Day 2 - Northwest Coast Tour

I love flowers as they remind me of my grandma Rosa because every year she planted several varieties of roses in our back yard.  So it was interesting that our first stop today in Portland was the oldest, continuously operated public rose test garden in the U.S., the International Rose Test Gardens.  Those were my favorite 2 roses in the gardens.   For more info: http://www.rosegardenstore.org/

From there we had a 1.5 hour bus ride up to the historic Timberline Lodge nestled at the foot of majestic Mt. Hood. The Lodge was built between 1936 and 1938 as a Works Progress Administration project during the Great Depression.   In 1977, it was declared a National Historic Landmark.  We had a scrumptious lunch of salmon, roasted potatoes and broccolini there.   I found it interesting that several famous movies, including "All the Young Men" and "Hear No Evil" were partly shot on location at the Timberline Lodge. For additional info: http://www.timberlinelodge.com/     
Here's our group outside the Lodge!



The sweeping view of the Columbia River Gorge was just one of the many spectacular sights  we saw today as we drove back to Portland.  The massive area covering almost 300,000 acres spans southern Washington and northern Oregon.  It is called the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, is federally protected and is managed by the U.S. Forest Service. 

But the most impressive sight of the day was saved for last --the Multnomah Falls which is a magnificent double waterfall.    http://www.oregon.com/attractions/multnomah_falls

TOUR TIP: Don't pay all those extra baggage fees! Lighten your load by picking one color and building your travel wardrobe around that.  I prefer black because it goes with everything. Two pair of black slacks, one pair of jeans, 5 tops, a jacket and good walking shoes are all you need for a 10 day trip.

Check out Sunrise Tours at www.travelsunrise.com for the Northwest Coast 2013 Tour dates.