ELLEA, Monday, November 3, 2008, sightseeing with Lamont in his new-to-him Volvo stationwagon

Our plans for Monday included eating brunch at Bijou Cafe, joined by Lamont who would meet us there. We rode the #17 bus. Don't Lucy and Edna (Mama) look like veteran mass-transit-users?

We got our first look at the new bicycle parking spaces in front of the Bijou.

I love this photo of them, at our table at the Bijou.

Knowing how delicious it is, I got the goat cheddar cheese, bacon, and green onion omelet. It comes with potatoes and toast--but I gave the toast to Lamont and got a buttermilk pancake on the side. Plus I had a glass of fresh-squeezed orange juice, truly the nectar of the gods. Mama and Lucy split a short order of pancakes and a side of bacon. I cannot remember what Lamont got, but I do remember that he cleaned his plate.


After devouring our scrumptious food, we walked a block to Lamont's car so that he could serve as our transportation and tour guide for the day. Our plan was to head for the Columbia River Gorge, east of Portland, with as many stops as possible where sights could be seen from the car. Typical rainy weather plus the physical stamina of Lucy and Mama set the parameters for us. As you'll see, though, they got out of the car a few times and kindly posed for photos.

The entire drive to our first stop, the Vista House, brought us one glorious autumn sight after another. I couldn't get any shots, though, because we were going too fast on the interstate. Here are several shots I took once I got out of the car at the Vista House, standing upright despite the strong, buffeting winds.
This photo faces east and a bit south, I think.

There in the mist you can get a glimpse of the Columbia River--to the far left is Washington state. The gray streak bordered by autumn-colored trees is I-84.

I got a bit of the Vista House in this photo, as well as the roadway that Lamont drove on to get us up to the 733-foot summit known as Crown Point. This was the third visit for Mama and me, but it was our first time to come from that direction. I found it much less scary to approach that height on the Historic Columbia River Highway. That's the way we came, once we had exited I-84 at Troutdale, Oregon. The white specks in the trees are actually fence posts along the shoulder of the highway. For those of you who are history/info buffs, the two links make for rewarding clicks.

It didn't take us long to realize we'd be much better off inside the warm, dry car, so we continued on the Historic Columbia River Highway to our next stop, Wahkeena Falls. Here are a few photos of the scenes we saw.

I took these photos through the windshield, as Lamont continued to drive.

Lucy and Edna (Mama) stand on the sidewalk beside Wahkeena Falls. Mama took one look at this photo and said, "That wind at Vista House blew my hair inside out!"

Lamont points to the top of the falls, just visible through the trees that have lost lots of their leaves.

Here's the first VW bus of the day--we ended up seeing seven or eight, I can't remember for sure.

I had to squat down to get this photo, and I still couldn't get the entire falls and its creek-like-self in the same photo.

Here's the part that's closest to the sidewalk.

The sound was wonderful!

I like this close-up of water pouring over one of the rocks.

Across the road, the water continues to rush.

Half a mile from Wahkeena Falls, we stopped at Multnomah Falls.

Mama took her glasses off to keep them dry--the sprinkling rain continued to fall.

More beautiful scenery followed, as we drove towards I-84 and the Bonneville Dam, our next planned stop.

What an astounding road to travel this must have been for folks in Model Ts!

Once we got back onto I-84, we passed a follow car. The decals in the back window, lower left corner, provided a good clue as to what the oversize load was, just ahead on a flatbed truck.

I think it's part of a wind turbine base, no doubt.

Once we got to the Bonneville Lock and Dam, we stopped for a few photos. Aren't these trees gorgeous?

Here's the powerhouse, on the Oregon side of the dam and the river.

I-84 is elevated, with the beautiful trees behind it and the low clouds overhead. Come to think of it, I don't know the height of those mountains, so I don't really know if it's correct to call those low clouds or if they're mists of fog, or what. Pretty neat looking, though.

Here's the spillway, on the northern side of the river, the Washington side.

