Insider's Guide to the Gorge

Wineries Worth Visiting in the Gorge

Fri, 25 May 2012 07:00:00 -0700

Photo: Courtesy Arthur Yeo

Maryhill Winery near Goldendale specializes in syrahs and zinfandels … and great views.

SUNSHINE MILL
The Dalles; sunshinemill.com
Don’t worry if the eclectic interior of this former flour mill—chandeliers hanging from a 100-year-old pulley system and bar stools crafted out of wine barrels—leaves you with your mouth hanging open. Tasting room pourers will soon fill it with sips of The Dalles winery Quenett’s chardonnays, pinot gris, and fruit-forward reds. The Dalles natives James and Molli Martin began renovating the 1908 mill (where flour for Cheez-Its was once milled) in 2009 into a tasting room for Quenett and a bottling facility for the couple’s single-serving wines they call Copa Di Vino. Enjoy a glass of either as you marvel over the restored mill, or delight in a game of bocce ball just outside.

MARYHILL WINERY
Goldendale; maryhillwinery.com
Drink in what may well be one of our favorite views of the Gorge, along with award-winning syrahs and zinfandels, at Washington’s Maryhill Winery. Perched on the eastern edge of the national scenic area, just 13 miles south of Goldendale, Maryhill’s tasting room looks out on a wide, flat Columbia carving its way through sunburnt stone, and a 4,000-person amphitheater where the winery hosts summer concerts by the likes of Chris Isaak, Alison Krauss, and Earth, Wind, and Fire (tickets available online). And this month, Maryhill debuts yet another spot to savor the view with its new reserve tasting room.

PHELPS CREEK VINEYARDS
Hood River; phelpscreekvineyards.com
Nothing improves your golf game—or at least your temperament—like a good wine tasting session. Nestled right next to the Hood River Golf Course’s clubhouse, Phelps Creek’s tiny tasting room is the prime place to test this theory. Owner Bob Morus planted the first of his 30 acres in 1990, collaborating with a Hood River winemaker and a fourth-generation vigneron from Burgundy to produce solid representations of that region’s Old World pinots. The 2009 Cuvée Alexandrine pinot is a pleasant surprise among a sea of excellent chardonnays, and the lively tasting room banter (often improved by stories from the owner himself)—well, that’s just par for the course.

SYNCLINE WINERY
Lyle; synclinewine.com
Climb north from the Columbia River into the golden, windswept hills of Lyle, and you’ll find an idyllic piece of farmland. This is Syncline Winery, where the rustic tasting room and the adjacent vineyards might just be the best picnic spot in the Gorge. Owners James and Poppie Mantone focus on Rhône wines like syrah, roussanne, and viognier, while mixing in rarer finds like the spicy, Old World–style mourvèdre, and produce some of the region’s most critically acclaimed bottles. You’ll want to snag at least one for your picnic.

THE GORGE WHITE HOUSE
Hood River;? thegorgewhitehouse.com
Consider this stately 1910 Dutch Colonial house a one-stop shop for all things Gorge. Longtime residents Camille Hukari and Jerry Tausend converted their appropriately named “White House”—set on 31 acres of U-cut flower fields and pear and heirloom apple orchards—into a Gorge wine-tasting hub six years ago. The couple pours tastes from 40 of the region’s wineries and sips from two of its microbreweries amid a veritable Gorge art gallery brimming with local painters’ and photographers’ work. If you’re still hankering for more vino after circumnavigating the sprawling property, head around back and check out the tasting room serving exclusively Viento wines. Consider it dessert.

AVA Basics

Image: Kate Madden

The specific flavors of our country’s officially designated grape growing regions—American Viticultural Areas (AVAs)—can be elusive, especially when discerning differences between the two AVAs flanking the unrelenting geography of the Columbia River Gorge. We offer a quick primer.

Columbia Gorge AVA
Established in 2004, this youthful AVA includes 300 square miles stretching from Hood River to The Dalles, straddling the windswept Columbia River in both Washington and Oregon. As the river travels this corridor from east to west, the landscape shifts dramatically: the dry heat of the eastern desert (10 inches of annual rainfall) rapidly transforms into a cool maritime climate (40 inches of annual rainfall). Given all that variety, the more than 20 wineries in this AVA essentially enjoy microclimates of their very own, and grapes of just about every varietal—including zinfandel, pinot noir, and syrah—can be grown.

Columbia Valley AVA
Compared to its pint-size neighbor, the Columbia Valley AVA is a behemoth at almost 17,000 square miles. Myriad vineyards populate this vast swath of land that spills over into Oregon between The Dalles and Milton-Freewater and reaches north all the way past Lake Chelan, among them renowned Charles Smith, Quilceda Creek, and Pedestal. Established in 1984, it’s Washington’s largest viticultural region, with an annual rainfall of about six to eight inches and largely south-facing slopes, which means you’ll find plenty of fruit-forward Riesling, merlot, chardonnay, and cabernet sauvignon here.

