Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Thursday, July 19, 2012
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
CHANGES, CHALLENGES AND PDX...
 |
| Portlandia |
One of the great things about vagabondage is the freedom to
change on a dime when the mood suits.
The other side of this equation is the pain in the ass it can be when
change is not of one’s choosing. Having
to deal with the dent in Dimples is one of those times. We cut our time in Hood River short by two
days, cancelled our next two weeks reservations and headed west to the nearest
Airstream dealer: Airstream Adventures Northwest in Portland. Once there the
damages were assessed and we were informed that it would take about a week and
a half to to get the replacement panel from Airstream and complete the repairs.
We also met the insurance adjuster. She
figured out how the dent occurred. Seems
the dent is the size of a handprint, which was probably caused when one of our
“neighbors” leaned onto the back edge of the roof. At this point we make arrangements to stay
for a week in the Portland Fairview RV Park. Dimples will go into the shop the
following Monday for 3 days. During that
time we will have to stay in a hotel. Oh well shit happens and we know that we
can make the best of things.
Foraging this week is a tad different. We still have some fruit and produce from the
Hood River and since we are in a major metropolitan area known for diversity,
we visit the Fubonn Market and Anzen Hiroshi where we stock up on sobo noodles,
unagi, and various other Japanese specialties for the pantry.
Our first night in town we are just not in the mood to think
about cooking so we dine at Wong’s King Chinese restaurant. We started with the
crab puffs and roasted duck and pork appetizer and added Special Chow Mien,
Spinach and Mushrooms and Sampan Clams. Each dish has unique seasoning and all
of the portions are generous. The only disappointment is the crab puffs. The won ton wrappers are heavy, tough and
ruin what could have been a savory treat. Even without these, we have leftovers
for the next few days. (Another reason
for limited foraging.) The dish of note is the Sampan Clams. These are plump and creamy; the sauce is
zesty and filled with peppers, onions and greens. These are just plain out of this world. In fact, we used the cold leftovers from this
dish to create a simple Asian salad. Just chopped up the clams and served them with
the sauce over cold sobo noodles the next day – delish!
 |
| Vista House at dawn |
We drive the historic Columbia River Highway and Scenic Waterfalls and spend an entire day hiking and photographing these wonders of
nature. While at the Vista House we see
a flyer for a photo shoot on Saturday at 5:00 AM with notable Pacific Northwest
photographer Gary Randall. This seems like a reason to get up before dawn. It
didn’t seem so reasonable once Saturday rolled around, but we did it anyway and
had a great time. After the shoot, we headed
back to Dimples and promptly took naps. ;o) |
| Artisan Spirits |
Saturday afternoon, we head to Portland’s Distillery Row. We pick up a passport for $20 which
covers the $5 tasting fee at five distilleries, a cider house and an urban
winery it also has maps, information and discounts for restaurants and other
businesses in the area. The House of Spirits is our first stop. We are
impressed with their Aviation Gin but we purchase a bottle of their Stillroom Series
Coffee Liqueur. Eastside Distillery tempted our pocketbook with two selections.
We originally made a pact to only buy one bottle per location, but we really
wanted the Burnside Bourbon, and they had just released the Portland Potato
Vodka that day and we couldn’t resist buying the third bottle off their shelves.
At New Deal Distillery we are also impressed with their gin selections however,
we pick up some Ginger Liqueur. Our last
stop is Vinn Distillery. There we meet
Michelle Ly. Her family has been making rice based spirits for over seven
generations. In addition to their two rice wines and rice vodka they make rice
based Baijiu. We first had Baijiu when we traveled to western China where one
night ended with pole dancing in an Ugyer disco. So we picked up a bottle of
Baijiu. Bottom line, we made it to four out of seven tasting rooms and came
back with five bottles of artisan spirits.
