Not Quite Mt. St. Helens

This place was gorgeous. I'm so glad we changed plans and came here instead. I'm sure Mt. St. Helens would have been a terrific experience, but for a photo-obsessed girl, this was a complete playground. And seeing as how we don't really get the fall colors in Southern California, I was in heaven.

We crossed right under the railroad tracks and were faced with the tremendous falls and the historic lodge. The lodge was very cool and we ended up eating lunch there after working up an appetite climbing all the way to the top of the falls!

I took so many pictures, it got a little bit ridiculous. But I couldn't help myself!

We were fortunate to find another couple to take our pictures; they even had the same camera as me. I promise you Cowboy H is having a good time; trust me.

The hike up was stunning, well worth the 11+ switchbacks and 1 1/4 miles. It was cold and windy, but by the time we got to the top our jackets had to come off. The views over the Columbia River were incredible.

As we headed back down, I tried to get some close-up shots of the leaves, but it was so windy most of them came out like this:

I did manage to get one good one though.

These colors just kills me. I couldn't stop. We finally made it back to the bottom; Cowboy H had to take the camera away from me or we'd still be up there! However, he did let me get a few pictures from inside the lodge while we were eating our lunch. Check it out:

And don't forget: Mama H's Big Quiz #1 is still open! Get your answers in pronto, because I will be closing it tonight (Wednesday) at 8:00 pm PST and someone will be getting "Motley Crew" to hang on their wall (or stuff in the closet)!