2026 Oregon Trip
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The Dalles and Hood River
Lisa originally had planned for us to return to the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic area today to see some of the waterfalls again and hike some unhiked trails. After seeing how busy it was on Friday, and not wanting to take the trolley again, we had a change of plans. Having seen most of…
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Trillium Lake
The area around Hood River is our first glimpse (yesterday) of farm country—lots of fruit trees and grape vines. We ran out of blueberry jam, Tony’s preferred flavor for PB&J, so our first stop today on our way to Trillium Lake was a market to purchase some locally made. We stopped along Oregon highway 35…
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The Cove Palisades
Farewell, Trillium Lake Trillium Lake is so beautiful reflecting Mount Hood that we just had to take one more hike around it this morning. We were hoping an early view would provide stunning pictures if the surface was smooth before the wind kicks up and before any people get out on the water. We were…
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Smith Rock State Park
The volcanic rock formation of Smith Rock State park is a huge attraction for rock climbers. We don’t do that crazy sport, but never-the-less, we had to take a day trip here (an easy 35 from Palisades Cove) to see what all the fuss is about. Smith Rock State Park The drive to Smith Rock…
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Lava Lake
Specialty Crops This part of Oregon grows specialty crops like onion seed, peppermint and carrot seed. I didn’t know that carrots are biennial which means they only flower and produce seeds every other year. If you want the seeds to plant a new crop, the first crop has to stay in the ground for two…
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Crater Lake National Park — Day 1
Today we ventured to our third and final national park of this trip, Crater Lake. I couldn’t wait to see this beautiful blue lake that I had seen in so many pictures. Oregon Scenic Byways Large lava fields became apparent as we drove along a stretch of Cascade Lakes National Scenic Byway this morning. It…
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Crater Lake National Park — Day 2
It was a day of scenic drives, fantastic views, and amazing hikes for our second day at Crater Lake. East Rim Drive Normally, one can drive the entire rim around Crater Lake, but part of the East Rim Drive around the southern part of the lake is currently closed due to construction. We really wanted…
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A Blockbuster of a Day
Crater Lake National Park was the final pre-planned destination of our 2026 Oregon adventure. It’s now time to make our way back east to Fort Collins, Colorado to visit Lisa’s dad and get some upgrades made to the van at a place north of Denver before heading home. Farewell, Crater Lake We left Crater Lake…
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Making Tracks to Fort Collins
With daytime temperatures reaching 100+ degrees through theses parts, and Thursday’s appointment for the van, we put in some longer days of travel. No real fun stops or hikes, but plenty of scenery in this part of the country and a good audio book to listen to, which help the miles go by quicker. We…
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Final Stop – Thunderhead Brewing – Then Home
Fort Collins We left Fort Collins after a week’s stay. Some of our activities included: Thunderhead Brewing We decided to make it a 2-day trip home to make it easier on ourselves and the cats. Our final stop for the night on this adventure was Thunderhead Brewing, a Harvest Host in Axtell, Nebraska. It’s about…