We left the Oregon coast and headed back east to explore the Columbia Gorge. Quick stop in Portland to exchange a defective camp pad at REI and to pick up VooDoo Donuts. My understanding is VooDoo started the whole cereal-topped and weird topping donut craze so it was a touristy must-do. VooDoo is not far from a mission and we were met by a panhandler standing square in the door as we exited. Savvy guy – good way to guilt-trip someone who’s just purchased designer donuts. Despite the hype, I think our hometown Hurts Donuts are better.
We had a lot on our plate so we didn’t linger in Portland. Some other trip. We headed out to the Columbia Gorge. It’s a beautiful drive with several waterfalls virtually next to the road. We hiked up past the bridge at Multnomah Falls. The drive through the Gorge is a testament to a sensitive engineer who made sure the natural attractions were easily accessible but didn’t destroy the surroundings in the process.
A couple of random things about Oregon:
No sales tax. At all. Guess their property taxes are high?
They pump your gas. After I tried to do it myself, I was told it’s the law and “it was probably to create more jobs”. But all they do is pump – you still have to clean your own windshield.