Daniel's Visit

Daniel Barker, my good friend from Atlanta, paid me a visit July 9th thru the 16th. My first guest since the pandemic restrictions (in Oregon) were lifted. What fun we had!

First day, we grabbed a cup of coffee at Moore Alley and had a hearty breakfast at Midpoint Food & Drink. Great way to start things off! Then we headed to the Columbia Gorge and drove Historic Hwy 30 for a bit. We stopped at the Women's Forum to get a first view of the Gorge. As expected, Daniel was blown away. He did no research and really didn't know what to expect - thankfully. After a brief, but memorable, stop at Vista House, we then continued on Hwy 30 passing the various falls - including Multnomah. Unfortunately, the parking situation was a complete nightmare - they were waving people through the parking lot - so we decided to just do a drive by. Daniel was only able to get a peek at the falls from the car.

Then we continued on to Hood River for our lunch reservations at Solstice Wood Fire Cafe - for Pizza. I was hoping the view would be better but the food and service was good. The weather was warm but still lovely. After lunch, we made our way to Highway 35 - the first part of the Fruit Loop. Our First Stop was Panorama Point State Park. What a terrific view of Mount Hood! Next we made our way to Timberline Lodge. Once there, Harry and I waited outside while Daniel peeked inside the lodge to get a since of the architecture. The weather was still perfect, as expected. There was a bit of snow on the mountain still and snow boarders were coming an going on the mountain. After a little time at the lodge, we made our way home to relax a bit. The day ended with a lovely dinner at Lokanta - a local turkish restaurant recommended by Larry Williams.

The next day, we started the day with a quick cup of coffee at Moore's Alley then packed the car for the Oregon Roadtrip. I grabbed a quick Mcdonald's breakfast and we headed to Bend - our first destination. While on the way, we stopped for a bit to take in the wonderful views around Santium Pass. I had planned for taking lunch in Bend but hadn't made reservations. Luckily, Anthony's at the Old Mill (along the Deschutes River) wasn't terribly busy so Harry, Daniel and I were able to get a table on the patio. What a lovely lunch, waiters were fun, food was good. Weather was really warm but dry. The river was busy with inner tube floatees.

After lunch, we continued on our journey to our lodgings at Union Creek. The drive was mostly uneventful - except for a small wildfire just outside of La Pine. We reached Union Creek after the lodge had already closed. We unpacked, settled in a bit and then grabbed something to eat at Beckie's. With the pandemic, Beckie's was only serving take out and the menu was more limited. Good but not terribly interesting. However, the peanut butter cream pie was terrific. The next day, we grabbed a quick breakfast at Beckies - I had the biscuits and gravy - then headed out. First stop was to check out the Rouge River Gorge. Then off to Crater Lake. We entered the park through the North entrance. The day was a little smoky but still lovely. The air quality at the park seemed good. First stop was the lookout just as the road from the entrance meets up with the Rim Drive. Daniel and I got out and walked up to the rim to take in the view. Daniel said the site was beautiful but honestly, I was expecting more of a reaction from him. While I will never again experience setting Crater Lake for the first time, I do get enjoyment when I am with others during their first time. I was a bit disappointed. We spent much of the next few hours driving around the lake, stopping frequently, taking pictures. It was fun though I did experience a bit of acrophobia while driving on the East side of the lake. You realize you are quite high up, the roads have very few guard rails and the lanes seem small. I was REALLY glad to have Daniel talking while I was driving to keep my mind of the height! After we finished the rim drive, we slowly made our way back to the our cabin. We stopped at the general store near the campground, and enjoyed a slow leisurely drive along 62. We made it back to the cabin, relaxed a bit then decided to explore the town just west of the lake - Prospect, OR. Not much was open so we just decided to go back to the cabin and order dinner from Beckie's. This time it was peach pie a la mode. :) The next morning we got up bright and early, packed up the car and made our way to Medford, OR and grabbed a big but delicious breakfast at Black Bear Diner. After breakfast, we headed to the Oregon Coast by way of Highway 199. This took us through the magnificant coastal redwoods and Jebediah Smith Redwoods State Park. After a lovely drive and quick hike through the redwoods, we headed up the coast back into Oregon. Once we got to Brookings, we took a small detour and checked out one of my favorite State Parks and Campgrounds - Harris Beach. We then drove up to Gold Beach and checked into the Pacific Reef Hotel for the night. I took the opportunity to get a soak in and relax from all the driving. After a good nights sleep, we spent the next day making our way back to Portand. We stopped in Philomath to visit a old high school friend of Daniel's. We eventually ended up back in Portand. Over the next couple days, we spent time visiting friends, including my dear friends Greg and Larry. We were even able to have time to play some music with my clarinetist buds.