After spending two days in Portland I headed out of the city in search of mountains, trees, blue sky and waterfalls. First stop, PDX to pick up my trusty rental car that I’d drive all the way back to San Francisco. Upon arriving at the rental car center I was reminded that it was Hood to Coast weekend (big running relay race from Mt. Hood to the Oregon Coast) and I had to wait in line with everyone waiting to rent their vans to transport their teams. An hour and a half later, I was finally on the road and headed out to the Columbia River Gorge.
I headed out of Portland on I-84 and to my first stop, Vista House, for my first grand preview of the glorious Columbia River Gorge. The Vista House was built in 1917 as a refuge for travelers to rest and refresh themselves while traveling through the Gorge. Inside the house you can get historical information but I stopped primarily for the epic views and interesting architecture.

Vista House and the Columbia River Gorge
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