Hood River

Although we originally thought we might meander through Washington, the desert that is the centre of the state compelled us to make a beeline to Oregon, where we knew interesting and/or cool spots were waiting for us.  Hood River is one of my favourite stops - my family spent at least a week there every summer for many years.  It has only gotten better as time has gone on - I highly recommend it if you're in Portland or anywhere nearby.  Being cheap campers, we grabbed a spot at Memaloose State Park, about seven miles east of town.

Would have been slightly better if the campers next door didn't have four dogs and a penchant for playing classic rock loudly all day.

Full Sail Brewing - the oldest brewery in Hood River, where you can sit on the patio and watch the kiteboarders while sampling all their beers...

Followed by a visit to Double Mountain Brewing, which has only been around the last five years but makes awesome beer and had a live band while we were there.  We didn't spend the whole evening drinking beer (okay, most of it), but most of our shots are from inside, rather than outside, the pubs.

The next morning was breakfast at Bette's Diner before heading up to Mt. Hood.  Chad's verdict?  Mmmmmmm.  And a good deal, too.