Adventure in the Gorge

Fri, 25 May 2012 07:00:00 -0700

Photo: Courtesy Columbia Gorge Teen Camps

Columbia Gorge Teen Adventure Camps

A look at the economic impact of adventure sports and tourism on the Columbia River Gorge

By Sara Gates

$63.3 Million
Tourism dollars spent in Hood River County in 2009

43
Hotels and bed-and-breakfasts in Hood River

3 Mil
Approximate visitors to Multnomah Falls in 2011

100
Paddles lost per season by White Salmon’s Wet Planet Whitewater

19
Sports equipment design companies based in Hood River

23%
Population growth in Hood River between 2000 and 2010 (compared to 12 percent statewide)

80
Miles of singletrack trails in the popular Post Canyon mountain biking area

$304,300
Median home value in Hood River in 2010 (compared to $292,000 in Portland)

KITE THE GORGE
kitethegorge.com; intro lesson $85, follow-up session $285
The gusty Gorge’s status as a kiteboarding capital provides many inspiring/terrifying scenes of ’boarders sailing above the Columbia. An intensive, but approachable, introduction to this lofty sport comes from Kite the Gorge: two companion classes take rookies from gravity-bound to airborne in mere hours. A 90-minute session covers basic equipment and safety. According to owner Carlos Cornieles, most students follow up with three hours in the water. “They go straight into applying what they learned,” he says. Excelsior!

BIG WINDS
bigwinds.com; from $180
The windsurfing sail vies with the dam and the wind turbine as a symbol of the modern Gorge. Get in on the blustery Zeitgeist with introductory classes from longtime Hood River shop Big Winds. Three two-hour classes (each followed by a one-hour practice) transforms landlubbers into wave-dominators.

COLUMBIA GORGE KAYAK SCHOOL
gorgekayaker.com; from $48?
Kayaking can go Jekyll or Hyde: a serene meditation or a world-rocking extreme plunge. Columbia Gorge Kayak School plays it both ways. The outfit’s recreational flatwater tours on the Columbia suit families with kids, mellow sightseers, or first-time paddlers. “Pretty much anyone can do one,” says owner Todd Anderson. For the more adventurous, a two-day “weekender” course starts with a pool tutorial but advances to white water on Washington’s raucous Klickitat River.

COLUMBIA GORGE TEEN ADVENTURE CAMPS
teenoutdooradventure.com; from $1,750?
Brand new this year, Columbia Gorge Teen Adventure Camps introduce young adrenaline junkies to the Gorge’s endless fixes with one- to two-week camps in everything from climbing to stand-up paddling. Open to kids between 14 and 17, the camps feature instruction from some of the best in the business (climbing campers, for example, will learn from legendary Lynn Hill and Beth Rodden), while serving up an all-you-can-eat buffet of adventure.

EPIC MTB TOURS
epicmtbtours.com; prices vary
The typical riverside view only hints at the Gorge’s hinterland splendors. Delve deeper with Epic MTB Tours, which offers two-wheeled explorations of the landscape’s trails and mountaintops. From “quick and dirty” half-day outings to customized multiday adventures (and alluring-sounding specialty trips with “Bike/Yoga” and, even better, “Bike/Beer” themes), Epic can handle a wide range of experience and ambition levels.

Maryhill Museum Expansion

Fri, 25 May 2012 07:00:00 -0700

Photo: Courtesy Maryhill Museum, by Jim Semlor

In May, the Maryhill Museum of Art debuted a new exhibit hall and outdoor pavilion.

JUST ACROSS the bridge from Oregon’s Biggs Junction, with majestic views of the ray-baked eastern buttes, stands the Columbia River Gorge’s most unlikely monument: a three-story, poured-concrete mansion with copper doors that was built to be the heart of a utopian Quaker farming community but now is filled with Rodin sculptures, chess sets, and figurines from France’s Théâtre de la Mode.

If you’ve already toured the Maryhill Museum of Art (it’s practically a Northwest rite of passage), consider going again to see its new addition, the Mary and Bruce Stevenson Wing.

Historic Columbia River Highway grandfather Sam Hill began construction of the hilltop mansion in 1914, imagining it would serve as his residence when the community (and his 5,300-acre Maryhill Land Company) took off. But with the area’s remoteness and lack of irrigation, neither pilgrims nor investors ever arrived.

