Beacon Rock

On the day Tyler and Kate left, they had a really great, late afternoon flight which effectively gave us another whole day to do stuff.  I opted to take them on the "Fruit Loop" up to Mount Hood and then down Hood River to the Columbia River and then back to Portland.

We ended up spending more time than I expected at Timberline Lodge so we skipped my usual stop at White River and proceeded down to Beacon Rock on the Washington side, a hike that had been on my bucket list.  I actually found decent parking despite the place being packed and we started hiking.

The hike basically ascends a cliff on a series of catwalks which are a bit nerve-wracking, but absolutely stable.  The views for pretty much the whole hike are amazing.  Ironically, the view from the very top isn't that great, but still worth going all the way.  Because of all the switchbacks, it's not a difficult hike.

Anyway, we finished the hike and were ahead of schedule so we had enough time to visit an antique store in Camas, WA before heading to the airport and wrapping up the trip.