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Fruit Loop Series LbNA #7810

Owner:Adoptable
Plant date:Apr 12, 2004
Location:
City:Hood River
County:Hood River
State:Oregon
Boxes:4
Planted by:Kokopelli
Found by: Lost Sailor
Last found:Jul 26, 2016
Status:FFFFFFFFFFFFF
Last edited:Apr 12, 2004
The Hood River valley is such a beautiful valley to take a drive through, and what a great excuse to come, but for to hunt these four letterboxes!! Grab any opportunity to spend an afternoon taking in this beautiful valley.

Take I-84 east or west to exit 64 that will put you smack dab at the beginning of the “Fruit Loop” scenic drive around the valley (Highway 35 south). Be sure to stop at any local merchant, gas station or Chamber of Commerce and pick up a “Fruit Loop” map that highlights the route you’ll be traveling to find these boxes.

Box #1 – Panorama Point
Travel south on Highway 35 to Eastside Road (first road to your left, going up the hill). Turn left and follow the road up the side of the hill, enjoying nearby Sheppard’s orchards and watching the view improve with the elevation gain. Continue south at the first junction until you reach Hood River’s Panorama Point Park. Turn right and travel up to the top of the loop, park and marvel at the view of the awesome Hood River Valley and Mt. Hood!!! The surrounding pine trees have grown since the last time I was up here and they now block part of the view.

Walk up to the vista house (where the view improves) and find the contributor plaque. Count the number of memorial plantings and the number of contributors. Save these numbers for later. Walk back down to the parking area and head over to where the sign pointing to Mt. Hood stands. Make a note of Mt. Hood’s elevation. Using your compass, find a forked pine above the lower paved road at 190 degrees. Walk northwest through the parking lot to the set of stairs that takes you down to the lower road. Find the forked pine beside the juniper hedge. Now it’s time to do some math. Take the elevation of Mt. Hood and divide it by the sum of the contributors and memorials. Take that quotient and divide again by the same number. That’s the number of steps past the forked pine to take before turning to your left and looking uphill to the Mt. Hood sign above. Now squat down and peer beneath the juniper hedge. Your treasure is hidden under a pretty conspicuous mound of rocks.

Head back out and turn right onto Eastside Road. Continue south to the little community of Pine Grove. At the Pine Grove Schoolhouse, the road will fork. Veer to the right (west) where you’ll continue around Walton butte to the Van Horn area. Be sure to stop in at The Fruit Company (#20 on the Fruit Loop map). Continue west to the intersection that will put you back on Highway 35. Turn left and continue your journey south!

** BOX #2 IS CURRENTLY MISSING AND IN THE PROCESS OF BEING REPLACED. SORRY FOR THE INCONVENIENCE, BUT CONTINUE ON, BY ALL MEANS!!**

From here you’ll travel south to the community of Mt. Hood. The view of the mountain is spectacular and you’ll surely want to stop somewhere for a picture!! At the Mt. Hood Country Store (straight ahead on the right) and Mt. Hood Towne Hall (on your left), you’ll want to bear right, following your Fruit Loop map to Baseline Road and downtown Parkdale. Stop in at the Eliot Glacier Brewery and Pub, if it’s open, for one of their excellent microbrews.

Box #3 – Apple Blossom Eluder...
Continue west on Baseline Drive through the quaint town of Parkdale. On the west side of town you’ll see McIsaac’s market on the right and the Little League Baseball field on the left. Straight ahead, at a fork in the road, is the Parkdale Bicentennial Gardens, smack dab in the middle of a three road intersection. Park anywhere along the road that’s safe and walk into the gardens. Different organizations and families maintain plots in this garden and each one is marked. From the flagpole, find the “Sydney – Grace BARBSON” plot. Standing in front of their marker, turn to your right and follow the prickly hedge ten steps west. Sneak around the backside of the hedge, looking for a red-skinned warrior protecting the precious blossom.

Continue on your journey by following the route north on Dee Highway back towards Hood River. You’ve circled quite a bit of the Hood River valley and I hope you’re enjoying the beauty all around!

Box #4 – Little Lost Logo...
Traveling north on Dee Highway and just before crossing Tucker Bridge, you’ll come to #4 on the Fruit Loop map, the Apple Valley Country Store. This place is my favorite spot along the Fruit Loop. What a great little spot, close to the Hood River, a selection of great canned jams, jellies and pie fillings as well as pre-made pies you can take home. I’ve tried their Huckleberry shakes and they’re excellent!!! Grab a parking spot, pop into the store, grab a sweet snack and cop a squat at a picnic table and just take in the day!!

Take a stroll towards Tucker Bridge and find the trail that leads down to the river and under the bridge. This is a popular “take-out” spot for kayakers catching a ride down the river. Follow the path up to the other side of the road, to a fork at the caged conical steel sentry. Follow the path to the right to a rocky edge. Continue left over the short, rocky ledge and pickup the path again to a great viewpoint of the river. The trail more-or-less ends here, but look slightly behind you and to the left to find a long deceased giant, retired comfortably with some large rocks at its feet. See the baby flatrock? It’s selfishly hiding your prize!!

Back on the road, over Tucker Bridge, heading north and onward to your final find. The road has changed to Tucker Road now.

Box #5 – Teed-off at Hood River Golf...
Climb Tucker Road (aka Davidson Hill), then go left onto Portland Drive. Checking out more orchards, turn right onto Country Club Road. You’re now in the Oak Grove area. Continue north on Country Club Road until you reach the Hood River Golf Course. If you enjoy golf, you can grab a quick nine holes here and enjoy the awesome view of Mt. Hood. There’s a back nine that’s much more difficult and truly requires a golf-cart. It’s beautiful back there, but it does take some time.

Park in the course’s parking lot. The Clubhouse Restaurant is a great place for a beer or glass of wine, or even a delicious lunch or dinner. When it’s nice outside, dining outside can’t be beat!! Take a stroll back down the drive that brought you in. Notice the pond on the left? Keep going until you notice a teeing green and water fountain just past the pond. Skirt the tee-off area if there are folks teeing-off and grab the path that crosses the pond’s outlet. Just to the left is a handy-dandy, secluded, cedar “gazebo” that will keep you inconspicuous. Go ahead and creep inside!! Watch your head here. I whapped my head pretty good, paying too much attention to what was on the ground instead of what was in front of me!! At the base of one of the gazebo’s main legs, is the prize!! Congratulations!!

Continue north on Country Club Road (being sure to catch the left turn that’s about 1-1/2 miles down the road from the golf course) until you get back into the west side of Hood River. From here you can turn right, back into Hood River, or turn left and skim back onto Interstate 84 east or westbound.