Oh I agree but my wallet doesn't - LOL. I moved here (Massachusetts) from there to finish grad school and am graduating a poor, broke college student in May. Until then, I will just have to rely on nice articles like yours and my photo album to keep me happy.
Some other neat parts of the Gorge - just outside the scenic area in The Dalles (that's one of the towns I used to live in) is the Discovery Center which is a hands-on museum for kids. And driving on the Oregon side is a different experience than driving on the Washington side - which is much high usually and offers an even better scenic view while the Oregon side has the historic highway and all the waterfalls - oh boy do I miss Multnomah Falls and the fish hatcheries. There is also a neat wildlife reserve on the Washington side with buffalo and zebra and a Carousel museum in downtown Hood River that is pretty awesome.
And thank you for also posting in your article about not overestimating yourself. I swear the only time I heard about the Gorge in the news is on this coast is when someone gets stranded on Mt. Hood or drives too far into the woods and gets lost. The land is beautiful, but very very wild and very very large and safety should be a prioritiy.
