The folks were in town for the weekend on their way back to Sri Lanka, and we a really nice trip up the Gorge to Hood River. Stayed at the Hood River Hotel, right in the middle of town. Nice historic hotel, quite inexpensive, and had an excellent restaurant for breakfast and dinner. The first night was Hood River's monthly gallery/music thing, plus the Christmas parade and tree lighting, so we got to see a lot of the local flair.
I had been hoping we could drive up Timberline Lodge and really see the mountain, but floods have knocked out the road, so we ended up doing the Columbia Gorge Scenic Highway loop and all the waterfalls. It was cold, and the winds were pretty extreme in places, but it's a pretty drive any time of the year. Had to get the parents their beef quota while they were here (not a lot of beef in Sri Lanka), so lunch at the Charburger in Cascade Locks. Then some afternoon drinks at the Columbia Gorge Hotel, the other, grander hotel in Hood River. Excellent hotel lounge, with a huge fireplace, great view, and excellent waitstaff. Definitly worth a stop for a toddy on a cold winter's day.
Dinner the second night at Stonehedge Gardens, highly recommended. The restaurant is in an old farmhouse on top of a hill a bit out of town, with a garden that I could tell was gorgeous even at night under a few inches of crusty snow. A good cellar, and to Pitt's delight they actually had ginger ale so he got to have his whiskey and ginger. Highlight of my meal was the shitake curry soup, and the chevre and roasted garlic plate. Everyone else said what they had was excellent, too. It seems to be a favorite of the locals, and I can see why. I'd love to go again in the summer for dinner on the patio!
All in all, Hood River is a nice town to spend a couple days in. Aaron and I have already started talking about going again and taking the Mt. Hood Railway excursion train.