Celebrating all American small town spirit. The independence day parade!

The spirit of small town America comes alive in our tiny town. You'd think we were way more than 25,000 people here... because we all come out, we all show up and we all celebrate together. The July 4 parade in Hood River, OR - celebrating our independence!

Go Doodle, go!

Speaking of Go, yes that's a GoPro... video coming soon.

Photo: (c) Blaine Franger, BlaineBethanyGallery.com

Doodle and our next door neighbor Kelsey and I - July 4, 2018 Hood River parade.                Photo: (c) Blaine Franger, BlaineBethanyGallery.com

Doodle, my surf dog son #4 in 2018.   Photo: (c) Blaine Franger, BlaineBethanyGallery.com

Howdy, my first surf dog and I at Dog Beach circa 1998.    Photo: (c) Barb Ayers, DogDiary.org

At SurfDogDiaries, our first parade was in 1991, with my first surf dog, Howdy, on a surfboard in the Ocean Beach Christmas parade... marching with the OB Geriatric Precision Surfboard Drill Team.

OB had/has a total small beach town vibe. 

Howdy and I marched in red, white and blue, supporting our home beach - Dog Beach in Ocean Beach, where we held events to fix up the beach, and started dog surfing.

And it became a tradition... from surf dog 1 (Howdy) to 2 (Elvis) to 3 (Dude) and then generation 4 (Doodle.) 

Everyone but Elvis was named after Howdy Doody, the #1 surf dog. Elvis was always just Elvis.

For a while, I had three dogs on board for parades and surfing (RIP - miss you basset sons and brothers.)

L to R: Doodle, Elvis, Dude. Hood River July 4 parade 2014.    Photo: (c) Barb Ayers, DogDiary.org

Dogs on parade continued after we moved to Oregon, where they redefine the term small town spirit. Our home beach changed from Ocean Beach's Dog Beach to Hood River's Dog River more than a decade ago.

Dude continued surfing, and doing parades, after he went blind. No biggie. Photo: (c) Barb Ayers, DogDiary.org

About celebrating independence.... and the spirit of adventure.... Oregon goes off. 

Ever heard of the Oregon Trail? Lewis & Clark? Pacific Crest Trail?

Celebrating life - together with neighbors and family and friends - is what parades are all about. 

And now that July 4 celebration has come and gone - you know what that means.... 

Welcome back SUMMER, old friend! 

- Barb n Doodle, DogDiary.org

Plunging waterfalls, craggy cliffs, salmon, eagles, vertical forests - our Columbia River Gorge

"Ice Age floods carved a wide river gorge through the Cascade Mountains, tearing through ancient volcanic rock and cresting at more than 700 feet high.

"After the floodwaters receded, they left behind a mighty river flanked by towering cliffs, its tributaries now flowing into dozens of towering waterfalls.

"The 75-mile Columbia River Gorge is easily one of the most spectacular, scenic stretches in the state of Oregon."    - The Oregonian

With these words, The Oregonian, just begins to capture the story of this magnificent place we call home.

Photo by Claire Griffin, Griffin House B&B

Check out their story today "10 natural wonders of the Columbia River Gorge."

It's our own Oregon, and national, treasure. The Columbia River National Scenic Area.

The Oregonian just published a book, Oregon's National Treasures - it's for pre-order sale now. It looks amazing.

Of course we love our Gorge the most - but there are many spectacular natural treasures here - the Oregon coast, Crater Lake, Mount Hood, Smith Rock, Painted Hills, Multnomah Falls. (Oh but we claim you Multnomah Falls and Mount Hood - your are our own.)

We're in this together.

Savor our state and support our hometown newspaper. Maybe even buy their book.

Dog Diary's Doodle. Deep thoughts on our front porch.  Photo: (c) Barb Ayers, Dog Diary.org