Hey Folks,


Another newbie-ish question . . .


I'll be visiting a friend in Portland, OR for a long weekend at the end of July and, and though the primary agenda will be hiking in the Columbia River Gorge by day and drinking craft brewed beer by night, I would like to wedge in as much photography as my non-picture-taking friend will put up with, so I'll be travelling with my 40D and 17-55 f/2.8.


For those who know the area, I know we'll be tackling either Larch Mountain or Mount Defiance (or possibly both), and we'll almost certainly be at the summit smack in the middle of the day.


I guess I have two questions:


1) recommended places in Portland or the gorge for interesting shooting?


2) if I were to take one other lens and maybe a monopod, what would you recommend? (as we're talking 10-16 mile day hikes, weight is an issue)


In the meantime, I've been practiciing my flower and waterfall photography near home.