The Colombia River Gorge

Our second day in Portland we decided to take a scenic drive along the Colombia River Gorge and do a few waterfall hikes. It didn't take long to get out of Portland on the interstate. At Corbett we cut south onto the old highway 30, winding up the narrow road to higher ground. 

Scenic views from highway 30

Shortly down the road was Crown Point Vista House, a beautiful museum/look out built in 1918 for the early crowds of tourists.

View from Crown Point Vista House

Colombia River Gorge

Crown Point Vista House

We stopped in at our first waterfall, Latourell Falls.

Bridal Veil Falls

The were so many waterfalls along the trail, to be honest, I've mixed up our pictures now and cant figure out which ones which. We went to seven different waterfalls that day.

The most famous if the gorge, Multnoma Falls

The Three Sisters falls took a bit of a hike to get to.

We had spent so much more time hiking than we intended to that we were almost ready to call it quits for the day when we stopped at Oneonta Gorge and saw a group of people climbing over a pile of fallen logs. Out of curiosity Bill and I followed them. On the other side of the pile of fallen logs was a stream with waist deep water. I had my hiking shoes on and had forgotten my bathing suit, so Bill in his shorts and sandals, went ahead with the camera to explore the hidden waterfall beyond. 

Following the crowd down the river

The waterfall at the other side of the climb

Climbing back over the pile of fallen trees

Exhausted, but satisfied with the day, we drove back to the city and had dinner at the famous McMenaman's Kennedy School. The McManaman's are two brothers who are busy changing the face of Portland. They buy condemned and abandoned old buildings and restore them into restaurants, theaters, and much more. With more than 30 successful locations around town and growing, the city is practically begging them to take old buildings off their hands. 

Built in 1915, closed in 1975 and reopened in 1997, The Kennedy School looks and feels exactly like an old school. With knee high drinking fountains in the hallway, live music in the gym, a bar in the boiler room, a theater in the auditorium as well as a restaurant and hotel on site, there's definitely a lot to do. We spend a great deal of time after dinner exploring the halls. 

If you ever find yourself in Portland, I highly recommend checking it out or one of their many other locations around town.