Touring the Hood River Region

It was a fairly overcast day when we set out to explore the Hood river region outside of Portland. Our hopes were we'd be able to catch a glimpse of Mt. Hood.

Hood River County, Oregon, is located in the Columbia River Gorge in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. Positioned at the crossroads of the spectacular Columbia River Gorge and the magnificent Cascade Range.

Driving through this area is really lovely. One sees the beauty of the mountains, forests and river. From the highway many waterfalls can be seen but for a breath-taking up close view of an awe inspiring cascade of icy water visit Multnomah Falls.

Just off I-84 you can park and within minutes find yourself at the base of the waterfall.

Multnomah Falls Lodge

Not far from Multnomah Falls you will be able to visit the town of Hood River. Hood River, sitting along side the Columbia River some 60 miles east of Portland on Interstate Highway 84, provides an idylic setting for summer and winter sports. Windsurfing in particular has brought new life to this town. The windsurfing community contributes millions of dollars to the local economy and has helped spawn the growth of other destination-type activities including biking, hiking, fishing, golf, wine tasting and farm and garden tours.

I loved signage on many of the old buildings around the downtown area. A sense of nostalgia of times past seemed to surround the town.

Did you know that Oregon is also known as "Beervana, U.S.A."? Oregon has over 100 craft breweries. The products they produce are known for their world class quality and innovation.

We decided to have lunch here at Full Sail Brewing Company.

We were able to sample some of their locally brewed favorites.

Cheers!

The beer went great with our fish and chips. Sorry no pictures of our food. Guess I was too hungry to stop for a photo op.

After lunch we took a free tour of the brewery. It was well worth it. If you're in Hood River drop by Full Sail for the tour offered daily at 1,2,3 and 4 PM.

Unfortunately, by mid afternoon the weather had gotton worse, grey clouds and rain doused any chance of viewing Mt. Hood. We decided to head back to Portland. Nevertheless, a great day was had visiting this interesting area of Oregon.

Photo via the internet: Mt. Hood in all its glory on a clear day.

Hood River County is known for its unusual mix of geology and climate—Cascade Locks on the western edge of the county sits at just 60 feet above sea level while the county’s south border soars to the 11,235 foot summit of Mt. Hood—Oregon’s tallest peak.