Hill’s failure proved to be art’s gain. Modern dance pioneer Loïe Fuller convinced Hill, her dear friend, to transform the would-be home into an art museum, and even donated her Rodin collection, which combined with Hill’s numbered 80 plasters, sketches, and sculptures in all. When the museum opened in 1940, nine years after Hill’s death and the ensuing litigation over his estate, the collection included the Rodin pieces, royal memorabilia from Romania’s Queen Marie (who dedicated the museum), and Native American art from Hill’s personal collection. Those same works remain on display today, amid a cast of rotating exhibits ranging from 19th- and 20th-century glass art to an impressive collection of chess sets from around the world.

The museum, however, has long been busting at its steel-and-concrete seams, says Maryhill executive director Colleen Schafroth. Lectures and educational seminars were crammed into the center of the Native American collections room; the hiss of steam from the neighboring café’s espresso machine interrupted silent musings in the Rodin room; and the lack of a dedicated storage facility prevented the museum from properly caring for some of its works. The debut of the $10 million Stevenson Wing should change all that.

Designed by Goldendale native Gene Callan with GBD Architects, the expansion adds an additional 25,500 square feet to the museum, including a new 1,700-square-foot gallery space to house changing exhibits (the first will be of British paintings), an education center where children and adults can join workshops, a new café, a collections suite where staff can house and restore the museum’s permanent pieces, and the shining gem: a cliffside outdoor pavilion with a mouth-dropping perspective on the Gorge. The panorama alone is worth a pilgrimage to this eastern Gorge landmark; combined with Maryhill’s art collection, it practically demands one.

How’d the Gorge Get There?

Fri, 25 May 2012 07:00:00 -0700

17 MILLION YEARS AGO
The Columbia River Gorge is merely a flat plateau at the western end of North America. For the past 35–45 million years, tectonic plates have been colliding in the Pacific Northwest, making it highly volcanic.

17–6 MILLION YEARS AGO
Volcanoes spew lava across 64,000 square miles of land in present-day Washington, Oregon, and western Idaho. The heavy lava flows west toward the ocean, roughly along the contours of what will be the Columbia River, settling in miles-thick flat basalt (hard, black rock) layers.

1 MILLION YEARS AGO
The last Ice Age begins, forming a huge ice sheet—known as the Cordilleran Ice Sheet—that stretches from Alaska to western Montana.

19,000 YEARS AGO
As the Ice Age nears an end, the Cordilleran sheet moves south. Melted water gets trapped behind ice dams creating massive lakes, including one in Montana known as Lake Missoula, which measures more than 200 miles across and 2,000 feet deep.

18,000–15,000 YEARS AGO
The ice dam holding back Lake Missoula gives way, sending 550 cubic miles of glacial water rushing toward the Pacific Ocean at more than 60 mph and carving out the walls of what would become the Columbia River Gorge. This process repeats about 40 times over the course of 2,500 years.

11,000 YEARS AGO
First archaeological evidence of human settlement in the Gorge by Asiatic people who crossed the Bering land bridge into North America. Not much is known about the culture, except that they thrived on the area’s abundant fish and berries.

9,000 YEARS AGO
A thriving salmon-fishing people find a home east of The Dalles at Celilo Falls.

BETWEEN 1550 AND 1700
The faces of Table Mountain and Greenleaf Peak tumble into the Columbia River near Cascade Locks (possibly because of a 9.2 earthquake), creating a 3.5-mile-wide natural dam that drowns more than 35 miles of forest. The Klickitat tribe records the dam in oral legend as the Bridge of the Gods.

WITHIN TWO YEARS AFTER THAT…
The Bridge of the Gods bursts, washing away a large section of the natural dam but creating the Cascade Rapids in the process—a major obstacle in navigating the river for the next two centuries.

1792
Captain Robert Gray, sailing on the fur-trading vessel Columbia, becomes the first white explorer to travel the Columbia River, heading some 18 miles inland from the ocean—and naming it after his ship.

1896
The Cascade Locks are built so steamboats can bypass the treacherous Cascade Rapids, opening up travel to the lower Columbia River. The locks stay in use until the construction of the Bonneville Dam in 1937.

1937
Using New Deal money, the federal government opens the Bonneville Dam near the old Cascade Locks. The new dam provides power for the area’s burgeoning economy but drastically changes the environment, reducing the upriver salmon populations. It is the first of three dams in the Gorge.

NOVEMBER 1986
President Ronald Reagan signs into law the National President Ronald Reagan signs into law the National Scenic Area Act, designating 292,500 acres of the Columbia River Gorge as protected federal land.

2007
PGE begins operations of a 217-turbine wind farm (the largest on the Oregon side), spreading out over 25,000 acres just south of the protected National Scenic Area.

Where to Stay in the Gorge

Fri, 25 May 2012 07:00:00 -0700

Photo: Courtesy Skamania Lodge

Stevenson’s Skamania Lodge added a second outdoor hot tub to its grounds this spring.

