Waterfalls galore!

When I left Vancouver, WA this morning, it was foggy...but, at least it wasn't raining! I decided to grab some breakfast, so I headed over to Portland's Pine State Biscuits. I had been here once before on a previous road trip, having discovered it through Historic Columbia River Highway. This road is famous for its numerous waterfalls, and my plan for the day was to see as many as I had time for. That meant going to the waterfalls that would not require to much walking to see them. My first falls of the day was Latourell Falls. I ate my breakfast in the parking lot, then proceeded to check out the waterfall. I followed that with Sheppards Dell Falls and Bridal Veil Falls. Then, the biggie...Multnomah Falls.

I briefly visited this waterfall in 2007, but just long enough to take a few pictures. This time, I wanted to make the 2.2 mile to the TOP of the falls. I had been told by a friend that it was well worth the hike, so I decided to give it a go. I soon found out it was going to be quite a workout to reach the end of the trail. It was a steep climb from the get-go, and it continued as I negotiated the switchbacks. It didn't take long for my calves to protest, and I had to make frequent stops to rest my legs. On the way up, I passed a young couple with a STROLLER going down. Pretty gutsy of them. One hour, eleven switchbacks and 700 feet of elevation later, I made it to the top. Needless to say, I don't think I'll be doing this again in my lifetime. But, it WAS worth the hike. The photo you see was taken from the falls summit viewpoint. Going back down the steep trail was easier, but still hard on the body...my knees and feet can attest to that! At one point, I saw a family taking a breather at the 4th switchback. The parents asked me how much farther it was to the top. Trying to be encouraging, I told them it was downhill from switchback #9. When I got back to my car, I popped a couple of ibuprofen to help my aching legs and feet, then continued on with my waterfall tour.

Horsetail Falls, Starvation Creek Falls and Wah Gwin Gwin Falls finished things out for the day. The latter was located at the Columbia Gorge Hotel, a historic landmark located in the town of Hood River, OR. After checking into my hotel for the evening, I made a rather wonderful discovery. Last night, I had been lamenting my misfortune at leaving my flash card reader at home. Well, while going through my things, I discovered I had my camera's USB cable! I can download my photos into my computer after all! So, I added a pic to yesterday's blog, and I'll be posting photos in all my future blogs on my road trip. Hope this is a portent of things to come...good luck things!