I like fun.

     I turned 33 last Friday. I always love a good birthday, but 33 seemed…well..anticlimactic. What I was looking forward to most was a fun day with Brent doing something in the sun. The anticlimactic nature of my mood perpetuated when I heard that the weather was supposed to be cool and cloudy on Friday.  I was forced to replace my daydreams about catching some rays on a river adventure with reading reviews and checking movie schedules.

     You can imagine my delight and surprise when I woke up on Friday to sunshine. YES! Temps weren’t going to be quite high enough for swimsuits, so we decided a good hike was in order. I’ve wanted to check out the waterfalls on Hwy 30 ever since my friend Jason Meketa posted pictures of Ponytail Falls on facebook earlier in the year. He described a fun hike that included a water fall that you could walk behind. I decided on this for my birthday adventure.
    

     The Historic Columbia River Highway was another black X on my “you’re a terrible Oregonian who doesn’t explore your state” record, so I was excited to remedy that. I’ve driven I-84 and marveled at the gorge and Multnomah Falls hundreds of time – and I can honestly say that even after hundreds of times both of those sites are still a marvel, but I’d never taken the time to drive the slow-paced Hwy 30 and see what there is to see beyond the freeway.

     It’s pretty amazing. We took the easy drive East on I84 from Portland to Exit 18 and curved up onto Crown Point Hwy. It’s a gorgeous scenic drive that leaves you wondering who’s lucky enough (and crazy enough) to live in such beauty. I looked longingly at the u-pick blueberry farm we passed, but we were on a mission. The first viewpoint we stopped at was Portland Women’s Forum. I’m still not sure where the name comes from, but it is majestic. This is the view that you see in so many iconic Columbia River Gorge photos. The word that comes to mind is: Wow. It was extra cool because there was a painting class happening while we were there. A group of artists were set up with their easels and brushes capturing one of the most beautiful sights in Oregon.   I took about a bazillion pictures and then we were on the road again. Next stop Vista House.
    

     Vista House is yet another sight I’ve zoomed by so many times without stopping to see. We found more incredible views, took more pictures and chatted with a friendly park ranger who gave us a map to the water falls. I honestly had no idea there were so many. We were in for a treat.

     During our adventure, we stopped at Latourell, Bridal Veil, Multnomah (we needed snacks) and Horsetail Falls. It was amazing. Many of these falls you can see from the highway with little or no hike required. I’d highly recommend spending an afternoon exploring. You can check out the photos I took in my August 2010 album on facebook.

     So –  Ponytail Falls. We parked at Horsetail Falls and took the .4 mile hike to see the Ponytail. It really does look like a ponytail and you really can walk behind the water. It’s cool and an easy hike because it’s short, but also is uphill switchbacks most of the way. I was definitely huffing and puffing, but the view is well worth it. You also get some pretty amazing glimpses of the Gorge from the trail (more photo opps). It’s not a girthy falls, it’s a relatively small shot of water that springs off the rock like a ponytail and cascades into a small pool that you can access with a short climb down. The trail hugs the rock wall that indents into a cave behind the falls and you can walk right through.  I’d do it again in a heartbeat, the experience was pretty spectacular.

     We set out on a birthday mission to walk behind a water fall and ended up with a really fun day filled with gorgeous scenery and some great memories. If you’ve visited any of these falls, or know of other fun hikes near PDX, let me know. We’re always looking for our next adventure.