The weather was extremely cooperative today. We departed from our RV spot for the last week in Seaside and headed out for points inland. We had two options. The shorter OR-26 route on skinny mountain roads that subsequently required a dreaded crosstown west-to-east drive on Portland city streets. Or the much longer route on OR-30 along the Columbia, into Washington at Kelso, down I-5 to the Oregon border, across the Columbia a second time and onto I-84 east of Portland. Our destination was up the side of Mount Hood, another stratovolcano east of and visible from Portland.
We chose the longer route and are happy about it. Even with the roundabout route, we were still required to exit the freeway and drive for a while on city streets in Gresham, a Portland suburb. The traffic signals in Gresham apparently use the same traffic flow program used in San Diego, namely that every car will be required to stop at every signal, even when no cars are driving on intersecting streets. We had ample time to see long sections of 182nd Avenue, Burnside St. and Powell St. before ultimately getting to OR-26 near Sandy, OR, where we turned east and escaped from the hellish, closely-spaced and always red traffic lights.
We started climbing out of the lowlands and up the side of Mount Hood for about 20 miles before pulling off at the Mount Hood Village RV Resort in the town of Welches. Due to our membership in Resort Parks International, we got to enjoy access to the park for $15 a night, a substantial discount from their lowest access fee of $55+ for ordinary mortals.
We were assigned a pretty good spot with full hookups, including cable TV. Unfortunately, there is no park-wide WiFi but we can probably go to a nearby McDonalds or public library for some internet access. By evening, the rain had started again but by that time, we were all set up and cozy inside the Barbarian Invader.
To see a Portland Mohawk light rail station, click the link. https://photos.app.goo.gl/eYnmPM4NbtkfznSo7