Then we drove to Columbia Hills Historical State Park across the river. Beautiful views. And petroglyphs.
We drove back across the river and looked for The Dalles Dam visitor center. We knew it was closed (Monday) but we found it.
After that, we drove to the Columbia Gorge Discovery Center which is a fantastic museum. Large mammals which are now extinct. Geology of the region. An interesting replica of a native cabin - not all Indians lived in Tepees. We hope to return when we have more time so that we can see all of the exhibits. The building itself is also well done.
Then we drove on Highway 30, Columbia River Scenic Byway. We stopped at Rowena Crest which affords beautiful views of the Columbia River and the valley. It was a bright, cool and windy day, and we really enjoyed the relaxed drive and the gorgeous scenery.
We reached Timberline Lodge after another stop at Draper Girls for some more cherries. Made a booking for dinner at 6. Checked into the room. They first gave us a smaller room by mistake. And then we went for a hike. Throughout the trip, Alicia was having breathing problems due to allergies, but the absence of anything but pines at Timberline Lodge seemed to suit her. We climbed up for half an hour using “sherpa step” and even climbed through a small snow patch and then walked back just in time for our dinner.
Dinner was very very good. I had lamb t-bone steak, Alicia had a steelhead + clams dish and we both shared a steak tartare dish + salmon eggs and some sour pickled vegetables as a starter. It was delicious. I drank a pale ale and an amber ale brewed by their own brewery, both of which were excellent, especially the amber ale, and a good deal at $6 each. I had a port for dessert and Alicia and I shared a berry compote with ice cream.
After dinner we watched the movie that described the WPA and the building of the lodge which is quite an interesting story. After that we watched the sunset from Ram’s Head Bar (Ram’s head is a recurring motif throughout the decor of the lodge) and I ordered a Bee’s Knees cocktail - a base of honey with gin + lemon juice poured over it garnished with a sprig of rosemary. It was quite tasty. After this, we were quite tired and went and crashed in our room which was quite comfortable. One regret - we forgot to go out and see the stars which are supposed to be amazing.
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