All Aboard!

Thank goodness the town of Hood River, OR provided us with a Wal*Mart to spend the night in!  We haven't slept in a Wal*Mart parking lot since San Diego, CA & withdrawal symptoms were starting to set in.  The next morning we boarded the Mount Hood Railroad for an excursion to Parkdale, OR & to have lunch near the base of Mount Hood.  We then went on a wild goose chase to find the explosive Mount Saint Helen, but seeing that the volcano was nowhere to be found during our scenic drive into Washington State, we could think of no better substitute than fast food.

A look at Mount Hood from our upper dome car during the 4-hour trip from Hood River to Parkdale

The O'Babbitt's aboard the Mount Hood Railroad Train
We became fast friends with the lovely local couple who sat across from us...Don & Judy
were so sweet & by the end of our train ride, Babbitt thought what Don said was gospel

The O'Babbitt's in Parkdale, OR
We didn't think about packing lunch or booze for our train ride, which would have been smart,
but luckily we ended up having the amazing Huge Bean & Cheese Burrito at Solera Brewery

View of Mount Hood from our picnic table at Solera Brewery
Eating lunch in the shadows of this great mountain was unbelievable

Babbitt hanging from the back of the train on our way home from Parkdale
Once we found out this section of the train was open for viewing, we couldn't resist the fresh air

Babbitt outside of Burgerville in Woodland, WA
Since Babbitt is up to try any local burger we headed straight to the nearest Burgerville,
where the food is tasty, the prices are steep & Disney music is playing from the loudspeaker