Autumn Adventure

Hello!  Thanks for dropping in!  Want to hear about our wanderings yesterday?  OK!  If you insist.  We took the boys and headed east up the Columbia River Gorge.  First stop?  Lunch!  I had googled for good places to eat in Hood River in the past and found good reviews for the Riverside restaurant at the Best Western Hotel.  So, we gave it a go.  I loved the view!  

A really nice atmosphere here and excellent house made focaccia bread was served right away.. herby, fresh and delish.

I walked out on the deck and got this photo of the Hood River Bridge that spans the Columbia River between Oregon and Washington.  It was a perfect fall day!

A Vine Maple tree was next to the deck and I admired the Autumn colored leaves.

Lunch!

Next up was a BEAUTIFUL drive up Hwy 35 climbing up towards Mt. Hood - we went straight to Rasmussen Farm to look for a few pumpkins.  This is where my friends Lynn and Dollie Rasmussen live and I was charmed by the decorations on the porch.

They have one whole greenhouse totally decorated for Autumn and Halloween, the boys loved it!

Who doesn't like those things where you can stick your face in for a photo and become a wizard and flying horse?

We walked back to the pumpkin patch and I loved the view of the orchard, mountains and sky in the background.

Our little grandsons looking for JUST the right pumpkin!

The boys spied the Corn Maze and headed to the entrance, grandpa following along.  Isn't the Hood River Valley just beautiful?

The entrance to the corn maze.. I was worried the boys would get lost!

Fresh air, sunshine, a corn field, blue sky.. happy day.

While Dayle waited for the boys to find their way out of the maze, I went into the farm store and looked at the fresh picked fruit.  They had a LOT of different varieties of pears and apples.

See the Hanner Apples?  They are HUGE!  I got 2 of them.

There were plums, peaches, garden veggies, etc.

I love the green farm wagon with the two pumpkin headed stuffed farmers who look surprisingly like the couple who created this farm.

The view of Mt. Adams from the farmyard.  It's in Washington!  We're in Oregon.

My friend Dollie, we had a nice chat!

A flower garden beyond the parking area.. see the big pumpkin?  :-)

When we left the farm, we decided to drive around amongst the farm roads and orchards.  I loved this view of the mountain and the two old red barns.

We ran across this lovely old church.

We drove by a tree of gorgeous red Delicious apples.  After seeing them on the tree, I decided we needed to go to another apple place to buy more.

But first we drove up to Panorama Point to see if we could get a good photo of Mt. Hood.  Well.. not the best as it was hazy.. 

We went to the Gorge White House and got the boys each a Honey Crisp apple and a bottle of ice cold fresh squeezed apple juice - when I took my first sip it was amazing.. like drinking an apple right off a tree.  Poor Hayden has a bit of a time eating his apple with 2 missing teeth.

This is a beautiful spot, with a nice clean store and they sell local wine!

What trip up the Gorge would be complete without a swirly chocolate cone from the East Wind Drive-In and a visit to the beautiful Cascade Locks Marine Park (where the boys can run and play and eat their ice cream w/o dripping in grandma's car).  :-)  I spied the Sternwheeler pulling out, they blew their whistle, so I ambled down through the park in time to get this photo before it disappeared.  I loved how the late sun illuminating the ship.

I turned around and saw the moon.. *snap*

The slanting rays of sun illuminating the mountains behind the park.

We then drove down to the East end of the park and let the boys run on the rocky beach.  Caleb picked up a stick and was "fishing" for something.. and pretty soon he was running excitedly up to me to give me a "wock".  Hayden found a BIG rock that he thought had a fish fossil in it.  :-)

Can you have too many moon shots?

This is my pumpkin I brought home.. I thought is was very interesting.

It's now after noon on Saturday and it's a GORGEOUS day!  We have no plans, however.  I do have a newsletter to publish for the Friends of Multnomah Falls.  But it's SO pretty outside.. hmm..  I hope you're making the most of your weekend.. ((hugs)), Teresa :-)