Hiatus - Day 2

Day 2 was spent with my dad and brother celebrating a belated Father's Day. Pete and I headed over the river early so we could take dad out for brunch. Dad had suggested one place but when we go there it was closed (good thing, it looked like a dive). We headed off on the Washington side of the Columbia River gorge to check out the brunch at Skamania Lodge. We got there with plenty of time to enjoy the Champagne Brunch - highly recommended for anyone visiting the area! After we had stuffed ourselves we headed to the car to continue our adventure up the gorge, stopping to take a few pictures on the way.






Our trip involved going over the Hood River bridge which is barely wide enough for two cars and you have a to keep the speed to 25 mph. The first time over this bridge I was less than thrilled as we were following an RV going 15 mph, however, this time there was little traffic (and Pete behind the wheel) so we got over a little quicker. Here's our view from the bridge.





Once back on the Oregon side of the river we ventured on to Dufur, the city where my dad grew up and where the O'B's originally settled. (See blog for Evelyn for more information on the family's settlement) My aunt and uncle still live in Dufur and have taken on an Extreme Home Makeover of my Grandpa's home. The last few times I have been home we have made the 2 hour trek east to check on the status of the project. The biggest change from the trip we made over Christmas was that the kitchen has been completed and is very nice. The day we were there they were working on finishing the wood floors in the new addition. We did a quick tour of the town and got back on the road to the big city.

On our way home we were treated to a HUGE storm...heavy rain, thunder and lightening! It was pretty spectacular! We stopped at the outlet stores to check out a few stores (I was in desperate need of some navy shoes for work - mission accomplished). We were able to dodge the rain on our way from the car to the stores, but getting back into the car weren't so lucky.

We made it back to Vancouver and dropped dad off. Overall, a great day spent celebrating dad - even if it was a few weeks late.