Champoeg State Heritage Area

Today we enjoyed a non-driving day and got around on foot and on our bikes. First we rode up to the Visitor's Center and walked through the 1860's Kitchen Garden - there were six volunteers and a park ranger working: weeding and trimming. We saw huge squash, really tall corn, a Shoofly bush, Cardoon (relative of the artichoke), and a huge hop arbor. 

Farmer Brad in front of the hop arbor

Then we cycled to the Butteville Store and Cafe, started in 1863. It has wood floors, delicious sandwiches and Tillimook ice-cream. We shared a piece of Marionberry pie with marionberry ice-cream - very tasty!

Across the Columbia River into Oregon

We drove across the high Lewis & Clark bridge from Washington into Oregon and were amazed at the hundreds of fishing boats anchored in the river below. A fellow at the gas station told Brad that they're catching 20 and 30 pound Chinook salmon, with a limit of one per day.

We wound our way down mainly country roads to Champoeg State Park on the Willamette river and found a campsite facing a meadow. We went for a bike ride on a path through the French prairie and alongside the river as the sun set.