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November | December

volume 71

NASA. Apollo 11.

You. Your place in history starts right here.

And you don’t have to make a trip around the moon to discover it.

Claim your stake at Discovery West, a mixed-use community alive with the spirit of exploration, with nearby schools, parks, trails, shopping and more. This once in a lifetime opportunity is just waiting for you.

Discover your own personal space at discoverywestbend.com or visit our Discovery Pod, open daily, at the corner of Skyline Ranch Road and Celilo Lane.

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OREGON CULTURAL TRUST CELEBRATES 20 YEARS Now twenty years old, the Oregon Cultural Trust, a unique institution in supporting arts and culture programs across the state, launches a commemorative license plate that celebrates Oregon’s diversity and culture.

“In its first 20 years the Cultural Trust has proven itself as a stable source of funding for Oregon’s arts, heritage and humanities community,” said Niki Price, chair of the Cultural Trust board. “Thanks to the Oregonians who participate in the cultural tax credit we have raised more than $74 million in support of culture statewide.”

This year also marks a record level of grants given to Oregon cultural recipients, with $3.25 million going to 140 organizations across the state.

“Cultural expression is how our communities define themselves— how they live their everyday lives, their traditions, their heritage, their creativity, their celebrations, their values and how they connect with one another,” said Price. “Our culture is the glue that can bind us together as Oregonians.”

In 2001, the Oregon Legislature established the Cultural Trust and the cultural tax credit to empower Oregonians to direct some of their tax dollars to fund culture statewide.

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Oregonians who donate to a cultural nonprofit, and then give a matching donation to the Cultural Trust, are eligible for a 100 percent tax credit on their gift to the Trust.

Funds raised through the tax credit support a statewide network of five Trust partners, county and tribal cultural coalitions and more than 1,600 cultural nonprofits such as the Eastern Oregon Regional Theatre, the High Desert Museum and the Athena Gem Theatre restoration project. A minimum of 40 percent is also invested annually in the Trust’s permanent fund, now valued at close to $33 million.

Since its founding, the Trust and its network have awarded more than $36 million in nearly 10,000 grants across the state.

The Trust’s five statewide partners are the Oregon Arts Commission, Oregon Humanities, Oregon Heritage Commission, State Historic Preservation Office and the Oregon Historical Society. Every Oregon county has a designated county coalition that receives an

annual block grant, based on population. The coalitions award at least 400 smaller grants in their communities each year.

One recent Trust grantee is the Harney County Library, which has been struggling to fund the digitization and transcription of videos and audio files of local oral history.

“Getting our oral history collections online would increase the access to the history of this area.” said Cheryl Hancock, Harney County Library director. “People could find those stories from anywhere in the world on their computers.”

Another recipient is the Portland Chamber Orchestra, which received funds to pursue a musical interpretation, from a Native American perspective, of the 1957 destruction of Celilo Falls. The Portland Chamber Orchestra will perform Celilo Falls: We Were There at its world premiere at The Patricia Reser Center for the Arts in Beaverton on June 4, 2022.

“These funds support our effort to not only perform Nancy Ives’

premier performance in the Portland area, but also in The Dalles near to where Celilo Falls were located,” said Mike Nichols, vice president of the Portland Chamber Orchestra. “Our objective is to commemorate the falls in a way that conveys our sorrow to the Indigenous peoples in the loss of their important cultural site.”

The new license plate celebrating Oregon’s culture and diversity is available at the Oregon DMV website, at DMV field offices and at car dealerships across the state, including Lithia Motor’s thirty-two franchise dealerships. Revenue from the license plate supports promotion of the cultural tax credit.

Learn more at CulturalTrust.org

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OREGON’S

T

Winter Wonderland

HE SCENT of a freshly cut Christmas tree.

The tingle of snow-sprinkled air against your cheek. The comfort you feel through your gloved hands as you hold a warm libation, sipped around the glow of flames dancing in a fire pit. A ramble along a country Main Street, finding just the right gift.

Discovering the true joys of a holiday season that’s slowed down—just enough to let real joy and wonder settle in—it’s just beyond your backyard. In Molalla, every kind of winter treat awaits.

