Beautiful Weekend... with photos!

It was a gorgeous weekend here in Vancouver. After all the rain we've had lately, 80s and sunny was a welcome treat! My roommates and I decided to take advantage of the nice weather on Saturday and drive down to Larch Mountain (Oregon), where we'd been told we would have a great view of the Cascades. It took about an hour to drive to the little park, which is located in the HUGE Mt. Hood National Forest. After a short stair climb, we arrived at the summit, where we had an amazing 360-degree panorama view! The day was beautiful, and we could see FIVE peaks standing in one spot. Here are a few pictures from the top of Larch Mountain:

Mt. St. Helens: 46 miles away.


Mt. Rainier: 97 miles away!

Mt. Adams: 54 miles.


Mt. Hood: 22 miles.

Mt. Jefferson: 62 miles.

Mt. Hood behind me.

View of the Columbia River.

After eating our lunches on Larch Mountain, we took a drive along the Columbia River Gorge to see all the waterfalls that cascade into the gorge. It's really beautiful!

Kaleb and Jamie consulting the map.

Columbia River Gorge. You can just see Interstate 84 in the bottom right; it runs along the rim of the gorge for most of the length of the state of Oregon!

Jamie and Kaleb at Vista House, a tourist stop that overlooks the gorge.

Latourell Falls and a beautiful day!

Latourell Falls, Oregon.

Multnomah Falls, over 600 feet tall! (Niagara Falls are 167 feet...)

Rainbow in the mist at Multnomah Falls.

It was nice to enjoy a day outside and see the sights this region has to offer. I'm really glad my roommates enjoy the outdoors as much as I do!