The plan was to drive up Larch Mountain to photograph wildflowers. There was only one problem. The road was closed 4 miles from the top due to snow. We've seen wildflowers along the roads in the gorge, but the roads are so narrow there's no place to photograph them. Larch Mountain was supposed to be our chance to photograph the wildflowers and see the 4 peaks that surround Portland. We've seen Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, and Mt. St. Helens. Larch Mountain would have added Mt. Rainier to our list.
After fighting the crowds Saturday afternoon in the gorge, we decided to skip Eagle Creek this afternoon. It's one of the most popular hikes in the gorge and would be packed on a weekend. We needed a change. We drove to Woodburn and shopped at the factory outlet stores. The main purpose was for Carol to look for a new North Face rain jacket. We bought lots of cool stuff, but finished the day without anything from North Face.
We took the "scenic route" back to camp and watched the Monk marathon on TV.
Previous Day
Return to Trip Page