Where better to begin than throwing on

your coziest forest-y garb and cutting down your own tree? At family-run Snowline Farm, row after row of fragrant, snow-frosted noble firs will vie for your attention—will you choose that full, wild one or a lightly groomed beauty soaring to nearly 20 feet tall?

Find local, artisan-made gifts at The Rustic Shed (or make your own at one of their frequent holiday sign workshops), then meet alpacas at Marquam Hill Ranch and take home one of the softest, warmest hats, scarves or sweaters made from their yarn. Stay in a relaxed shopping mood

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perusing vintage finds, collectables, miniatures and furniture at Hoffman House Antique Mall inside a Victorian home and former library built in 1888. Embrace your inner Westerner at Cowgirl Trading Co., or find that perfect graphic T-shirt or necklace at ParLi Boutique. You’ll happen upon that new/old find you’ve always wanted at Back to the Racks Boutique.

Revive yourself with a treat—fudge from Whimsy’s Chocolate Box will send a direct signal to your brain that you’re in your happy place. For savory and sweet satisfaction, stop in at the Humble Pig Cafe.

Get some doughnuts from Las Delicias Bakery and

dunk them in a hot, festive drink from Cowboy Coffee in Prairie House Inn. Unwind and warm up with cider or an IPA at the indoor-outdoor fireplace or fire pits at Molalla River Brewing Company.

Make that slower-paced, relaxed state last. Stay a while. Cozy up with the family in a charming cabin from Vacasa, such as the Molalla River Cottage or Molalla River House, or check into the Prairie House Inn. Immerse yourself in the pleasures of country life with a stay at bucolic Drizzlewood Farm.

When your head hits the pillow at the end of the day, you’ll dream of sleigh rides, sugarplums and a season to remember.

Rex Leach dockside with his boat the Ms. Julie as a fresh catch is unloaded in Charleston.

A Life on the Water photography by Jon Christopher Meyers REX LEACH, a commercial fisherman since 1978, of Coos Bay was on the Oregon Trawl Commission when regulations to restore the decimated fishery were enacted. He and many others opposed the restrictions at first. “We thought we were going to starve,” he said. He’s glad he lost that battle, because it saved the fishery.

Today, he’s a strong advocate for safeguarding a healthy ocean, sustainable for future generations. (pg. 36) 8 1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2021

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2021

1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE 9

The Setting Inn in Newberg, where your expert concierges will arrange tasting dinners and exclusive tours.

FEATURES NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2021 • volume 71

70 Romantic Getaways for Six Types of Lovers Indulge yourself and your passions— for food, wine, art, culture, the outdoors, your dog and your lover—with these premier Oregon adventures.

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77

86

The PNW Holiday Gift Guide

Eastern State of Mind

Infuse your holidays with Pacific Northwest flavor, from chill-yet-toasty hot-tub boating on the Willamette River to whiskey and salted-caramel s’mores around a fire and the best new gear for winter fun.

From Wallowa Lake, across Nez Perce ancestral lands to Oregon’s largest wilderness, the Eagle Cap, Eastern Oregon seems to serve as the world’s repository of peace and quiet.

written by 1859 Oregon’s Magazine staff

photography by Talia Jean Filipek

1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2021

Bob McClenahan

written by Vanessa Salvia

Tetherow puts breathtaking beauty, versatile lodging, diverse dining and unlimited recreation right outside your door... yet you’re just minutes from all the culture and joy of Bend!

Winter and holiday packages available.

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DEPARTMENTS NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2021 • volume 71

LIVE 24 NOTEBOOK

Upper Left Cities thinks creatively about places and how they change. Beers in Oregon get bigger, funkier and more barrel-agedier. Death Cab’s Dave Depper’s aural tour, Europa.

30 FOOD + DRINK

Order “off menu” for an immersive culinary experience at this trending new spot in Portland.

Creative cocktails are multiplying rapidly at Pink Rabbit.

36 FARM TO TABLE

A commercial fisherman flipped sides when it came to regulations to restore a decimated fishery around Coos Bay. He’s glad he did. Create the perfect pairing of French baguette and Oregon rockfish with a sesame-crusted rockfish banh mi. Make tacos with fresh rockfish, plentiful year-round, for a winter getaway for the palate.