After sipping all of those spirits, we are feeling a tad
hungry so we head over to Cascade Brewing and Barrel House. There we try some sour ales and a lovely artisan
cheese and meat tray. The food is great, the bar comfortable and the bartender
is pleasant and informative. We have never heard of sour ale, it is
interesting, the best way we can describe it would be a wine-beer hybrid and
it’s definitely an acquired taste. Then we order a chicken quesadilla this time
accompanied by a Summer Solstice IPA, which is much more to our taste bud’s
liking.
 |
| Checking in |
Monday morning we drop Dimples off at Airstream Adventures
Northwest. Thanks to Progressive
Insurance, and our trip interruption coverage, we check into the Governor Hotel
in downtown Portland. We stay here for
two nights. (OK, you can all pull out your tiny violins here.) It is impossible
to say anything negative about this hotel.
It is perfectly located for walking or using any of Portland’s public
transportation systems to see the sights.
From the moment we pulled up it felt like we were hanging out with old
friends and this continued throughout our stay.
The building boasts a quiet elegance and our room is spacious and exceptionally
quiet. They have three floors of
meeting/banquet/ballrooms that have all been restored to their early
grandeur. We spend a good part of one
afternoon taking photos of the hotel’s common areas.
 |
| Food Carts |
Now foraging takes on a new dimension… Fortunately right
around the corner is one of the largest food cart pods in the city offering an
ethnic smorgasbord with everything from street tacos to foie gras. Dave and Dimples Portland travel tip: There is virtually no place to sit down to
enjoy these meals. So reserve a suite at the Governor. You will have a great place to sit and enjoy
your meals, and what you save on dining will more than cover the added expense
for the rooms.
 |
| Hom Yee Dinner |
After checking in, we grab a bite around the corner and set off to explore our new surroundings. We stop and get manicures and Pedicures at The Morrison Nail Studio. Their massage chairs are divine and we leave there polished and refreshed. After, we walk to Old China Town in search of hom
yu. Hom yu is a Cantonese dish of
steamed ground pork and salt fish. Chris grew up eating it at the Far East Café
in Los Angeles’ Little Tokyo and introduced it to me shortly after we first
met. Unfortunately, the Far East Café was
damaged and closed after the Northridge earthquake. Since then, for us, hom yu
has been almost impossible to find. (When we ask in a Cantonese restaurant,
they tell us that it smells too bad to serve.) Twenty years ago we found a
similar version called hom yee in Portland, but we can’t remember which restaurant. So this time we visit each Cantonese
restaurant until we find it. It is the
Fong Chong restaurant at NW Forth Ave. & NW Everett St. Hom yee is not on the menu, but we ask and the
server says it’s available. We order one
order with steamed rice and he suggests a stir-fry of ong choy garlic and
jalapenos. It is a real feast, and Chris
cannot stop smiling throughout the entire meal.
Tuesday we walk to the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry. It is a delightful walk and a
great opportunity to photograph the city architecture along the way. At the Museum we view and exhibit on natural
disasters, watch the planetarium show, Starry Nights Live and tour the WWII
Sub. On our way back we detour around
and visit Powells Book store and Stumptown Coffee Roasters where we pick up a
couple of pounds of Peru Cecovasa.
On our final evening downtown it seems appropriate to
indulge in a special dinner at Jakes Grill adjacent to the hotel. We started with cocktails and oysters on the
half shell. For entrees we choose the Seafood
Papperdelle Pasta and the Carlton Farms Double Cut Pork Chop, these are
accompanied by a flight of Pinot Noirs. Both dishes are fabulous. We finish off
with the House Made Salted Carmel Ice Cream. A great memorable meal in a classic
setting.
Wednesday we check
out of the Governor and check into The Sunnyside Hotel AKA the Ho-Jos in Clackamas. (The Governor is 100%
booked and we have no choice, at least we are closer to pick up Dimples on
Thursday morning.) We are in hotel
shock. But they say that every dark
cloud has those fancy linings, well they, (whoever they are) are right. Next
door to the hotel is Gustav’s an authentic German gastro pub. We order the Scotch Eggs and the Pork Cordon
Bleu. The food is hearty and reminiscent
of the Heidelberg Gasthauses we frequented in the early 1970’s. They also have
great bock beer on tap. The only
negative of this meal was the abundance of screaming toddlers and their parents
who do nothing to curb the decibels.