SKAMANIA LODGE
Stevenson; skamania.com; from $125
If you make the 45-minute drive from Portland to Skamania Lodge with the windows down, you might smell the lodge before you see it. The unmistakable scent of a wood-burning fireplace (in this case a massive, two-story number in the great room) greets you as soon as you approach the 254-room hotel. Built in 1993, Skamania Lodge gives other nods to the county’s rich timber industry: generous wood detailing and massive timbers abound in the recently remodeled great room, bar, and dining areas. And the dense, trail-filled Gifford Pinchot National Forest awaits right outside. Or stretch your legs instead on the lodge’s 18-hole golf course, before settling in front of the great room’s three-story window for a sunset show of fading pinks and oranges falling across the Gorge’s southern walls.

INN OF THE WHITE SALMON
White Salmon; innofthewhitesalmon.com; from $129 for a private room
Five years ago, the Dierck family took over this 75-year-old White Salmon fixture and set about gracefully transforming it into a boutique hotel fit for the 21st century. Formerly drab, Victorian-style rooms now feature warmly hued paint in place of wallpaper and built-in, reclaimed–Doug fir bed frames where brass behemoths once dwelled. An eight-bed “Alpine Hostel Room” offers a place to rest your head for just $25, while the cozy library and sunny back patio and garden provide plenty of places to compare adventures with your neighbors. Your reservation also nets you a voucher for breakfast at 10-Speed Coffee Roasters or Katina’s café—and a place to work it off with a free class at Yoga Samadhi.

SAKURA RIDGE
Hood River; sakuraridge.com; from $185
Escape Hood River’s hustle and bustle at this Hood River Valley sanctuary, five miles southwest of town. (Trust us, when you get to Sakura, Hood River will seem like a harried metropolis.) In fact, the only crowds you’ll see on Sakura Ridge’s 72 acres of farmland are chickens scratching the ground around the rustic five-room lodge. Pear and apple orchards color the landscape, gently sloping away from your quarters, where each room comes with its own deck and Adirondack chairs—splendid seats for savoring your farm-fresh breakfast beneath a hulking Mount Hood.

Photo: Courtesy Aubrie Legault

HISTORIC BALCH HOTEL
Dufur; balchhotel.com; from $95
Within sniffing distance of the eastern Gorge’s myriad wildflower-strewn hikes (and syrah-strewn wineries), the Historic Balch Hotel anchors the tiny former railway town of Dufur, just as it did when it was originally built in 1907. Owners Samantha and Jeff Irwin purchased the property in 2006, restoring the hotel as an elegant western den replete with velvety parlor couches and leather armchairs, brass-and-glass chandeliers, and even the hotel’s old iron safe. True to its roots, there are no phones or TVs, and not all rooms have private baths. But everyone has access to the hotel Wi-Fi and warm chocolate chip cookies upon arrival.

COLUMBIA CLIFF VILLAS
Hood River; columbiacliffvillas.com; from $195
Developer Steve Tessmer spared no expense when building Columbia Cliff Villas, a vacation community next to the historic Columbia River Hotel: doors are carved from thick slabs of cherry, granite countertops and stainless steel appliances decorate the kitchens, double-paned windows muffle passing trains, and local artists’ original work hangs on the walls. The Villas’ 37 rooms can be booked individually or as larger suites. Opt for a river-view room and you’ll get a front-row seat to windsurfers at the Hatchery and, potentially, a fly-by from those other impressive Gorge wind riders: bald eagles.

Top Private Rentals in the Gorge

RESORT AT SKAMANIA COVES, STEVENSON
skamaniacoves.com; from $275
Gain exclusive access to one of the best views of the Columbia River—the one you get from your cliffside outdoor jetted tub—when you rent the Resort at Skamania Coves’ Bluff House, one of five newly built swank homes, all equipped with fireplaces, plush furniture, and sleek kitchens, just a few miles from Stevenson.

MILLER FARM RETREAT, PARKDALE
millerfarmretreat.com; from $175
Indulge your inner child with a night in Miller Farm’s homey treehouse. Planted on 60 orchard and garden-filled acres, Miller Farm’s five units are an easy solution for families vacationing together. Grown-up Peter Pans will love the two outdoor Jacuzzis and sauna, while real kids will flip over the outdoor pool.

ALIZE’S HOUSE, HOOD RIVER
hrvacations.com; $555
A 64-foot-long wall of glass and two outdoor decks give guests of six-bedroom Alize’s house an unbeatable panorama of the Columbia, while a home theater, soaking tub, five-headed shower, and massive modern kitchen (complete with two cooktops and dishwashers) provide plenty of ways to relax once the sun goes down.