44 HOME + DESIGN

The hosts of two gorgeous, popular Airbnb homes offer design tips for your home or your own Airbnb property.

Carly Diaz

52 MIND + BODY

34

With a family legacy in track and field, Oregonian and two-time winner of Olympic gold in shot put Ryan Crouser lit up Hayward Field. We find out what motivates him.

56 ARTIST IN RESIDENCE

From spray can to canvas, this Portland artist blends street sense with fine art sophistication.

THINK 60 STARTUP

It began with a frustrating experience in Portland—a futile search for a reasonably priced dinner table not made in Asia.

62 WHAT’S GOING UP

Get higher, hike longer, with new trail linkups in the mountains and at the coast.

64 WHAT I’M WORKING ON Steve Heinrichs/Visit Central Oregon

An Oregonian and Princeton University professor brings lessons from a tiny timber town to leading-edge climate change solutions.

66 MY WORKSPACE

Studying forestry in the 1970s, Rober Seidel discovered the scent of balsam fir and began a quest for the extraction of aromatic compounds from natural products.

68 GAME CHANGER

96

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Editor’s Letter 1859 Online Map of Oregon Until Next Time

Kate Crump, a fishing guide, hunter and ambassador for Patagonia, became an environmental activist after learning her drinking water in Rockaway Beach failed federal standards.

EXPLORE 94 TRAVEL SPOTLIGHT

The Wallowas offer wide-open spaces to play, explore and discover inner and outer peace.

96 ADVENTURE

A recipe for winter fun in Bend, from mellow to adrenaline-laced, or both.

98 LODGING

The Bowline Hotel’s Ice House is the place to unwind with views over the Pacific with soaking tubs and views.

100 TRIP PLANNER

November and December are the best months to get out to vineyards and taste Oregon wines. Check out our itineraries for creating new traditions flowing with fun and pinot, tempranillo, malbec and more during the holidays.

COVER

photo by Joshua Meador/TandemStock.com Central Oregon (see Fire + Ice = Love, pg. 96)

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108 NW DESTINATION

Spokane for the holidays means twirling on ice, swirling spirits on ice and dancers whirling in The Nutcracker Ballet.

CONTRIBUTORS

TOBY NOLAN Photographer The PNW Holiday Gift Guide

DANIEL O’NEIL Writer Artist in Residence

JAMES SINKS Writer Mind + Body

JON CHRISTOPHER MEYERS Photographer Farm to Table

“Photographing products, especially groups of products, always presents a fun technical challenge. Working in the studio with artificial light allows the time required to refine compositions and of course the all-important lighting.

All products deserve equal representation regardless of their individual attributes. This means the design and layout process is critical to ensure each item stands out on its own while still working cohesively with the group.” (pg. 77)

“The graffiti style within Mayfair’s oil paintings impressed me when I first checked his art. Once I saw pictures of him painting outdoors next to a boombox, wide grin across his face, I knew he was cool.

Talking with Mayfair for this piece, I realized that his story, his resoluteness and his generosity made him stand out as a person as well.” (pg. 56)

“The gleaming reimagined Hayward Field at the University of Oregon is a homage to the giants of track and field, and few stand larger—literally—than 6-foot-7 Ryan Crouser, the world’s best shot put athlete, at the center of it all. In talking with the affable Oregon native, I learned that nothing major comes with minor effort, even for a legend, and that at the end of the day, we are all shaped by our best memories.” (pg. 52)

“Two of the things that I enjoy most about photography are meeting new people and getting to go to unique places. This assignment with Rex Leach met both of these aspects. He greeted me on the docks with a warm smile, and we quickly got to work making the most of the morning light. Learning about fishing off the Oregon Coast from a third-generation fisherman was fascinating. His sons now operate their three boats, making this a fourthgeneration family endeavor.” (pg. 36)

Toby Nolan is a freelance commercial, travel and adventure photographer. Originally from Dublin, Ireland, he is now based in Central Oregon and enjoys working around the world.

14 1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE

Daniel O’Neil is a writer who has written about culture for publications including 1889, 1859 and The Snowboarder’s Journal.

