A short drive away, some 20 miles, from Hood River and the Columbia River Gorge lies Lost Lake. The view of Mt. Hood, Oregon's tallest peak, from this beautiful alpine lake is magnificent. This one required some patience, though. The first day I visited Lost Lake I ran into a snowstorm in late May. There was no sign of the mountain. The next morning, I drove back up there but had to wait two hours for this image of the clearing storm, with clouds framing the snow-capped mountain.