NEAL CREEK RETREAT, HOOD RIVER
vrbo.com; $175
Nestled on two acres of creek-side property outside Hood River, the Neal Creek Retreat stands as one the Gorge’s most elegant modern-design rentals. The Dwell-ian, 930-square-foot space, designed and owned by Portland architects Amy Donohue and Paul McKean, oozes Swedish minimalism, from white wood walls to Ikea cabinetry. The surrounding fir forest and gurgling creek, though, represent far more ancient traditions.

Wildflowers and Waterfalls in the Gorge

Fri, 25 May 2012 07:00:00 -0700

Image: Amy Martin

GREEN-BANDED OR SAGEBRUSH MARIPOSA LILY

(CALOCHORTUS MACROCARPUS)
This western native lily makes a splash in mid to late June, adding a lavender haze to the grassy hills and lightly wooded slopes of the eastern Gorge. Kneel down to see the fragile, goblet-like lavender blossoms with spidery sepals and a white base tucked amid the drying grasses.
See It: Mayer State Park; Tom McCall Nature Preserve; Memaloose State Park; Columbia Hills State Park

Image: Amy Martin

BARRETT’S BEARDTONGUE
(PENSTEMON BARRETTIAE)
A threatened wildflower species, Barrett’s beardtongue grows no place on earth (naturally) other than in the Gorge. The bright pinkish-purple flowers seen clinging to rocky cliffs and slopes grow only in a 10-mile range between Hood River and Lyle.
See It: along roadsides between Hood River and Lyle; on the Glenwood Trail in the upper Klickitat Canyon; Klickitat Wildlife Refuge

Image: Amy Martin

COLUMBIA GORGE DAISY
(ERIGERON OREGANUS)
While most woodland wildflowers have finished flowering by the start of summer, this late bloomer is just getting going, sending up picture-perfect blue, pale pink, or white flowers in mid-June. Native only to the western Gorge, this daisy (an officially threatened species) is found from Crown Point to as far east as Mosier. To see it, look up: the Columbia Gorge daisy prefers wet areas under basalt ledges in the west Gorge, mostly on the Oregon side.
See It: Oneonta Gorge; Latourell Falls; McCord Creek Falls

Image: Amy Martin

MOUNTAIN LADY’S SLIPPER
(CYPRIPEDIUM MONTANUM)
Consider yourself fortunate if you spot this rare, bright white orchid (or smell its sweet fragrance). Growing wild from Canada to California, the mountain lady’s slipper can be found in open woods and brushy slopes from late May to early June—or later at higher elevations.
See It: Major Creek Plateau; above Catherine Creek; other scattered high-elevation patches between Mosier and The Dalles

Image: Amy Martin

BITTERROOT
(LEWISIA REDIVIVA)
Named after Meriwether Lewis, who collected the first herbarium specimens, bitterroot blooms May through mid-June amid rocks and gravel in open areas of the east Gorge. Although it’s hard to see once it shrivels into dormancy after flowering, in season the low-growing white and pink-hued flowers can be nearly 2 inches across.
See It: Columbia Hills Ridge west of The Dalles Mountain Road and east of Haystack Butte

Four Often-Overlooked Waterfalls

Image: Darren White

Two miles down a trail that’s often snowed in until May, Falls Creek Falls doesn’t see quite the same foot traffic as Oregon-side cascades.

FALLS CREEK FALLS, CARSON
Two miles down a trail that’s often snowed in until May, Falls Creek Falls, near Carson, doesn’t see quite the same foot traffic as a lot of Oregon-side falls. But that just means you’re more likely to have the majestic, multitiered tumult—a 220-feet-cascade that drops prettily over basalt cliffs before plunging into a frothy cauldron of white water—to yourself.

DRY CREEK FALLS, CASCADE LOCKS
Stationed about 2.5 miles down a moderate trail near Bridge of the Gods, Dry Creek Falls is many things—uncrowded and easy to reach, for instance—but dry isn’t one of them. In fact, on the days when you can feel the spray from this powerful cascade, plunging out of a notch in a mossy 250-foot-tall cliff, you’ll wonder just where the name comes from. (At one point it was diverted to sate Cascade Locks’ thirst.) Don’t worry, though: you’ll have plenty of time to ponder on the easy Doug fir– and vine maple–flecked trek back to the car.

HOLE IN THE WALL FALLS, HOOD RIVER
Don’t let this manmade cascade’s location, just off I-84, dissuade you from visiting; Hole in the Wall Falls is an unexpected sylvan haven. Boulders and a wading pool at the bottom of the falls, which shoots out of a tunnel drilled to prevent highway flooding, invite family frolicking, while a small ledge at the base of its upper tier promises a prime sun-worshipping perch. All this only a half-mile from the parking lot at Starvation Creek.