He lives in Seaside.

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2021

James Sinks is an award-winning Oregon journalist, frequent contributor to 1859, and wannabe runner. He lives in Salem, where he tries to stay on his cat’s good side.

Jon Christopher Meyers is a commercial and architectural photographer. He lives in Eugene and is an adjunct faculty member at Lane Community College.

EDITOR-AT-LARGE Kevin Max

MANAGING EDITOR Cathy Carroll CREATIVE DIRECTOR Allison Bye

WEB MANAGER

OFFICE MANAGER

DIRECTOR OF SALES

HOMEGROWN CHEF

BEERLANDIA COLUMNIST

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Aaron Opsahl Cindy Miskowiec Jenny Kamprath Thor Erickson Beau Eastes Seamus Casey, Melissa Dalton, Jacques Derning, Daniel V. O’Neill, Fiona Max, Ben Salmon, Vanessa Salvia, Cy Sampson, Adam Thorn Smith, Jenny Sequa, Lauren Sharp Talia Jean Filipek, Tambi Lane, Dan Hawk, Jon Christopher Meyers, Toby Nolan

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All rights reserved. No part of this publiCation may be reproduCed or transmitted in any form or by any means, eleCtroniCally or meChaniCally, inCluding photoCopy, reCording or any information storage and retrieval system, without the express written permission of Statehood Media. ArtiCles and photographs appearing in 1859 Oregon’s Magazine may not be reproduCed in whole or in part without the express written Consent of the publisher. 1859 Oregon’s Magazine and Statehood Media are not responsible for the return of unsoliCited materials. The views and opinions expressed in these artiCles are not neCessarily those of 1859 Oregon’s Magazine, Statehood Media or its employees, staff or management.

16 1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2021

HERE! T I E V O L YULE

FROM THE

EDITOR-AT-LARGE THEY ARE FINALLY HERE, and they will only improve with ideas of places, things to do, what to eat and where to shop—all in this issue. The holidays can be a tired repetition of flat tradition, or something more romantic. In this issue of 1859, you will find many ways to make your holidays the latter.

Start with winter beers that are barrel-aged and boozy in Beerlandia on pg. 30. Beer aficionado Beau Eastes picks out his favorites to bring cheer and beer to the season.

On the Oregon Coast in Coos Bay, we learn the story of fisherman Rex Leach and how the rockfish fishery nearly collapsed before bouncing back to save that enclave on the coast (pg. 36). Of course, we pair that story with some tantalizing recipes (pg. 40), including sesame-crusted rockfish banh mi from the Stephanie Inn of Cannon Beach and Oregon rockfish tacos.

In Home + Design on pg. 44, we ogle two popular Airbnb homes as their hosts offer their design tips for either your home or your Airbnb rental.

We are lucky to have the story (pg. 52) of Oregonian and two-time winner of Olympic gold in shot put, Ryan Crouser, in this issue.

A darling of Hayward Field, Crouser lights it

18 1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2021

up whenever his 16-pound ball reaches new distances. He also throws down multiple 1,000 calorie meals per day, something we may only do once or twice a year.

The main culprit of climate change is the massive amounts of CO2 emissions given off mostly by human conventions. Oregonian and Princeton University professor Jesse Jenkins talks about the Carbon Mitigation Initiative of the Net-zero America Project in our “What I’m Working On” section (pg. 64).

Writer Vanessa Salvia takes us down the path of romantic getaways for different kinds of lovers: food, wine, dog, outdoors and arts and culture. Turn to pg. 70 to read about these and to book your next trip, with or without the whole family.

Every year, we bring you our Holiday Gift Guide (pg. 77), assembled to offer the best of locally made gift ideas for the family during the holiday season. If there were any year to spoil your loved ones and support local businesses, this is it.

For more romance, our Adventure for this issue takes place in Bend in the thrill of winter and dives into the snow, with fire pits, libations and explorations. Turn to pg. 96 to start your winter holidays. Cheers!

1859 ONLINE More ways to connect with your favorite Oregon content www.1859oregonmagazine.com | #1859oregon | @1859oregon

ENTER TO WIN

HOODOO,S WINTERVENTION GIVEAWAY Enter for your chance to win lift tickets, lessons, rentals, lodging and more from Hoodoo and mountain partners!

