Peach Beach WA

The drive down the Columbia River Gorge from Portland to just East of The Dalles is an explosion of beauty and nature.

I’d heard stories about life “on the gorge” but had no idea how captivating the Columbia River, sandwiched by high cliffs, could actually be. Thick forests of punctuated by outcroppings poking through the trees and cliffs lining the Columbia reminded me of the Rhine River in Germany.

Needless to say the gorge is one of our “must return” spots but  when we come back we’ll meander our way along stopping for a week about every 90 miles or so and take time to enjoy the sights.

Peach Beach RV Park sits along the Columbia River in south-central Washington just South of Goldendale, WA. It is a nice park with plenty of grass, trees, friendly staff and surrounded on two sides by orchards, the third by the Columbia River and the fourth by a Maryhill State Park.

Once Ilene and I got settled we drove up to Goldendale to see what there was to see and found a town filled with Victorian era homes and a main street straight out of an early American Western novel.

The next day we drove up the road to the Maryhill Museum of Art where we admired treasures from Queen Maria of Romania and Rodin statues and watercolors.

This crazy museum was once destined to become the home of Sam Hill the dreamer who hoped Maryhill would become a farming utopia along the Columbia. Once it became clear the climate in this part of Washington wasn’t conducive for his community his European friends convinced Sam to turn the home into an art museum.

We spent three hours exploring the artwork, taking photographs, and learning about the men and women behind this odd treasure in the middle of nowhere. We have to thank Sam Hill, who built the first paved road in the Pacific Northwest and would leave a legacy of roads and art in this remote spot on the Columbia.

Thirty miles West along the North side of the river is a little town called Bingen, WA. Bingen’s claim to fame is that it’s the home of Insitu, manufacturers of the Scan Eagle unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). The Scan Eagle was featured in the film Captain Phillips chasing Somali Pirates. Since it was a short drive we decided to go check it out.

Vineyards and wineries lined the way as we made the drive to Bingen. It seemed like we passed at least 8 wineries in the 30 miles we traveled. Why did we have to pick this week to lay off of alcohol? Oh well…

We found Bingen, nice little town, drove to Insitu’s headquarters, took a selfie and headed back to Goldendale for our anniversary dinner.

The Glass Onion is an eclectic restaurant located in a Victorian era home. Our appetizer consisted of toasted Italian bread, goat cheese, olives, dates, and garlic…OMG! The flavor celebration in my mouth was like I’d died and gone to heaven.

Ilene’s chicken salad was up to par, my jalapeño burger was worth the next day’s discomfort and the mixed drinks were superb! The only thing missing was a coffee and cigar…maybe some other day.

All said, Peach Beach was a great stop and one we just might have to stop in again…but for a bit longer.