Visitors enjoy a hot weekend in the Gorge as businesses are glad to see more activity

Click here for updates on this story

    CASCADE LOCKS, OR (KPTV) — Visitors in The Gorge spent the weekend soaking up the sun while also trying to stay cool.

Some of them enjoyed the first weekend back at Multnomah Falls since it reopened earlier in the week, including two visitors from Astoria who figured with so many people heading west to beat the heat, they’d head east.

“We definitely wanted to take a break from the chaos of the coast right now and come out and see something different,” Elizabeth Long said.

One couple from Salt Lake City said their Oregon work trip had been planned for a while, but they were hoping they’d be able get to the falls too.

“This was one of our bucket lists items to come see and so we were excited that the falls opened back up again so we could come and see the beauty,” Anna Conder said.

The Forest Service is limiting crowds, requiring face coverings and social distancing with just the viewing area open, no trails.

And with the sun shining in the Gorge, just up the highway, the Eastwind Drive-In in Cascade Locks proved to be a hot spot for a refreshing treat.

“We came over here so we could go to the river with our family and we had to stop and get an ice cream,” Edith Camargo and Lesley Cervantes said. “It’s really good, not too sweet and your puppy will love it.”

At the nearby Cascade Locks Ale House, owner Shelley James said there seems to be a little bit more activity in town, she’s seen boaters and hikers, after what’s been a tough and much slower summer from COVID-19.

“People are still I think a little bit afraid to go out a little bit, afraid to dine in at restaurants, we’re fortunate enough to have this great outdoor space so people are able to dine outside,” James said. “We’re definitely a tourist town and the summer’s where we make our money to make it through winter so it’s going to be a rough go, but we’ll manage.”

James said Labor Day weekend is usually her busiest weekend of the year, and with that just around the corner, she’s hoping there will be more nice weather and more customers too.

Please note: This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.