Over $5,000 in prizes, making Hoodoo’s Wintervention Giveaway 1859’s greatest giveaway EVER! Learn more and enter at www.1859oregon magazine.com/contests/hoodoo Contest runs through November 30.

HAVE A PHOTO THAT SHOWS OFF YOUR OREGON EXPERIENCE?

GIVEAWAY Want to win items from this issue’s PNW Holiday Gift Guide? Keep an eye on our social media for a chance to enter.

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1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2021

Share it with us by filling out the Oregon Postcard form on our website.

If chosen, you’ll be published here. www.1859oregonmagazine.com/postcard photo by Joana Freedman Elk crossing the Necanicum River.

WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU Complete our 1859 reader survey and be entered for a chance to win an Oregon getaway!

Take part today at www.1859oregonmagazine.com/survey/print

NOTEBOOK 24 FOOD + DRINK 30 FARM TO TABLE 36 HOME + DESIGN 44 MIND + BODY 52

pg. 44 Get design tips for your home or rental from the hosts of Oregon’s uber popular Airbnbs.

Bennett Young

ARTIST IN RESIDENCE 56

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notebook

Tidbits + To-dos

Pinot Beer NW Film Center A lecture and dance class series at NW Film Center in Portland explores “The Courtesan in Bollywood Cinema: Dance from the Tawaif to the Item Girl.” The story of the courtesan, or the Tawaif, is a genre at the center of some of Bollywood’s biggest films. Tawaifs were some of the first working women to be depicted in Hindi film and continue to be featured in some. The series aims to decolonize the word “tawaif” from its modern meaning of prostitute and restore its true definition of an honored professional and reputable elite through the stories and dance of these feminist icons. www.nwfilm.org

Remember the old adage about not mixing the grape with the grain? Like many things to do with Oregon beer and wine makers, that’s been tossed out, with delicious results. Pinot Beer, a collaboration of Dobbes Family Estate of Dundee and GoodLife Brewing of Bend, blends barrelaged Golden Ale re-fermented with Oregon pinot noir juice. Freshly pressed estate pinot grapes were aged on their skins (a process called saignée) to achieve a rich, deep red wine color.

Cheers to a dry, fruit-forward hybrid. www.goodlifebrewing.com www.dobbesfamilyestate.com

ur yo ar k r d ma en

ca

camark y len our da r

l

The Outlook at Knudsen Vineyards

Andrea Johnson Photography

Ever wonder just which Oregon’s vineyard is depicted on our state’s wine country license plate and why?

It’s Knudsen Vineyards, Dundee’s first commercial winery. Established in 1971, the forward-thinking Knudsens are celebrating the half-century milestone with a new tasting space and a virtual interview series with Willamette Valley winemaking legends, from Dick Erath and Rollin Soles to the Sokol Blossers and Véronique Boss-Drouhin. Plus, join Page Knudsen Cowles, secondgeneration owner and managing partner, for a vigorous, informative mile hike through the legacy pinot noir vines nearly every Friday and Saturday at 11 a.m.

24 1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE

www.knudsenvineyards.com

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2021

notebook

New CBD Chocolate Chocolate and CBD? Yes, please. Two Portland-based CBD companies, Lazarus Naturals and Ranger Chocolate Co., have created a new artisan chocolate bar that is 70 percent dark chocolate bar with sea salt, vanilla and 240 mg of CBD (divided into twelve squares of 20 mg each). Other organic, vegan, and non-GMO ingredients include cacao, sugar, cacao butter and full spectrum hemp extract. Cocoa beans, with essential vitamins and minerals, have anti-inflammatory properties, which are also known to be a benefit of CBD. The balanced flavor complements the earthiness of the hemp, too.

