Pacific Northwest Aug 2019 - Day 7 Smith Rock State Park & Columbia River Gorge

[katiebaz]

After the previous days exertions we slept well but were still awake by 6am. However we woke to the lovely news that our niece had got the A-level results she needed and was off to Durham University. We celebrated with breakfast cake as we felt this was appropriate to mark the occasion.

We then packed up the room and checked out, all wishing we had a bit longer in Bend as there is so much to explore. The town is really outdoorsy and surrounded by many state parks which we simply didn’t have time to visit. However this morning we were calling in Smith Rock State Park which is a few miles out of Bend. As we arrived, the site of the park’s rocks and meandering rivers was breath-taking and we would have loved to have spent the whole day here.

As we only had a couple of hours, we parked up and headed out on one of the shorter trails, trying to not get alarmed at the signs warning us about cougars! The trail took us along the river and we spent a few minutes watching the rock climbers with fascination. Sadly we had to get on the road so reluctantly completed the trail and headed back to the car.

Our destination for the night was a town called The Dalles in the Columbia River Gorge and as we started the drive, rather worryingly as Steve adjusted the rear view mirror, it ended coming off in his hand. As he was driving, I had to hold it in place until we could safely stop. For a few tense minutes we couldn’t get it back on and I had visions of me having to hold it all the way to The Dalles! Fortunately the crisis was averted, we got it fixed and were on our way driving through the stunning Mount Hood natural forest. We had great views of various mountains and whilst we weren’t 100% sure which one was actually Mount Hood, we decided that any mountain we saw, we would say oh look there is Mount Hood…..

We stopped for our picnic lunch en-route at a roadside picnic area - it always amazes me that even in the middle of nowhere in the USA there will be a picnic table and toilet ( albeit a rather rank pit toilet!) We did spot lots of snowmobile parking areas and imagine it must be great fun in the winter to zip through the forest on a snowmobile - something to try in the future definitely.

After lunch we drove onto the Columbia River Gorge and to be honest this was probably the most disappointing part of our trip. The guidebooks had raved about it but the waterfalls were incredibly crowded, impossible to park at and a bit underwhelming. I can only imagine we were there at the wrong time of year to see it at its best. The river was scenic but not as stunning as other places we visited and rather ruined by a 6 lane highway running alongside it.

The next stop was the Town of Hood River, which again was disappointing. We had hoped to walk by the river, but it was difficult to find anywhere to park and when we did access to the river front was reserved for wind surfers only. Needless to say we were all feeling a bit grumpy by this point and decided to push on to our destination and thought maybe an ice cream would cheer us up.
After seeing a sign for the scenic route, we decided to take that road, which I am very glad we did as it was far quieter than the highway and passed through a little town which an old fashioned drug store and ice cream store. After eating our delicious ice-creams we all felt better and far less grumpy and enjoyed the rest of the scenic route, stopping at various overlooks to enjoy views of the Columbia River.

A little while later we arrived at The Dalles (rhymes with Gals, apparently rather than the Texas city) which is not a place we would recommend to stop in or visit. It was a spralling mass of strip malls, gas stations and motels. We eventually found the Super 8 we were booked in which had been highly rated on Trip Advisor. We went to check in and the receptionist was really rude and unhelpful. She kept trying to swipe our credit card and saying it wouldn’t work. We tried all the cards we had and none would work. Annoyingly I think it was the way she was swiping them but she didn’t even make eye contact and just told us we obviously didn’t have enough credit and we couldn’t check in. We explained our cards were English so maybe different and certainly had enough money on them and could she take payment as if we were on the phone. She just couldn’t care less and told us we could pay cash but there would be a £200 dollar deposit. We asked where the nearest cash point was and she shrugged.

At this point we walked out and had a discussion in the car park, which was to find somewhere else to stay. The card we secured the booking with had expired so they couldn’t charge us anything and we were so irritated with the attitude we didn’t want to stay there anyway. So we drove on, found a comfort Inn with a lovely receptionist, who checked us in no problem with our credit card, gave us a special rate when we told her our issues with the last hotel and gave us a lovely room.

We decided to go for a swim to relax after the stressful Super 8 issues and as we didn’t want to get back in the car to get dinner, we went to a nearby McDonalds for tea. It was fine and cheap and there wasn’t an awful lot of choice in The Dalles, but with Maccy Ds you know what you are getting. Feeling full, if not particularly satisfied we watched TV before falling asleep.

[CrispyA]

Wow, that first hotel sounds awful, really glad you were able to get somewhere else. We had issues with cards being rejected after swiping and our credit card company told us that it was due to the American systems not being secure enough so the transaction was rejected. We did have to ask people not to swipe it after that. Why they don’t have chip and PIN more widespread I don’t know.

And I love that you celebrated the A level results with breakfast cake!

[katiebaz]

Originally Posted by CrispyA

Wow, that first hotel sounds awful, really glad you were able to get somewhere else. We had issues with cards being rejected after swiping and our credit card company told us that it was due to the American systems not being secure enough so the transaction was rejected. We did have to ask people not to swipe it after that. Why they don’t have chip and PIN more widespread I don’t know.

And I love that you celebrated the A level results with breakfast cake!

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Fortunately this was the only time we had an issue with our credit card but it has made us want to boycott Super 8’s in future!

[Sparksy72]

There is nothing an icecream can’t fix! Shame about the first hotel but you did the right thing. Glad you found a better place to stay.

[smithlane]

Such a shame Columbia River Gorge wasn't as you thought it might be and as for that rude receptionist I'm glad you found somewhere else to stay!

[katiebaz]

Originally Posted by Sparksy72

There is nothing an icecream can’t fix! Shame about the first hotel but you did the right thing. Glad you found a better place to stay.

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I am sure ice cream has magical healing properties .

[katiebaz]

Originally Posted by smithlane

Such a shame Columbia River Gorge wasn't as you thought it might be and as for that rude receptionist I'm glad you found somewhere else to stay!

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Yes the guide books had really bigged it up but we found other parts of the area much nicer.