WHERE ELSE BUT PORTLAND?

Yesterday, my wife Wendy and I decided to take a hike and enjoy some cool air. So, about noon, we set off on the short drive heading towards Mt. Hood and parked at the Mirror Lake turn-in about an hour and a half later. We grabbed a day pack with sandwiches and lemonade and hiked 1-1/2 miles to the lake, following a wide trail with a gentle upward grade.

There were very few people at the lake, so we grabbed a prime spot in the sun -- it gets much cooler at the altitude we were at -- and ate our lunch, staring at beautiful snow-covered Mt. Hood, which was only a few miles away.

After eating and relaxing for a bit, we debated hiking an extra 1-1/2 miles to Tom, Dick and Harry Mt., with a ridge with several volcanic buttes just above the lake. Since we only had sneakers not hiking boots on our feet, we decided against it, fearing that the sharp basaltic rocks would make fast work of our casual footwear.

We headed down on the trail to our vehicle, drove down to a small town at the bottom of the slope where there's a Dairy Queen, and enjoyed an ice cream cone each. Then we drove home, making it in about 90 minutes.

Is there any other major city in the U.S. where a person can do this? In a single half-day we left The Fulton House, took a relatively short drive, hiked a forest trail, lunched at a deep blue mountain lake, and then returned to a metropolitan area featuring dozens of great restaurants and entertainment venues.

The Fulton House has a terrific map collection, including many "Recreation Opportunity Guides" published by the U.S. Forest Service, which we're happy to loan you for your adventure with Mother Nature.