Columbia Gorge Hotel, Hood River, Oregon

Columbia Gorge Hotel
Hood River Oregon

The historic Columbia Gorge Hotel is located about an hour from Portland in Hood River, just off the Columbia River Highway / Scenic Byway / Interstate 84.

One of the west's most historic hotels, the Columbia Gorge Hotel was built about 1915 and restored to historic splendor around 1960 after a stint as a retirement home. The hotel is perched atop the cliffs overlooking the Gorge with a 200 foot waterfall just below. The landscaping here is spectacular making it a favorite place for elegant weddings.

Notables who have stayed here include Presidents Roosevelt (FDR) Grover Cleveland.

Frenchglen Hotel, Oregon

Southeastern Oregon is one of the American West's most wide open expanses of rangelands, forests, and high desert. Here, the counties are larger than many Eastern US states. Harney County, for example, is bigger than Connecticut.

Southeastern Oregon has only two cities with much of a population - Burns and Lakeview. Both offer the charm you find from a sparsely populated area where the folks in the cowboy hats are usually ... working cowboys and cowgirls.

About 60 miles south of Burns in the tiny town of Frenchglen is a treasure of the Oregon State Parks system - Frenchglen hotel. The rooms are not glamourous but are comfortable and historic. The meals - served family style at large tables - are delicious and harken back to the day when the journey itself was a more important part of the travel experience as it took days or even weeks to travel to final destinations.

Frenchglen Hotel (Part of Oregon's State Park System but run by a private concession)