Mount Hood, Oregon

     The trains woke us up a couple times - I must have missed quite a few of them because they DO come through at least once an hour - but the sky was a perfect blue this morning so we decided to head off for the slopes of Mount Hood.  There is a ski area at the top with a lodge that stays open all year.

     Our first stop along the road was the Gorge White House Winery.  The tasting area was in a home which was on the National Registry of Historic places.   It had beautiful windows and lots of gorgeous oak woodwork.  There were fields of flowers behind the house and a panoramic view of the mountains.  We talked for a while to the lady at the winery who suggested that we stop at an alpaca farm and knitting store in the foothills.

    Our drive to the Cascade Alpacas and Foothills Yarn and Fiber took us through acres of fruit trees and grape vines.  Finally, after a winding climb, we got to a farm with dozens of alpacas and their babies.  The fleece was incredibly soft, so I had to buy a little yarn to make a scarf.   After we left the farm the road became much steeper as we headed up towards Mt. Hood.  The mountain was startlingly white against the deep blue sky. 

    Our Oregon travel advisor, Sue, suggested that we have lunch at Timberline Lodge so we drove up to the ski area to see it.  There were hundreds of skiers in the parking lot having lunch from the tail gates of their cars and from a few concession stands.  They ski in the morning until the snow gets mushy and then party in the lot.  The area is only closed for a few weeks after Labor Day to do maintenance on the lifts.

   Timberline Lodge, a National Historic Landmark, was built in 1937 as a Works Progress Administration (WPA) project during the Great Depression. We were impressed by the huge wooden beams that support the roof, but since the area averages 21 FEET of snow in a season the roof needs to be strong.  We ate in a casual dining area which served sandwiches, soup and salad with a view of the valley.  It was a delight.

   It was a great day of sightseeing, but now we are happy to be sitting at our picnic table in the campground.