Hood River Oregon

A few weeks ago we went on our first Cook family vacation in years! We often go home to Utah a lot and see them but this was different and special because we wanted to get away as a family for the last time before my little brother (not so little anymore) left on his mission. Obviously by the title we went to Oregon. We stayed in a beautiful vacation home overlooking the Columbia river in the Columbia river gorge. We had so many adventures while we were there I will try to document them without boring you to death:)

The first full day we got there we went on a really fun hike to a falls that I can't remember the name of, I think it was Wachoma falls or something. It was by far my favorite hike from the trip! It was just so green with moss covered trees everywhere! Isla loved the hiking and would say "hike, hike, hike" over and over again as we trekked up the path. Here are some pictures from that hike.

The next day we went to a riverside park and flew kites. Isla did not quiet get the concept but had fun chasing the many dogs we saw around the park yelling "ruff ruff" as she ran.

The following day after that was a rainy day but it was also the day we had planned to do multiple hikes and we did them anyway! We did three hikes that day the first was just an easy one right of the road, the famous Multnomah falls. The girls and the babies did half the hike and the boys continues on to the top.

Multnomah falls

The Cook siblings

The next hike was called bridal vale falls and then the hike after that was called ponytail falls. Did I mention I did all of this eight months pregnant! So much fun though. Isla was always so fascinated by the amazing waterfalls and so dang fun to hike with.

Ponytail falls. This one was unique because you could go behind it.

The next day we went into Portland and enjoyed some nice meals at restaurants and went to the Portland Zoo and Rose gardens. What a tiring yet fun day! The babies did well without their naps surprisingly!

Isla loves to smell flowers!

 One thing that Isla loved at the Zoo was the bear! It's kind of hard to see but I think the reason she liked it so much was because of how close she was able to get to it! She sat at that window with it for a good twenty minutes and it just kept pacing back and forth right in front of her.

The next day we went to Mount Hood, an inactive volcano and ski resort that you can ski at year round because of how high it is! We went to one of the lower resorts that offered a bunch of rides and activities and spent a few hours there.

After Mount Hood we headed down to a trout farm to catch us some dinner! This was definitely a highlight of the trip for the whole family. We are not such a fishing family so for a lot of us this was our first time. I wondered how Isla would do with a live fish but she was fascinated with the one she caught (with dad's help of coarse). As you can see from the picture below she really wanted to touch it and was not afraid at all! Such a brave girl.

After we all caught some fish we headed over to some grills that they have there and cooked 'em' up! They were delicious! This trout farm we went to was so cool. They provide the fishing equipment for you then once you have caught the fish they gut them for you as well. It was such a beautiful place and such a fun experience especially for the kiddo's.

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The next day the boys went river rafting and did a water hike while the girls stayed back and played at the house. Nice relaxing day for us!

The last night we BBQ'd with our amazing view and flew some kites again in the back yard. Such a perfect week!

This was our amazing view of the river from the house and our adorable little family.