Comin' 'Round The Mountain...

Everyone's telling me that summer is the time to be in Portland but, I gotta' tell ya', the spring is proving to be pretty damn phenomenal.

This past Monday, I decided to take a drive. I knew some other local photographers had made their way east, out to Hood River, on Sunday, to shoot some fruit blooms and Mt. Hood. I was feeling a bit under the weather and opted out of that trip. Instead, I decided to head out on Monday.

In large part, this was a trip I've already made. I stopped at Multnomah Falls, and I was there in October of last year. I was going to be in the town of Hood River, and I was there just two months ago. Mount Hood? I've made that trip, too. Despite the fact that I'd already been to all of these places in the past, though, I felt drawn to visit them again, and I was going to visit them all in the same day.


My first stop actually wasn't planned at all, and I actually kind of like it that way. I've actually stopped here before to survey the view, but this is the first time I've ever actually gotten out of the truck:

A railroad bridge running along the eastbound lanes of I-84...

I walked around for about ten minutes or so, but convinced myself that there wasn't a whole lot else to see. Besides, I had other places to be. Where those other places were, though, had really yet to be determined.

My next stop was Rooster Rock State Park. I wasn't going to spend a lot of time here; I just wanted to see what kind of view I had of the mighty Columbia:

The Columbia River, as seen from Rooster Rock State Park...

I'm still trying to figure out the purpose behind these stairs...

 

There are always a lot of signs in an Oregon State Park...

Huh...

I decided to opt out of the nude recreation and, instead, decided to head to Multnomah Falls. Multnomah Falls is actually two waterfalls, just south of I-84. Even though I've shot these falls before, I couldn't help myself. You never know; maybe the falls would look different this time. Maybe they wouldn't. I just didn't want to chance it:

Multnomah Falls...

 

Multnomah Falls...

A stone bridge, with the upper falls visible in the background...

A small, crystal clear stream fed by the falls...

I actually drove right by the town of Hood River, as much of what I was intending to shoot actually laid far beyond it. My first stop was at The Gorge White House. It's the main house on a working farm. It was built in 1910, and has been on the National Register of Historic Places in 2007. The first floor operates as a retail establishment and wine tasting room. Seeing as I still had a whole bunch of driving in front of me, I didn't figure I should imbibe:

The Gorge White House, located just outside the Hood River town proper...



The Gorge White House...

They make wine out of whatever the Hell they're growing here...

This is true farmland out here and, to be completely honest, I was pretty surprised by the expanse of it all. It was yet another aspect of the Pacific Northwest that I was unaware of. And, hey, if there are old barns, it can't be all bad, right?

An old barn outside Hood River, Oregon...

An old red barn with a bit of an HDR treatment...

One thing I didn't do on this trip was use my GPS. As an aside, and for those of you who might be interested, I downloaded an app called GPS Drive/Motion X onto my iPhone, and it works pretty flawlessly. I could've used it on this trip, but the point of this trip wasn't to go to Point A, and then to Point B and then on to Point C. The point of this trip was to go wherever I ended up and, if I needed it, I could fire up the GPS to get home.

All I knew about being out here, based on some rudimentary maps I'd looked at, was that I had to make a right turn onto Toll Bridge Road. That's it. That's all I knew.

Not long after making that right hand turn, I passed over one of the countless rivers out here. I'm sure it has a name that I didn't notice, but I did pull over to do some shooting:

Looking upstream at 1/6 of a second...

As a photographer, I'm normally behind the camera. I would much rather be photographing someone else, or a bucolic mountain scene, than be in front of the camera. But, hey, I've got a rig that allows me to get in front of the lens, so why not take advantage of it?



My truck has turned into my constant travelling partner, complete with an Inukshuk,
hanging from the rear view mirror, as a companion to help guarantee safe travels...



From this point, my intention of "going wherever I ended up" began to get real. From here, I could find my way back easily enough if I had to. But, between the on again/off again rain and the unfamiliar roads, I started thinking about that GPS. I'd decided that I was going to make the trek up to Mount Hood's Timberline Lodge. I wasn't sure at first but, after looking at the time, I decided it was a "go".

So, back to that GPS.

