while, but we warned that by then we’d almost certainly be done.

I’m thinking that it was near 9pm PDT when Mindy and I headed back to the condo. And before long, everybody other than Glenn, Tom and I were in bed. I stayed up talking with Glenn and Tom until almost 10pm. By then I was overcome with the sleepies.