With new transit service from Portland to Hood River, it’s possible, and even enjoyable to travel car-free to the little out-of-the-way town of Dufur, Oregon. Dufur is home to a three-story brick hotel, the Balch Hotel, a great place to spend some time. Geologic, cultural, immigrant, and transportation history abounds in the landscape between Hood River and Dufur along the Columbia River.