PANTHER CREEK FALLS, CARSON
Twelve miles north of Carson, a short, unmarked path through a cedar grove leads to what can only be described as a secret elfin glen, Panther Creek Falls. A wooden platform affords a look at two falls—the first the torrent of Panther Creek, the second a series of springs fanning out along a 100-foot-wall in glistening ribbons and rivulets. Below you, the two converge in a scene out of a J. R. R. Tolkien tome: a mist-filled ravine coated in a soft green carpet of moss and mighty cedar roots.

Where to Eat in the Gorge

Fri, 25 May 2012 07:00:00 -0700

Photo: Courtesy Lauri Streaker

Order’s up at Nora’s Table

EVERYBODY’S BREWING
White Salmon; everybodysbrewing.com
Planted on White Salmon’s main street, the star attraction at three-year-old Everybody’s Brewing is the sun-drenched back deck and its eyebrow-raising view of Mount Hood. Of course, 10 well-balanced American-, English-, and German-style beers, like the nutty-sweet Hoedown Brown or the hop-errific Country Boy IPA (all brewed on site), and a fresh menu of salads, burritos, and burgers don’t hurt either.

SOLSTICE WOOD FIRE CAFÉ
Bingen; solsticewoodfirecafe.com
Whether the Gorge is socked in with cottony fog or glowing in summer’s resplendent rays, Solstice rises to the occasion. Owners Suzanne Wright Baumhackl and Aaron Baumhackl traveled to Italy to handpick the parts for the wood-fired oven that reigns over this cabinlike eatery, endowing flavorful char to Tuscan-style pizzas, juicy, free-range chickens, and chorizo-studded mac and cheese. Snuggle up by the fire and warm your belly with hearty, oven-baked pasta while drying out your soaking socks, or tuck into a portobello quesadilla at one of the sunbaked outdoor tables.

10-SPEED COFFEE ROASTERS
Hood River, Mosier, White Salmon; 10speedcoffee.com
Contrary to popular belief, leaving Portland city limits doesn’t mean abandoning excellent coffee. The Gorge’s 10-Speed Coffee roasts its own small-batch, single-origin coffee in Hood River and deftly transforms the beans into artful lattes and well-pulled Americanos in its trio of cafés along the Columbia. Two-wheeled visitors can get the complete 10-Speed experience by exploring the Hood River roastery and then riding seven miles up the Historic Columbia River Highway to the Mosier café.

EAST WIND DRIVE-IN
Cascade Locks; 541-374-8380
This roadside Cascade Locks burger shack—where a drive-in has stood since 1939—still maintains a walk-up window, tallies checks by hands, and makes its food and so-thick-you-need-a-spoon shakes to order. And like so many old-school burger joints, there’s nothing petite about the East Wind: not the six-inch-tall “small” ice creams cones, not the line that forms along WaNaPa Street, especially on weekends … and certainly not the brain freeze that comes from gobbling your enormous tower of tropical crème soft serve before it melts.

Photo: Courtesy Lauri Streaker

NORA’S TABLE
Hood River; norastable.com
When you’re in the mood for a little less Black Diamond gear and a little more white tablecloth, head for Nora’s Table. The cozy eatery tucked just off Hood River’s main drag expertly plates a rotating cast of locally sourced dishes—from braised pork shank in sweet bean sauce to a Goan seafood curry. Find the best seats at the counter in front of the kitchen, where you can watch chef Kathy Watson (who named the restaurant after her mother) prepare your meal while you chat with the locals who make Nora’s a regular stop. Got a question about what pairs well with your butternut squash enchilada? Simply ask your neighbor, who’s likely familiar with every glass on the exclusively Gorge-grown wine list.

It Tastes Better When ...

U-picks, fishing trips, and other DIY culinary adventures

Photo: Courtesy Draper Girls Country Farms

DRAPER GIRLS COUNTRY FARM, HOODRIVER
drapergirlscountryfarm.com
The Hood River County Fruit Loop (hoodriverfruitloop.com) boasts a collection of farm stands and U-picks along Highways 281 and 35 guaranteed to bring out the canner and pie-maker in anyone. Draper Girls lets you pick just about anything—cherries, berries, peaches, plums, apples, and pears, to name just a few—all with an unbelievable view of Mount Hood’s whitecapped top for dessert.

Photo: Courtesy KD Guide Service

KD GUIDE SERVICE, WHITE SALMON
kdguide.com
When we asked for fishing guide recommendations in the Gorge, one name appeared on every single list: KD Guide Service, owned by Ken Schleicher. Schleicher cut his teeth hauling in tuna and marlin in his native San Diego, but has been trolling the Columbia and its tributaries for more than a decade. “It’s my favorite place to fish,” he says. “There are always fish to catch, and it is very picturesque.” This time of year, you’ll find the affable Schleicher pulling in summer chinook and sturgeon on his half- and full-day guided trips ($110 and $140), which even come with suggested recipes for preparing your catch.

