Bridge of the Gods Motel bad thru hiker incidents???

[Nak]

was reading here (about 1/2 down): http://www.emeraldlake.com/pctguide/pctcasc.html
Anyone know the deal? Just curious

[Dogwood]

I gorged on pizza from Salmon Row Pub(now the Pacific Crest Pub and Hostel) and camped right next to the Locks in Marine Park on the Columbia River. Back in 2008 anyway, the local authorities legally allowed, camping in the park. Got a shower somewhere but I'm not recalling where in the town of Cascade Locks right now. Perhaps, there are showers in Marine Park?

[Nak]

yea, that sounds like a pretty bad incident at the Bridge of the Gods Motel

[Malto]

I believe I stayed there in '11 and it was hiker adequate.

[Pedaling Fool]

I guess this is the part that the OP is referring to, but the way it's worded I'm not sure if it's the hikers or the Motel that are at fault; you can interpret it either way. And which one in that paragraph is it that they don't recommend

Excerpt:

"The second-choice motel, Bridge of the Gods Motel and RV Park (630 WaNaPa St., 541 374-8628) is just across the road and down the hill a block from the Best Western. This older facility, with '50s-era motor-court units and more contemporary attached rooms, has been the scene of a couple of bad thru-hiker incidents over the years. The older units, with kitchenettes, are the better value. There is a third motel further down the strip, the Econo Inn (400 WaNaPa St., 541 374-8628). We don't recommend it."

[Dogwood]

The one "negative" incident I do know about there, with no great surprise, involved the consumption of alcohol/intoxication. I can't say with 100% accuracy what the entire excerpt, " scene of a couple of bad thru-hiker incidents over the years" entails though. I know your just trying to get references but when it comes to staying at places on a hike I don't let anyone else's negative accounts TOTALLY determine my experiences. I've personally experienced so many contrary exceptions to negative accounts of places, events, people, towns, services, hitches, hostels, etc. This may sound boastful, but I think my generally appreciative attitude, consideration of others, willingness to drop the personal ego/pride, flexibility, and constant seeking of understanding is why 95 times out of 100 I have good experiences in things that others complain about.

Cascade Locks is a compact town. You practically walk through the main drag. It's pretty cool walking across the Bridge of the Gods. It's an open grate road surface so you can look down all the way to the river perhaps catching a ship on the water and seeming like you're hovering over it. I even got a little vertigo walking across it. Nice camping area only a few miles north of town too.

[Miner]

I stayed there in Sept of '09 for 3 nights due to coming in on the weekend of Labor Day and had to wait to be able to mail out my resupply boxes for Washington. I had no issues at all. The person in the office was friendly and the room was clean. I stayed in one of the kitchenettes which the person at the desk said was popular with hikers. Several other hikers stayed that weekend in other rooms and I heard of no problems.

[Miner]

Oh, I see that they also bashed the Char-burger. Everyone I know considered that the best place in town to eat. Don't forget to get a slice of huckleberry pie with huckleberry ice cream.

[Dogwood]

Hiking community drama? That 12 Tribes thread has turned into a fiasco of negative and unfounded insinuations. Bad news makes good news even among some hiking circles.

[Dogwood]

Now I want some huckleberry pie w/ huckleberry ice cream. Lots of delish huckleberries north of Cascade Locks in WA.

[SCRUB HIKER]

Almost everyone who stays overnight at Cascade Locks these days does so at Shrek's Swamp, a new-ish trail angel house. Not much reason to go anywhere else.

[samgriffin4]

I stayed in the little campground, really not sure what it was called, in 2011 for two nights. It was down the hill behind that little locally "famous" burger/milkshake joint off of the main drag. Right next to the river, as a point of reference.

I would recommend it to any hiker, free camping and quarter showers.

We stayed away from the PCT hostel/restaurant because of some rumors we had heard, though I'm not sure how well founded they were. Shrek's thing didn't exist yet as far as we knew.