I swear I could hear the iPhone 4s laughing at me as it silently announced, in the upper left-hand corner of the screen, "SEARCHING".

Yes, there would be no GPS today.

As much as this is wilderness out here, the roads are pretty well marked, which was a big plus. Had they not been, I can remember at least two time when I would've made a wrong turn. Make a wrong turn out here, and it could be costly.

The last time I drove to Timberline Lodge, it was snowing pretty heavily. That was early December, though. Surely now, I surmised, in the middle of April; the dawn of a new spring, there would be no snow.

I surmised incorrectly:

Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood...

Yes, this is the middle of April...

It's a widely held misconception that Timberline Lodge was featured heavily in the movie "The Shining". In fact, there were only some aerial shots of the lodge at the beginning of the movie, and then some exterior footage for some establishing shots of the fictional Overlook Hotel throughout the movie. None of the movie was filmed inside the Timberline Lodge, which looks nothing like the fictional Overlook Hotel (which was actually inspired by the Stanley Hotel in Colorado).

All that notwithstanding, the Timberline Lodge is very, very cool. It was built between 1936 and 1938, so it's got that glitzy-glam meets rustic mountain man vibe goin' on. It can get a little spendy ($260.00 a night for a weekend night in May), but it's very cool.

So, instead of making weekend reservations, I opted to simply walk around and explore, which is definitely encouraged here. The last time I was here, I couldn't even find a parking spot. I was diggin' this.

The front entrance is pretty unimposing. In fact, the entire hotel is much smaller than I anticipated. Even still, it was a cool place to visit and shoot. The first thing you see when you walk in is a nice big fireplace, complete with a golden retriever:

I really wish I'd found out this dog's name...

I've gotten fond of Bloody Mary's over the last couple of years, and I've found that most places have their own special way of making it; a special flair particular to that bar. The Ram's Head Bar at Timberline Lodge is no different:

The Ram's Head Bloody Mary, with celery stalk, a massive green olive, a jalapeno pepper, an
asparagus spear, a green bean, a lime wedge and salt around the rim. It was, in a word, ridiculous...

After "recharging", I did some more walking around. The great room which housed the bar (and a restaurant) had an enormous fireplace which went from floor to ceiling. It was massive and cool:

The massive stone fireplace in the main lounge at Timberline Lodge...

Just in case you end up wondering where you are in relation to other area landmarks.
The last item says "SNOW DEPTH AVERAGE AT TIMBERLINE: 21 FEET"...

Everything about the Timberline Lodge is rustic and, well, old looking. I don't think a lot has changed in the last 75 years:

The main hallway after entering the lodge on the left...

This ping pong table dates from when the lodge first opened in 1938...

It's difficult to appreciate how much snow falls here. Looking out this window, you might be inclined to say "Well, that looks to be about three or four feet". You would be inclined to say that, though, only until you realized you were standing on the second floor:

You'd probably need a bigger shovel...

Across the parking lot from the Timberline is the Wyeast Day Lodge. This is where skiers and snowboarders, who aren't guests of the lodge, come to buy their lift tickets and relax between runs. As rustic as the Timberline is, this isn't:

The entrance to the Wyeast Day Lodge...

Inside Wyeast...

A couple watches skiers and snowboarders race past their window...

The first floor of Wyeast, where skiers and snowboarders can rent lockers, buy lift tickets,
rent equipment, or get their own equipment adjusted...

I was really enjoying being able to finally explore Timberline, but the reality was that it was starting to get a bit later in the afternoon and, since I don't have tire chains or "traction tires", the last thing I wanted to do was head down the snow covered mountain while it was getting dark:

Tarry not...

The road down the mountain was, at best, only marginally safe. And, believe it or not, the Explorer even has a Dash-Cam:

As I got to the bottom of the mountain, I made a right. This would bring me full circle around the mountain. It was a long, long day, but an incredibly enjoyable one. And I just couldn't help pulling over for just a couple of more shots:

A roadside scene at the base of Mount Hood...

This has never happened before. Ever...

And, through it all, the trusty Ford Explorer. She's 14 years old now. I don't know when she's gonna' give up the ghost, but I hope it's no time soon. I still have a lot of drivin' to do...



My 1999 Ford Explorer Sport...