COOKING CLASSES AT SWEET THINGS, WHITE SALMON
sweetthingsbyjulie.com

Photo: Courtesy Sweet Things by Julie

If you, like us, swooned over your flawlessly prepared pie at Skamania Lodge, learn how to make your very own with Julie Vance, whose catering company, Sweet Things by Julie, supplies the Lodge (and nine other Gorge eateries) with its pies. Sure, your dish might not quite compare to Vance’s well-practiced examples (she’s been making pies from Hood River Valley fruit since 2005), but at the very least you’ll get to eat your mistakes.

Where to Hike in the Gorge

Fri, 25 May 2012 07:00:00 -0700

Photo: Courtesy John Howard and Friends of the Gorge

You can access this 64-acre eastern Gorge preserve, known as Dancing Rock, only on a hike led by Friends of the Columbia Gorge.

ST. CLOUD TRAIL

Often overlooked for more high-profile geologic settings on Highway 14, like Beacon Rock State Park (just five miles down the road), the St. Cloud Trail wanders through one of the most distinctive settings in the Gorge: an abandoned apple orchard hugging the banks of the Columbia River. At just a half-mile, the easy, kid-friendly loop can be finished in a blink. But with a scattering of picnic tables, a stretch of sandy beach, and a delightfully competition-free gaze at Multnomah Falls across the river, don’t be surprised if you wind up spending an entire afternoon on your own version of Cloud Nine.

GIBBONS CREEK

Opened just three summers ago, the treasures of the 2.25-mile Gibbons Creek Wildlife Art Trail outside Washougal remain a well-kept secret. That is, unless you’re a bird. Set in the 1,049-acre Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge, at the mouth of the Columbia Gorge Scenic Area, the shallow lakes, creeks, and groves of oaks and cottonwoods here are a scenic rest stop for nearly 200 species of migratory avian life, including purple martin and American bittern. Don’t just look up, though. Sunbathing western painted turtles and leaping blacktail deer are among the dozens of four-legged critters spotted here.

HARDY RIDGE

Wedged between two popular Washington hiking spots—Beacon Rock and Hamilton Mountain—the challenging Hardy Ridge Trail doesn’t attract a ton of traffic. But those who tackle the eight-mile loop’s quad-busting climb through hemlock forest, along open meadows, and past bare rocky outcroppings walk away with plenty of Flickr fodder: glimpses of Mount Adams’s peak and Hamilton and Table Mountains abound, as do brightly tipped wildflowers like Indian paintbrush, and shrubby penstemon in full bloom this month through late July.

DANCING ROCK

You can access this 64-acre preserve just across from The Dalles only on outings led by Friends of the Columbia Gorge, during which you’ll be privy to one of the Gorge’s most mysterious geologic features: kolk ponds. Remnants of ancient floodwaters, the deep wells here were hollowed out by a series of powerful underwater vortexes. The repeated floods also deposited massive granite boulders from hundreds of miles away across the rolling hills, adding to the otherworldly feel. Bonus: the three-mile trek begins with a petroglyph tour inside Columbia Hills State Park, including a look at the area’s most famous rock-rendering, “She Who Watches.”

ELOWAH FALLS

A few miles east of Oregon’s bumper-to-bumper waterfall circuit, Elowah Falls and Upper McCord Creek Falls provide a remarkably traffic- and crowd-free experience. After a moderate half-mile trek in, hikers face a choice: A left turn leads to a gentle, mile-long ascent to the base of Elowah, a mighty 200-foot beast plummeting over a striated stone amphitheater. To the right, a steep series of switchbacks blasted into the cliff face delivers stunning views of Elowah and the Gorge all the way up to the twin falls of Upper McCord Creek. The best decision? Try ’em both. After all, you won’t have the hordes slowing you down.

5 Prime Photo Spots in the Gorge

Hood River pro photographer David Cobb, whose work has appeared everywhere from Backpacker to American Garden, shares some of the top places for shooters to capture the essence of the Gorge.

Photo: Courtesy Witold Skrypczak

Panorama Point surveys pride-swelling views of the Hood River Valley’s brightly hued orchards and farms.

THE HOOD RIVER SPIT, HOOD RIVER
The Gorge’s hardy tribes of wind and water riders converge at this popular beach, where the Hood River Bridge provides a windbreak to keep your camera from rattling around (and your hat from ending up in the frame).

CATHERINE CREEK, BINGEN
More than 90 species of wildflowers bloom between February and July at this beloved Washington state park, providing a photographic bonanza. The moderate and well-maintained trails also make carting equipment (tripods, for instance) a cinch. And be sure to pack your macro lens, Cobb notes: that cluster lily is ready for its close-up.

