Tourists For A Day

We live in the most amazing part of the world. In just a couple of scenic driving hours we can be walking along the beaches of the Pacific Ocean, camping in a rainforest, hiking next to an active volcanoe, playing in the snow on Mt. Saint Helens or doing whatever people do in the desert. We also have the Columbia Gorge. With the exception of Multomah Falls on the Oregon side, the Washington side of the Columbia Gorge has one of the most spectacular scenic driving experiences there is.

The other morning, Armando suggested we drive up the gorge for the day. Being the spontanious person that I am (ha, ha - that was a joke), I agreed it was a great idea. Several hours later, we were on the road heading East with no specific destination in mind. We pulled over at look out points to take in the amazing views, stopped at fruit stands, went over the Bridge of the Gods, went to a farmers market, drove down roads we'd never gone before, picnicked on a grassy beach on the Columbia River to watch the wind surfers, walked around the cute little town of Hood River window shopping and made plans for future adventures up the Gorge since we couldn't do it all in one day.

The first and best scenic viewpoint heading east up the gorge. A classic view we so rarely stop to enjoy

Eating some Gorge grown cherries under The Bridge Of The GodPeople come from all over the world to wind surf and kite board on the Columbia River in Hood RiverYou have no idea the pain and suffering that went into getting this girl to finally eat.Brother Blue loved being out of the car and laying in the warm breeze

We had many challenges with both kids at various different times. Ezra is not happy in the car, and seeing as it was a lot of driving, he cried a lot. I had pumped milk before we left so it did help a little to have the ability to feed him while in the car. Esperanza had several major breakdowns throughout the day. We almost dropped everything and headed home because of it, but decided we weren't going to let the reality of having two little ones get in the way of having a good outting. We did have a great (and memorable) day, but someone please tell me it gets easier as they get older?! Please...