Multnomah Falls, Columbia River Gorge, Oregon

The thing about being a grown up who isn't living paycheck to paycheck is that I can now do things that I wouldn't have even dreamed of in my youth.  On a recent trip to Portland, my spouse and I woke up one morning, the only thing on the agenda being dinner reservations at six o'clock, and decided to rent a care and drive out to the Columbia River Gorge.
A waterfall as magnificent and memorable as any in the country is located just a 30- minute drive outside of Portland. Visiting Multnomah Falls, a 611-foot-tall roaring, awe-inspiring cascade of icy water, lets you experience the power and beauty of nature up close and with ease. From the parking area off of I-84, a 5-minute walk is all that separates you from the exhilarating spray at the base of the falls.
According to Native American lore, Multnomah Falls was created to win the heart of a young princess who wanted a hidden place to bathe. Although you can see the top portion of the falls from the highway, to view both tiers you have to walk to the viewing area located in a carved-out opening in the rock face. Tilting your head up in the narrow rocky confines of the steep cliffs, you get a mind-boggling perspective on the sheer magnitude of the falls.
  The Ranger Station is a little under powered with people who know what is and isn't open as a result of the fires last summer, so be patient if you go about exploring the sites around the falls, but it is a spectacularly beautiful site.