FAIRY FALLS, BRIDAL VEIL
A mere 150 yards off the Historic Columbia River Highway, Latourell Falls graces almost every Gorge visitor’s photo album. The real prize, though, is nearby Fairy Falls. A steep, two-mile climb shoos many shutterbugs away, but those who hoof (and huff) it up the grade are rewarded with a storybook cascade gracefully stair-stepping down stone against a verdant backdrop of ferns and trees.

PORTLAND WOMEN’S FORUM STATE SCENICVIEWPOINT, CORBETT
Using funds from bake sales, tea sales, and fashion shows, a group of forward-thinking women snapped up this 3.7-acre parcel of land in 1956, recognizing that it held one of the grandest—and most accessible—perspectives of the Columbia River wending its way through fir-flecked slopes from arid eastern plateaus. Depending on how you frame your shot, you’ll also sneak Vista House and Beacon Rock into the scene.

PANORAMA POINT COUNTY PARK, HOOD RIVER
Mount Hood’s snowy triangle dominates the scene at this aptly named Highway 35 pullover, which surveys pride-swelling views of the Hood River Valley’s brightly hued orchards and farms as they stretch up to meet the green-blue forests skirting the majestic peak.

Kite Rider

Fri, 25 May 2012 07:00:00 -0700

Present and past pro athletes who call the Gorge home

Mike Jacoby US Olympic Snowboard Team (’98)

AJ Kitt US Olympic Ski Team (’88, ’92, ’94, ’98)

Monique Anderson (formerly Pelletier) US Olympic Ski Team (’92 and ’94)

Bruce Petersen National Windsurfing Champion (’09)

Seth McCadam former US Women’s World Cup Ski Team Coach (’09–’10) and current US Women’s Ski Team Development Coach

Jim Tracy former US Women’s World Cup Ski Team Coach (’97–’04, ’08–’10)

Karin Harjo current US Men’s Ski Team Development Coach

Randy Pelkey current US Men’s Ski Team Development Coach

David Zimbelman former pro cyclist and reigning Masters World Champion

Sammy Carlson X-Games freeskiing champion (’11) and medalist (’07, ’09, ’10)

Spencer Paxson UCI Mountain Bike World Championships competitor (’06, ’10, ’11)

ONLY 50 PEOPLE in the world were kitesurfing when Hood River’s Aaron Sales discovered the sport in 1997. Since then, kitesurfing (and its winter cousin, snowkiting) has grown to a quarter of a million participants, thanks in no small part to Sales, who fostered the sport’s popularity as editor of Kiteboarding magazine and founded the North American Snowkite Tour last year. We caught up with Sales to talk about the growth of the sport, life in Hood River, and his next big challenge.

You’ve kited around the world (22 countries, to be exact). How did you land in Hood River? I came from a snowboard background, started water kiting, and moved to Maui. I came to Hood River to combine my two passions. I had first come here as a spectator for the Gorge Games and later competed as an athlete. Now I’m organizing events to give back to the community and keep sports events alive in the Gorge.

Like what? Last year I organized the first North American Snowkite Tour. My new project is MaiTai Global, where entrepreneurs, CEOs, and venture capitalists come together to kite. Think Silicon Valley meets kiteboarding. I’m bringing an event to the Gorge in mid-August with over 100 kiteboarders.

In addition to the great wind and waves, what is so special about the kite community here? Half the industry is based in the Gorge. I can test new gear, and it’s the best place for photo shoots.

Any secret spots? My new favorite snowkite spot is in the Simco Mountains in Goldendale. For kitesurfing, it’s the Hood River Sandbar: on a good day we get 100 kiteboarders, with a good swell, kite park, and rail slide all close.

And if you don’t have a kite in your hands? I’m a mountain biker: Post Canyon trails are right out my back door.

And your next goal? I want the Mount St. Helens first ascent. I’ve been trying for five years. With a kite, you look at the mountain differently. It’s three-dimensional: you ride up, down, and across the mountain. The power of the wind can pull you up the mountain faster than a high-speed quad [ski lift]. I’m budgeting 45 minutes for ascent.

Insider's Guide to the Gorge

Wineries Worth Visiting in the Gorge

AVA Basics

Adventure in the Gorge

Adrenaline Economics

Maryhill Museum Expansion

How’d the Gorge Get There?

Where to Stay in the Gorge

Top Private Rentals in the Gorge

Wildflowers and Waterfalls in the Gorge

Four Often-Overlooked Waterfalls

Where to Eat in the Gorge

It Tastes Better When ...

Where to Hike in the Gorge

ST. CLOUD TRAIL

GIBBONS CREEK

HARDY RIDGE

DANCING ROCK

ELOWAH FALLS

5 Prime Photo Spots in the Gorge

Kite Rider

Team Gorge