Day 17
Thursday, October 12, 2006
It was a little warmer last night and woke up to 41 degrees this morning. The sun is full on and we are heading for Maryhill on the Columbia River. It's just a short three hour drive which will be a nice break from some of the long drives we've had lately.
The road from Bend to the Columbia River is a really nice and scenic two lane road.
Eastern Oregon
The rolling golden hills and mountain views in the distance are really pretty this time of year. There appears to be a lot of field burning going on and that distorts the view a little bit.
There were a few little towns that we went through that we'd like to go back a visit when we have more time.
We arrived at Maryhill State Park and got a spot along the river.
Maryhill State Park on the Columbia River
Last year when we were here there was only one campsite available and that was way in the back away from the river.
It was 73 degrees and no wind. They do a lot of world class wind surfing in this area but not this weekend.
Once we got the trailer set up we headed for Maryhill winery.
A new load of grapes ready to be made into wine
It's a nice little winery just five miles west of the campground. They grow some of their grapes but import a lot of them from the Columbia River Basin Growers Association. After tasting several different wines I settled on a 2003 Cabernet Sauvignon.
Outdoor Wine Tasting Area
We sat on their deck overlooking the Columbia River and enjoyed a glass of wine and orange pop.
Some other sites in the area to see is the Maryhill museum and Stonehenge, both of which we've seen before. If you've never seen them you should make a point of it when you are in the area.
We went back to the campground and spent some quiet time just watching the river go by.
River tug pushing a barge down the river
After dinner we watched the sun go down and hit the hay.
Sunset on the hills across the Columbia River
The night lights of Biggs reflecting on the Columbia River
The lights of Biggs, Oregon reflecting on the river caught our eye and just had to take one more picture for the day.
