Daily Gnome: Design | Home | Family

  • about me
  • daily
  • home + projects
  • design
  • the fam
  • discoveries

Christmas Vacation in Hood River

January 11, 2012 by dailygnome 5 Comments

The day after Christmas we headed through The Gorge to spend a week in Hood River. We got an exceptional deal on a two bedroom loft atop Doppio Coffee Lounge and looked forward to some R&R: leisurely hikes along the CRH State Trail, wandering aimlessly along the downtown streets popping into boutiques and galleries, meeting up with friends on Mt. Hood for a few days of skiing, enjoying great restaurants and bonding as a family.

But the majority of that never happened. We got rained out. The mountain shut down mid-week due to lack of snow.

So instead of playing in parks, running down trails and experiencing the great outdoors the kids watched a lot of movies, played games, rode the elevator, and fought with one another. By the third day we were all going batty.

A welcome break came with trips to the coffeehouse for hot chocolate and coffee {and after being cooped up all day, the site of A Legendary Tantrum}

Then one morning there was a break in the rain. We headed down to Hood River Waterfront Park to burn off some energy and play. Climbing to the top of the rock wall:

Skipping rocks into the Columbia:

Unfortunately the break was brief and by Noon the rain returned. And when I say rain I mean pouring, nonstop downpour. By midweek we had tapped out trips to the book and toy store. Fortunately we discovered the local library, featuring an art station, a play area, and an OMSI exhibit. And our pdx library cards were valid for checking out books and DVDs!

But the best indoor discovery was WAAAM, two hangers full of the largest collections of still-flying antique aeroplanes and still-driving antique automobiles in the country. Carson was excited to stumble upon the Fabulous Hudson Hornet. Things started looking up.

By the weekend, the snow began falling! We raced up to the mountain bright and early and spent the day sledding down hills dodging small trees and avoiding the melting pond at the bottom. But it wasn’t raining and the kids weren’t whining.

Presenting Hadley’s Tiny Snowman Family:

Walking down a trail in search of the hill less traveled:

On Sunday we put the kids in ski school and spent the entire day on a nearly vacant mountain under bright blue skies, ending the week {and the start of the New Year} on a very good note:

Followed by aprés ski drinks at our favorite Hood River watering hole:

Happy New Year Friends!

Related Posts:

  • Bus Ride With GaGa
    Bus Ride With GaGa
  • Mt Hood Hike
    Mt Hood Hike
  • Kickin' Off The Big Three Five
  • Running and Relaxing in the Gorge
    Running and Relaxing in the Gorge

Filed Under: Family, Recreation, Travel

Comments

  1. bailey's place says

    January 11, 2012 at 7:28 am

    Happy New Year!. glad your vacation turned out well. Wow you were there all week… i guess for us we didn't leave until Thursday and probably was best since in Central Oregon it was also raining until Friday – when the snow came. 🙂

    Reply
  2. bailey's place says

    January 11, 2012 at 7:29 am

    btw – i love Hadleys little snowman family. so cute!

    Reply
  3. amy says

    January 11, 2012 at 5:45 pm

    Thanks amy – We were planning on coming home for New Years but didn't want to leave without skiing at least one day!

    Reply
  4. MaryJo says

    January 11, 2012 at 11:54 pm

    I love the little snowmen family! At least the place you were cooped up in looked pretty cool. Can you imagine if you were all stuck in one hotel room?

    Reply
  5. Portland Sunshine says

    January 16, 2012 at 4:39 am

    such cute pix! we dealt with the same holiday rain on the mountain! if you rally up for a ski day again soon, look for us! we are at summit with the kids pretty much every weekend. it is perfect with kids, so mellow.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

{ daily feed }

subscribe in a reader or email

Looking Back

My Filing Cabinet

{ daily quotes }

As long as you embrace struggle and mistakes, you can learn anything.
–Salman Kahn

Go confidently in the direction of your dreams. Live the life you've imagined.
– Henry David Thoreau

There are two lasting bequests we can give our children. One is roots. The other is wings.
– Hodding Carter, Jr.

{ daily chatter }

  • dailygnome on Portland Bungalow Remodel: Before and After Exterior
  • Gillian on Portland Bungalow Remodel: Before and After Exterior
  • dailygnome on 100 Things About Me
  • Sarah G. on 100 Things About Me

{ Daily Pics }

Daily Gnome | life. family. home | Website Design by SimplyFine Design