A day drive to Hood River.

It is Sunday and I wanted to get out of town and see something different. I gassed up the car and headed to Hood River which is on the Columbia River about 60 miles east of Portland. I had wanted to do other things today but they never materialized so I just headed out on my own.

 Hood River is an easy one hours drive no the Oregon side, but I crossed the river and drove over on the Washington side of the river. It is slower but a lot less traffic and you see more. After about 1 1/2 hours I crossed the river again and entered the town of Hood River. It was over cast and there was some rain so it wasn't great weather, but it is typical of this time of year.

Hood River is a small town with a main drag and some shops and places to hangout in. It is a great spot to wind surf or Kite Board plus it is a jumping off point to Mt Hood. It is not ski season yet so there wasn't a big crowd in town, just some older people wandering and the local young kids hanging out with nothing to do.

 I went into a coffee shop and had lunch, just relaxed for a bit. The town is not a wild place so the pace of life is slow. After I ate I wondered around and looked in a few shops, They have a lot of windsurf and ski shops, plus mountain bike places as well. I spent about two hours there then decided to head back to Portland.

The drive this time was on the south side and it was much faster, the speed limit is 65 which means people drive 75. The north side limit is only 55 so it is slower and more windy of a road.