Triple Falls at the Columbia Gorge
The original plan was to visit the Oneonta Gorge. I had seen several photos on Instagram and Facebook about it, but the path was closed due to fallen rocks.
The Triple Falls hike was a neighboring short hike. There was a thousand feet of elevation for the four-mile out-and-back trek to see a few small waterfalls.
We stopped by Horsetail Falls on our way to highway 84 and admired it closer up.
The Painted Hills
We didn’t expect to enjoy The Painted Hills as much as we did. We arrived mid-afternoon and happily admired the view for several hours.
The overcast skies changed the lighting of the colored landscape multiple times during our stay and we felt transported to another planet.
This One Time at Van Camp
We’ve been curious if we could successfully camp in our minivan. It would be more practical than setting up a tent for a single night stay at a site.
We learned a few lessons along the way but our van was a comfortable and economical way for us to get away for a weekend.
- We took out the middle seats and folded down the rear seats to create enough room for us to sleep.
- There was two layers of sleeping pads as our bed base and our sleeping bags made it comfortable to sleep in mid-30 degree nights.
- We used a sunshade and garbage bags to cover up all of the windows so we wouldn’t have to wake at sunrise.
- Most of our gear was moved to the front of the van when we slept and shuffled back to the trunk during the day.
We’ll have to do better research on camp sites next time. Our first night at Dufur, the camp site looked sufficient enough in the city park, but it was also next to the city’s water treatment center. Thankfully, the aroma wasn’t very strong at the far end of the park, where we housed.
I look forward to future van camping adventures, hopefully with a dash of astrophotography in the future.
Fancy Dinner with a View
Jenni had never been to the Portland City Grill, so continuing on new experiences for our anniversary, we splurged for a luxurious steak dinner. We enjoyed the early evening view of Portland all around us.
On the Way to Twenty
I couldn’t be thankful enough to be able to get away for a weekend with my best friend and amazing partner. We smiled a lot throughout the weekend as we shared memories from listening to Jenni’s nostalgic playlist.
Our shared interest in photography and videography helped us captured new memories to savor the beginning of another year of our happily ever after.
Thanks to God and our family to give us a chance to spend time together away from our normal responsibilities and routines. It helped us reconnect and remember all the great things we enjoy about each other and invest into our future together.