I visited Ramona Falls in the Mt. Hood National Forest earlier this week and hiked the loop to the falls and back. It’s a little over seven miles to hike, but it’s not very difficult. I was surprised to see as many people on the trail as I did on a weekday.
Some of the forest is healthy and pleasant to hike through, while other patches look like it either needs to be cleared or burned. There were plenty of large rocks or logs right on the side of the trail to sit and enjoy the forest on, so we could rest without trampling the plants. There were plenty of songbirds and we spotted a chipmunk. I entertained myself by reading some of the tracks and leavings.
Afterwards, we spent an evening in the clouds at Timberline Lodge. I didn’t take any pictures there, since my camera is old and doesn’t do low light conditions very well. It was warm and inviting as soon as we stepped through the doors, which was nice since the weather turned to cold, windy, and wet.
Timberline was restored to great detail, keeping its distinctive woodwork and metalwork. We ate at the Cascade Dining Room. The prices for the main courses were a bit expensive to my miserly inclinations, but that price was for a three-course meal that included an appetizer, a blueberry sorbet, and as much hot bread to smear with butter as you can stand. The food was very good and made me feel better about the bill. I felt a little silly about ordering the black-truffled burger with raclette cheese, because it’s a burger. However, it was thick, juicy, and there were plenty of black truffle shavings on it. I even liked the catsup. It took me a long while to finish off that burger. I was so full, but dammit, I was not going to let meat and truffles go to waste! If we wanted to spend less, we could have dined at the Ram’ s Head Bar on the floor above.
The room was comfortable with a soft bed and soft linens. A wool blanket waited for need at the foot of the bed. It’s definitely a place that will shine in the cold. On the desk, there was bottled water. Inside the desk, there were earplugs. There was also an advance apology explaining that when the place was built in the 30’s, soundproofing wasn’t a thing that was done. However, the room was quiet to ears that were used to apartment life. I could hear the muted toilet flush next door and I could hear the boiler, but I could sleep as easily as my issues with sleeping in new places would permit. We were even able to stream some video through the wi-fi, which was more than I expected. We just stayed in one of the queen rooms, so it wasn’t their best, even though it was still nice.
In the morning, we returned to the Cascade Dining Room for the breakfast buffet. Knowing that I had a trip to Mt. St. Helens ahead of me, I loaded up my plate with sausage, eggs, biscuits and gravy, a slice of a breakfast baguette, and grapes. There was also a generous cup of coffee and cream. I finally found a hotel breakfast that beat the amazing spread that I had at the Comfort Inn in Eureka, California. I would be glad I had such a hearty start to my morning. When we checked out, we found out that snow fell above the lodge. There was even a little chunkiness to the rain when we finally loaded up the car and left for the valley.
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