Time to head home (well almost)

 Hiya Gang.
Little Fox and I here.  Today Little Fox has offered to take me around Hood River.  It's near The Dalles and on the way home why not.

Hood River is a super popular town.  Today we are doing a volksmarch around town.  Hoping to see some sight (check off the Columbia River).  

Met this cool dinosaur outside of the gas station.  This guy is in great shape (except for that pesky sticker on it's side).

A mile or so away from the dinosaur we came across this pedestrian bridge. It goes across the Hood River (which flows into the Columbia).  Sadly no spawning salmon in the Hood River. 

What a nice day. Along the way the volksmarch organizers had all sorts of public art.  This is one our favorites.

So much more adventuring to do.  Lunch, cocktails and a drive home.  This little fox and bear need their rest.

A quick afternoon adventure

 Hiya Gang,a t
Sandy and Little Fox here. This afternoon we left The Dalles to see the stars (ok, more specifically the sun) at the Goldendale Observatory. 

The telescope (the real one, not this model) was built for Clark College in Vancouver.  However, the light pollution was too much in Vancouver.  A few amateur astronomers were traveling through Goldendale in the 70s (Goldendale has a pretty good reputation for sky viewing) and they talked to a diner owner who said the city would be interested. 

Fast forward 40+ years the obersatory is still hopping.  The telescope is a reflecting one, still operating and open to the public.

Whew, what a day.  Adventuring around town, visiting a winery, checking out the observatory, catching a nice sunset.  

This fox and bear are ready for a rest. 

The Dalles has so much to offer

Hiya Blog World.  Sandy and Little Fox here exploring The Dalles.

The Sorosis group was huge in The Dalles.  They were the ones who raised money for preservation of the Fort Dalles Museum.  They also created this pawsome park in town.  It's on the bluff above town so it's got a great view of the Columbia River.  

The fountain behind is very well decorated.  Sandy likes the little touches on this fountain. 

The Vogt family is a very important family in The Dalles.  They have been around for a while, established businesses and gave back to the community.

Time to adventure around town.  

As mentioned before The Dalles is one of the oldest towns in Oregon.  It was a major stop along the Oregon Trail.   In the 1830s - 40s Methodist ministers (they were all up and down the state) started preaching to the Native Americans in the area at this rock.    

Above us is pulpit rock. 

Just south of Pulpit Rock is The Dalles High School.  Sandy insisted that he get his pictures in front of the Art Deco Gym.  Sandy has great taste in buildings.

Off to the Pioneer Cemetery.  Lot's of graves from the 1800s.  All sorts of ages represented in the cemetery.

Lot's of unknown graves.  When they built the neighborhood in the 1920s the Chinese and Hebrew section was moved.  These old signs are someone's graves but the cemetery association doesn't know the residents names.

So many old graves.  

Sandy and I decided it's time for lunch.  We found a restaurant in an old church just down the block.  Seems like the perfect place for us.

Salad and chicken and waffles. I hope this is enough for both of us. 

 

Fort Dalles Museum

 Hi Blog Pals,
Sandy here.  My pal Little Fox has planned a nice weekend escape for me.  The first stop is at the Fort Dalles Museum. 

Fort Dalles was established in 1838.  Behind me are the surgeons quarters.  This is the back entrance (near the kitchen) and now it's the main entrance to the museum.

This is the main entrance to the surgeons quarters back in the day.  As you can see the surgeon and their family had a pretty darn nice house.  

Inside the museum they had all sorts of cool stuff from The Dalles.  The Dalles was one of the last stops on the Oregon Trail and has an unique and vibrant history. 

As with any older town (The Dalles was established in 1857)  there were lots of buildings.  This board was used at the Umatilla House.  

The Umatilla House was known as the best hotel west of Chicago and North of San Francisco.

Many famous people stayed at the Umatilla House including Mark Twain, but lots of "regular" people stayed there too including gold miners in the Winter.  Apparently, the owners of the Umatilla House were very generous and when people could not pay their bill it was not a problem.  They often told people to send the money when they could.  

The Umatilla House cellar could hold 2,500 gallons of whiskey, could hold 200 men at a time, and was rumored to be more profitable than the profits on room and board together. 

Time to try my luck on an old slot machine. 

Outside of the surgeons quarters was a garage with a variety of old cars, wagons and transports. 

While in the garage we met this friendly cat. 

Smart cat, he's hanging out by the old milk wagon.

A few more old cars. 

Time for this bear and fox to check in at the hotel and get a good nap in before we head out on the town. 

A little road trip

 Sandy and I are off to the Gorge (final destination: The Dalles) but on the way we decided to stop and see Multnohmah Falls.

Great hiking nearby (sadly mother nature disagreed with us and presented us with rain, light snow and chilly weather).   Off to our next stop.