You may remember that our first tenting trip of 2015 too us yet again to Memaloose Oregon State Park in the Columbia River Gorge; it usually is always a nice hike however my foot has been bugging me so since that was out of the question why not sightsee…
I have heard many things about a supposed replica of Stonehenge in the Columbia River Gorge so this was the perfect opportunity since we were pretty much already half way there {from Portland that is}. We crossed the Columbia in The Dalles and from it there it was less than an hour to reach Maryhill Winery - our first stop. I honestly did not know what to expect. Yes, we have been wine tasting in Willamette Valley but never before in the Columbia River Gorge. Oh my what have we missed…
Maryhill Winery has a very nicely appointed large tasting room, the most amazing place however is the patio. There is a lovely, large patio with stunning views of the Columbia River Gorge, and Mount Hood. You could bring along a picnic {saw many people with that thought} order a bottle of wine and enjoy a lovely afternoon on the patio. Now let me also say, that the wine was quite delicious and we may have added a few bottles to our collection :)
Next stop - Stonehenge; now let me preface by telling you that we {as in Ron & I pre-kids} have been to actual Stonehenge. Stonehenge that is surrounded by green and seeing a fully intact replica in a dessert environment was - how can I say this correctly - a little surreal, but at the same time super cool. Samuel Hill built the replica of Stonehenge as a memorial for those fallen in World War I.
Our last stop was the Maryhill Museum of Art - let me admit that I did not have high expectation but was I wrong; we were blown away. Starting out with the amazing collection of pieces and drawings by Auguste Rodin to the amazing collection of American Indian Artifacts to the Théâtre de la Mode; oh and did I mention the girls favorite which which is collection of royal memorabilia from Queen Marie of Romania.
We stopped at the museum cafe for lunch and it was delicious; not only were they able to cater to our kids but the food was yummy. Ron and I shared a salad with local smoked salmon….
Good to know if you go
- Maryhill is about 90 miles or about 2 hours drive from Portland
- the weather is quite a bit warmer
- there are several vineyards along the route so be sure to have a dedicated driver
- pack a picnic and stop at Maryhill Winery
- have fun