When I got out of the car to take the previous few photos, I saw an odd-shaped structure and a narrow rose garden. Naturally, I had to go for a closer look. Here's the odd-shaped structure.

And here's some posted info about it.

Only two rose bushes still had pretty blooms on them, first the creamy white Garden Party and then the soft yellow Summer Sunshine.



We continued east on I-84, towards Hood River, Oregon, where we planned to go south on 35, eventually connecting to 26 so that we could go west, back towards Portland and home. I like this shot of a short tunnel we encountered.

Another pretty vista.

And another one.

The last time I saw this row of trees on Highway 35 was last October, when Mama, Marsha and I made the Hood River Fruit Loop Tour. I was driving then and couldn't get a photo.

We three women were awestruck at the brilliant red tree on the east side of the highway. I took this photo out Lamont's driver-side window, and I'm pleased with how it came out.

Wish I knew what sort of orchard this is.

I don't know what's made so many evergreens turn this yellow. But I doubt that it's good.

Here you have two photos of a Runaway Truck Ramp, quite a scary sight!


Here's another one of the VW buses that we saw on Monday. We're on Highway 26 now, not too far from home. Lamont got us there safe and sound, in plenty of time to rest up for "Dancing With the Stars." Love that paso doble team dance!

ELLEA--Edna, Lucy, and Lynette's Excellent Adventure, #2

Sunday evening we ate dinner at 3 Doors Down Cafe, where my older son Lamont is sous chef and my younger son Leland used to be a prep and line cook. Y'all know, if you follow my blog, just how outstanding the food is there. And I have to say that I'd believe the same exact thing even if I didn't have a familial connection to it.

In the photo, left to right, there's Lucy, Lamont, Mama (Edna), Leland, and Kailey (Leland's girlfriend). Of course the other L of ELLEA is me, and I took the photo!


Here's the appetizer Lamont made for us, with the chanterelle mushrooms he picked last week, butternut squash, Brussels sprouts, and fresh-made-by-Lamont pappardelle pasta. As you can tell, we were so hungry that we started serving before I remembered to take a photo! In a very few moments, it was gone.

Several of us had the salad of romaine leaves with classic caesar dressing (which they make there at 3DD), sprinkled with grated hard cheese and served with herb croutons.

Mama and Lucy shared the meatballs and buccatini with a hearty tomato sauce--I didn't take a photo of them.

Kailey had the parmesan risotto with chanterelles, celery root, and butternut squash.

Leland had the grilled carlton pork loin, with roasted pears, celery root, delicata squash and mashed potatoes, and a wonderful slice of oven-roasted cippolini onion.

I had the pan roasted blue marlin with chanterelles, leeks, pancetta, and creamy lentils.

To go with my entree, I ordered the New Fangled Old Fashioned, a drink I first had on Halloween night when I rode the bus over to 3DD after work--nope, it wasn't another cheesecake run, just a chance to relax over good food and drink. That night I told Chucker, the bartender, that if you were ill, that drink could heal you. It's made with house-made dried maraschino cherries, muddled with fresh orange slices, Bulleit Bourbon, Angostura bitters and cherry syrup. He told me that the cherry syrup is house-made, too.

For dessert, Kailey got a piece of banana cream pie, Mama and Lucy shared bread pudding, and, lo and behold, Lamont sent me a piece of cheesecake, I didn't even know that there was cheesecake in the house!

All in all, each of us had a memorable end to a great day. Lucy and Mama had spent hours and hours playing a card game that they love, called Hand and Foot. Lucy explained to Kailey that it's a sort of double canasta. I had spent hours and hours with NASCAR on the Speed Channel and then on ABC, sitting on the couch, working with photos for Flickr and Walgreens, the two places where I store them. We got a good night's sleep and spent today being chauffeured around the Columbia River Gorge and the bottom of Mt. Hood by Lamont. Pictures to come, I promise, 'cause I took a whole lot!