So tomorrow we pick
up Dimples and head east to Dayville, OR to check out fossils…
k
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
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.
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.
k
Monday, July 9, 2012
Friday, July 6, 2012
CRANBERRIES, KITES AND JAKE THE ALLIGATOR MAN
 |
| in the land of kites |
The not so positive, is everything else. Crowded doesn’t
even begin to describe this place. Someone in the past had the bright idea to
double the occupancy on the cheap. They split the sites and changed the
utilities to service 4 spots from one hook-up location. That leaves half of the visitors hooked up on
the wrong side, and it being a holiday week, only wrong side hookups are
available. Our view from the dining area is the ass of a huge diesel pusher and
the first must-do is to drive into town and purchase 20 additional feet of
sewer hose.
The park has Wi-Fi (available only in their micro trailer/clubhouse) and one evening, while checking e-mail and waiting for our
laundry to dry, we meet Sandy, who has just completed a three-month tour as a
docent at the Lewis & Clark Interpretive Center. She is a veritable wealth of information on
the history of the area and we are fascinated. Turns out she also spends time
in Yellowstone every year and gives us a lot of tips about the park. Then we discover that she will be staying in
the same campground where we are booked, this coming September. We look forward to seeing her again.
Foraging is pretty good here on the peninsula. We find really fresh (as in picked an hour
before) baby greens, a tasty loaf of banana bread, strawberries, raspberries,
black berries and fresh veggies at the Friday Farmers Market in Long Beach, fresh
roasted Sumatra beans from the Long Beach Coffee Roasters and more veggies and
some tasty BBQ sauce from Big Daddy’s at the Saturday Market in Ilwaco. Another week of fine dining on fresh regional
products and our taste buds are happy.
It rains on and off all week and we find that there is a lot
to do here both in and out of doors.
The town of Long Beach has an old fashioned feel with
hi-tech sensibilities. This is a walking beach community at the western end of
the Lewis and Clark Trail. Nineteen QR codes are posted throughout the town and
a quick scan with our QR reader app gives us information about historical sites
of interest. (Very Cool!)
 |
| Jake |
 |
| two headed calf |
 |
| Columbia Maritime Museum |
Of course, there are the other museums. In Astoria we visit the fascinating Columbia River Maritime Museum. We tour the Columbia Lightship;
learn about the economic importance of the river and the dangers of the bar
where the Columbia meets the Pacific.
There is also a current special exhibit of fifteenth through seventeenth
century maps that have never been seen outside of Europe.
 |
| cranberry bogs |
 |
| Japanese Kite |
We drive through Cape Disappointment State Park stopping to
view the incredible scenery.
On the first sunny day we pull out and unfold the Montague bikes. (finally) We ride for nine miles through the dunes along the discovery trail.
In Ilwaco harbor we chance upon an inspector checking for
clipped salmon and scanning sport fishermen’s catch. This is a nice follow up
of our visit to Trask Hatchery where we witnessed clipping and learned about data implants in hatchery salmon.
 |
| Painted Lady |
Also in Ilwaco, we stop at The Painted Lady Lavender Farm. This is a family affair. Daughter, Sherry Housley AKA The Butterfly Lady gives us an in-depth, guided tour of the edible gardens and quaint outbuildings created and decorated by her parents Dwight and Susan (the youngest seventy year old we have ever met) Wallace. Sherry also proudly points out the beautiful iron gates, fencing and furniture created by her brother. They invite us to come back in a week for a gypsy music concert, but unfortunately we will be leaving on July 5th.
 |
| this is one scary clown |
 |
| in the parade |
 |
| ka boom |
Now for the bad news... On our pre trip inspection, we discover a huge dent in the middle of the back, under the center running light. @%#&*$!!! So we call our insurance and notify them of the mystery dent. Looks like we’ll be doing more than sightseeing in the near future.
And so ends our sojourn along the pacific coast, now we make
a hard right turn and head east.
Click here for more Photos.
Click here for more Photos.
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)