Hood River county is famous for its Fruit Loop Tour. It's a 35 mile scenic drive through orchards, farms, forests, and friendly communities. There are 30 farms listed in the 2013 Fruit Loop Tour brochure. We did not stop at all 30 farms, but we did stop at a few. And we certainly enjoyed the scenic touring through the countryside.
Our first stop was Smiley's.... our main reason for stopping was to buy some apple cider.
As you can see we found some and immediately began to enjoy it!
Next stop was Rasmussens.
We spent a little time perfecting our pumpkin bowling skills.
I loved these colorful chairs all lined up... they just kind of beg you to sit and rest awhile.
Hood River and the surrounding countryside is beautiful and the leaves were starting to change. The colors were quite lovely. This is Mount Adams. Check out all that snow!
These pictures make my heart happy... Mount Adams is in the background.
This is Mount Hood... or as my kiddies call it Mountain Hood.
Next stop was Draper Girls. They had lots of neat stuff for the kids to see.
They had a corn maze and pumpkin patch for the kids to tromp through.
As well as several different animals to observe.
And they had quite a selection of fruit and veggies.
They also had some amazing cherry cider. It cost a small fortune, but was quite tasty and we enjoyed every last drop.
And then it was on to Kiyokawa Orchard. This is one of the oldest orchards in the valley.
These were some of the biggest apples I have ever seen. Ginormous!
They also had a 570 pound pumpkin.
The drive was fun and the fall colors were beautiful.
We went up to an overlook where you can view the valley. As far as the eye can see it's orchards and vineyards. (The evening was somewhat hazy so my pictures aren't super clear.)
Here is our last look at Mount Hood before we turned around and headed home.
This was an adventure that sends you home with a 'happy heart' because of all the beauty you have observed and explored.
