Great Explorations

We have a long journey today but the scenery should be interesting and varied. Initially we drive across wide open high plains. Not much of interest here except for the immensity of the terrain and the length of the trains.

The scenery changes as we approach the huge Columbia River which has cut a canyon through the high plateau.

Dams have been built along much of the river creating huge string lakes. The outflow from the dams is powerful and impressive.

Windfarms have been setup along the ridges.

As we continue, we get our first glimpse of Mt Hood, which rises majestically in the distance.

Our plan is to stay at a campsite just outside Hood River, but as we approach we see smoke in the distance. There is a forest fire on the far side of the river and smoke is filling the valley. We think it wise to drive past the chosen campsite.

However, after driving 10 miles or so we find that there are not many other options close by so we decide to stay with our original camp. It is exceptionally hot. The vacant sites near the river are in full sun and sit on scorched grass. We head back to the entrance site where the pitches have been watered and there are trees. It is much cooler and we choose a shaded pitch which is nice except for the fact that the pitches are pretty close together. We erect the tent and then, on the recommendation of the camp host, we go to Grateful Winery for lunch. There is a spectacular view of Mt Hood.

We sit at a table under a canopy eating pizza and nicely chilled bottle of Grateful Vineyard pinot gris. There is a singer/guitarist who was versatile and good.

As we drive back we can see planes dropping water on the fire which seems to be subsiding. We snack on cheese and biscuits and enjoy a local bottle of pinot noir at campsite. We sleep surprisingly well.

Today we have a much shorter drive to Mcminnville, which is in the heart of wine country. We have wonderful views of Mt Hood on our way there.

We are planning taking it easier. Our main target is to sample a good selection of the local wines. We stop in the small town of Carlton, where every other building is a winery with tasting rooms. We select Ken Wright Winery which is very comfortable with a large terrace. We settle on the taster flight, accompanied by a cheese and charcuterie plate for lunch.

We drive the 7 miles to McMinnville where we have booked into the McMinnville Inn which is a motel but better than others we have stayed at. It is actually very hospitable and the room and bathroom are large. We luxuriate in the space, wash clothes and ourselves and dress up a bit for dinner. Paul has found an upmarket Cypriot Restaurant imaginatively named Cyprus. The food is good and we have a lovely evening.

We were going to head for the coast but realise it is 4 July – Independence Day so the roads will be busy. We decide to stay for a second night and head into Carlton for more wine tasting. This was a brilliant plan with one small flaw. Everything is closed. We walk around the town testing every door. Persistence pays off and we find one tasting room that is open – Bibliotec.

We force ourselves to sample another tasting flight and end up buying a bottle of the chardonnay and the exceptionally good pinot noir. I would not describe these as bargain buys however!

We decide to eat in McMinnville at an Italian that was closed yesterday. Annoyingly it is still closed as is every other restaurant in town. Disaster – we are hungry and thirsty. It is very hot. Eventually we find a bar that serves food but there is an hour’s wait. We sit at a table and order drinks and are pleased to discover that we can actually eat almost immediately. We were definitely lucky as most people were turned away.

After a good night’s sleep we set off north for Cape Disappointment. We stop off at the Lewis & Clark National Historical Park in Astoria. I knew nothing of these explorers who were commissioned by Thomas Jefferson in 1803 to explore the newly acquired western territory. They made the most extraordinary journey and I shall definitely read more about the expedition when I return home. We listen to a talk which is very interesting and visit a reconstruction of Fort Clatsop where the American presence was finally established in November 1805.

We head north and cross the Columbia River which is big. The traffic going south is horrendous, following on from the July 4 celebrations. We definitely made the right choice in not going to the coast yesterday. The jam has to be 10 miles long …or more.

We finally make it to Cape Disapppointment, named by Lewis and Clark, following a bitterly cold and hard stay before being abandoned in favour of Fort Clatsop.

We pitch our tent behind the trees 50 yards or so from the beach. It is much cooler here – the Pacific effect and there is a strong wind blowing.

We walk along the beach and just sit and take in the view and sound of the surf. It’s a pretty nice spot. We try to find somewhere for supper but there is a limited choice in town and both restaurants are closed. We head for the next town to buy takeaway pizza. It is delicious – prawn and smoked oyster with extra olives. It goes down very well with a local bottle of pinot noir.

When we wake up we find that there has been light drizzle during the night. The fly sheet is sodden but the tent is dry and the wind has dropped so it feels warmer. We want to get close to Seattle so we have an easy drive to our airport hotel and to drop off the hire car. We stop for coffee at South Bend on the Willapa River. It’s a cosy little place with good coffee and exceedingly good lemon and blueberry scones.

Sometimes road trips can provide surprises. We encounter the charming little town of Elbe. We had been hoping to see Mt Rainier but it was drizzly and overcast. A rather apt name – rainier. Elbe is home to the Mt Rainier Railroad and Logging Museum. Blink and you might miss it but an interesting diversion on our journey.

Once we were away from the coast the weather started to improve. The countryside is green and in places quite UK like.

We drive to Mossyrock and find a campsite on the shores of Lake Riffe. It is very hot. The temperature changes on this trip, in the space of half an hour, can be quite astonishing. There is a dam on the lake and Paul thinks it will be worth exploring the fishing possibilities downstream. The stream looks wonderful but has steep banks and is not accessible.

We have a huge pitch under the trees but there is a very steep gravel slope up to it, which tests the Mustang’s road holding capabilities. Having erected the tent we drive to Mossyrock for food and are very pleasantly surprised. The quality of food on offer is great. We can buy vegetables, fruit and salad. Trust me – this has not been the norm on our journey. We buy beef, salads, wine and have a lovely supper at the campsite. I take a walk down to the lakeshore. People are swimming but the shore is rocky. It holds limited appeal for me and I clamber back up the steep path to our pitch. It is however quite scenic.

The morning is cooler and cloudy. We head off to Seattle, check into the airport hotel, dump the luggage and then drop off the car at the airport. It is a short walk back to hotel so we do not need a shuttle, which simplifies life. We decide to eat next door at the Crowne Plaza. We sit at the bar with a G&T which was divine. Absence makes the heart grow fonder!

We follow that with a good meal and a soupçon of wine. Civilization sometimes has an upside.