WIND, WINE AND WONDERFUL…

The Gourge

After discovering the dent in Dimples and filing a claim with our insurance, we drive in a pissed off mood east, our destination, White Salmon, Washington, just across the Columbia River from Hood River, Oregon, smack dab in the Columbia Gorge and a wink away from the Dalles. The scenery is breathtaking, weather is good and the drive fairly uneventful… well…there is one panicky moment of “oh shit” when we cross the micro narrow toll bridge over the river and a huge empty logging truck is headed from the opposite direction, but with inches to spare (and they were really tiny inches) we all make it across just fine. (Whew.)

We stay at Bridge RV Park and Campground. This is a gentrified park (grass and asphalt as opposed to pine needles and dirt) with a definite pride of ownership vibe. It is one of the cleaner parks that we visit so far. Lots of flowers, zippy Wi-Fi and from our lounge chairs, sitting under the awning, we can watch a pair of ospreys doing osprey things in their nest up the hill.  On our first day after setting up, we meet Jackie a fellow Airstreamer.  She and her husband Gary keep their 28ft International here during the summer.  Gary is an avid windsurfer and this is a perfect get away from their lives in Tacoma.  Jackie fills us in on the local what’s what. (Thank you Jackie!)

After a day of phone tag we finally make arrangements to take Dimples down to Airstream Adventures Northwest/Portland next Tuesday for an assessment by their service department and to meet the insurance adjuster.  Looks like we will be cutting our visit short here.  So we look at our list-o-stuff and prioritize.

Blueberries in Season

Foraging is always our first priority in a new location and this area offers adventures in foraging beyond anything we have encountered so far.  The term gorge in the gorge is a well-used catch phrase here.  Right up the road from the RV Park is Dickey Farms, selling fresh local produce, wines, cheeses and gourmet items. It’s also a feed store and garden center. You have to love the place where you can pick up a bale of Alfalfa and a bottle of Pinot Noir in one stop shopping.  The Hood River County Fruit Loop is a 35 mile 30 stop adventure winding through the Hood River Valley. Although we drive the entire loop we do not have the time to stop at each location but we try really hard. Our favorite stops are the Gorge Whitehouse, Grandma Mary’s Fruit, Packer Orchards and Bakery and Viento Wines.  A word about Viento wines; Owner/wine maker Rich Cushman creates some outstanding wines. We were especially impressed with his Pinot Noir’s and his Rieslings. Yes I said Rieslings.  Like many, we are not fans of the overly sweet Rieslings found here in America (we lived in Heidelberg, Germany in the early 1970’s and it pretty much spoiled us as far as Teutonic vintages are concerned.) The Viento Rieslings are true to form and a pleasant surprise.  His Pinot’s were equally impressive.  Overall we were so moved that we topped off Dimples’ 10-bottle “wine cellar” with six bottles of Viento wines.

Windsurfing

Hood River is a mecca for sports enthusiasts of all shapes and sizes. It claims to be the windsurfing capital of the world. Windsurfers, kiteboarders, kayakers and paddle boarders dominate the waterfront. In addition to water sports there is hiking, biking and shopping. (Yes, shopping is considered a sport in some circles.) Trendy shops and restaurants line the streets.  Everything appears to be clean and healthy, and even their mega supermarket Rosauers is like a giant health food store offering all local organic produce and specialty foods.

 Thirty miles to the north is the Maryhill Museum.  You know the phrase, “What the Sam Hill”?  Well there really was a Sam Hill and he left a legacy of the Maryhill Museum.  We actually visited the museum twice. First in the late afternoon to photograph the sculptures that dot the grounds and another full day viewing the current and ongoing exhibits including works by Rodin.

A few miles east of the Museum is the Maryhill Stonehenge, a full-size, astronomically-aligned replica of Stonehenge that Sam Hill created as a memorial to those that died in World War I.  Just West of the Museum is the Maryhill Winery.  We did not have time to visit the winery, but we did try some of their wines with lunch at Loie’s the Museum restaurant.

This area is magical and wonderful. But, after only five days we have to head back west to Portland.  Crossing the micro-narrow toll bridge we meet our old nemesis the logging truck.  This time he’s full and once again we slip by with tiny inches to spare.

More photos here.

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