Mount Adams

Driving into Portland from Bend, we followed the Columbia river long enough to know there was some amazing scenery to behold. Little did we know that Ana's (Lindsays best friend) friends Katie & Josh were going to get us up close and personal.

I believe it was a Saturday. After a couple days of planning, we had the back of our truck and Josh's Civic stuffed to the brim in preparation for our sojourn to Mount Adams. It began with a drive right back out 84 along the river, passing waterfalls and fantastic views of Mount Hood. We took a left at the town of Hood River and crossed into Washington, did a quick food shop, and pointed the cars uphill.

Countless miles up a rocky, gravely, dirt road, we reached our first destination, Wind River Cellars, where, for 5 bucks, we were able to taste all of their wines (it had to be 18 or so) and enjoy a perfect view of Mount Hood from their deck. We even got to schmooze with their potbelly pig. Some of the wine was fantastic, some of it was just good, but who can keep track after the first few anyway? We bought 2 bottles (Pinot Gris & Pinot Noir).

All that wine and sun - Time to get behind the wheel again!!! Back on the dirt road, back on the bumps & curves. At 10 MPH it hardly seemed dangerous. We camped at a spot called Bird Lake. I don't know what the elevation was, but suffice to say we were freakin' high up. The lake water was crystalline and the sky was a perfect match. It was without a doubt the most scenic spot I've ever pitched a tent. Josh brought a bass, Chuck brought a banjo and I brought my guitar. Thankfully, our girlfriends all brought their patience.

Josh & Katie provided us with scrumptious, and in my case oversized, burritos for which they had clearly developed a recipe through exacting science. And those Nutella sandwiches knocked our socks off!!

We froze our little tooshies off that night, but awakened to a crisp morning and crispy bacon.

Bouncing a little further up the mountain, the gas pedal on the truck stopped responding. No one was concerned, though, because Josh, Chuck and I are Master Mechanics (we opened the hood, stuck our heads in, muttered to each other, poked a few things and then scratched our asses). Somehow or other, turning the truck off, then restarting it fixed the problem (we're MASTERS I tell you!!!)

After our conquest, we set off for a little hike on Mount Adams. I know you're tired of me saying this, but the view was indescribable. We spent a little time on a rock ledge overlooking the valley, some waterfalls and even a herd of Mountain Goat. For me, there was a little moment when I just chuckled at how lucky we were (and how big the mountains are out here).