Museo Egizio, Turin/Portland Art Museum

www.lazarusnaturals.com

CA mar LE k yo ND ur AR

Queen Nefertari’s Egypt Want to know what it’s like being “The One for Whom the Sun Shines?” It’s what ancient Egypt’s Pharaoh Ramesses II called his favored wife, Queen Nefertari, and you can glimpse into her world, right down to her perfume, jewelry and woven palm-leaf sandals—U.S. women’s size 9. From the world-renowned Museo Egizio in Turin, Italy, the exhibition at Portland Art Museum Oct. 16-Jan. 16 immerses you in the magnificent palaces and tombs of ancient Egypt, including Queen Nefertari’s pink granite sarcophagus. The period’s roles of women—goddesses, queens and commoners—are revealed through more than 220 works of art. www.portlandartmuseum.org

Untamed Humans Ready for farm-to-face skincare? Woman-owned, Portlandbased Untamed Humans has created Topical & Ingestible CBD + CBG Oil, designed to soothe breakouts and moisturize dry skin while alleviating stress and anxiety and helping with focus and sleep. CBD and CBG oil, derived from the hemp extract cannabigerol, work synergistically in the blend with organic reishi mushrooms and organic sea buckthorn oil—fresh, highquality, locally sourced ingredients. www.untamedhumans.com

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2021

1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE

25

notebook Dave Depper takes listeners to downtime on tour, in cities from Copenhagen and Vienna to Brussels and Berlin.

Musician

Aural Time-Travel

Dave Depper’s Europa reveals pre-pandemic self, cities toured with Death Cab for Cutie written by Ben Salmon

Eliot Lee Hazel

DAVE DEPPER’S main job—multi-instrumentalist for Seattle indie-rock giants Death Cab for Cutie—keeps him plenty busy.

But sometimes, being busy in a rock band means just waiting around, especially in that handful of hours between soundcheck and showtime, when there’s not much for a member of a rock band to do.

“Over the course of a whole tour, this dead time can add up to hours and hours of wasted existence,” Depper wrote on his Bandcamp profile, “filled with mindless gazing at your phone and listlessly pecking at the hummus plate in the dressing room.”

Depper lives in Portland, where he has long been one of the most in-demand sidemen in town, playing with artists like Fruit Bats, Ray LaMontagne and Laura Gibson. He joined Death Cab in 2015, and during the band’s European tour that year, he committed to spending his downtime more productively: by improvising on his electric guitar and recording the results. When the tour was over, he went home with more than ten hours of material.

That material sat on a shelf for years, until the pandemic shut down touring last spring. With no Death Cab shows on the horizon and the world in turmoil, Depper decided to revisit his old improvisations and see if he might be able to pare them down into a format suitable for release.

“I listened to it and was like, ‘Whoa, this is where it’s at for me right now. This is speaking to my emotional state,’” he said. “It was so soothing to me and it had been recorded so long ago that it also felt like something that had been done by someone else but in a good way. It was like this version of me from the past is reaching out to comfort me.”

With help from trusted friends, Depper picked out eight tracks that represent the best of those sessions, compiled them and called the album Europa. Each song is named after the city in which it was recorded.

To be clear, the music on Europa is quite different from the catchy music of Death Cab for Cutie, or even from Depper’s 2017 synth-pop album Emotional Freedom Technique. Europa’s ambient music is built mostly out of softly glowing drones and tones that slowly fade in and out, creating layers of sound that evoke something like the quiet of dawn on a distant planet.

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1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE

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Listen on Spotify

Depper didn’t go into his improv sessions with a goal in mind or any sort of plan, though he does acknowledge the echoes of legendary guitarist Robert Fripp and electronic music pioneer Brian Eno in his work. Fripp and Eno made two albums together in the early ’70s that Depper calls “two of the most influential things on my musical worldview that I’ve ever heard.”

When he listens to Europa now, the songs act as a sort of sonic tour diary, reflecting the days they were recorded and prompting crystal clear reminders of a different place and a different time, he said.

“I remember that tour very well. I had this very beautiful, inspiring day in Copenhagen … and the music from that day is very joyous and colorful,” Depper said.

“In Berlin, it was very cold and there was a harsh gray sky and I was hungover and the club was kind of run-down and smelled like stale beer, so the (music is) a little rough around the edges there.

There’s a sourness to it,” he continued. “I think they’re a very accurate aural representation of my state of mind each day.”

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notebook

Bibliophile

Hunter Shobe and David Banis bring us Upper Left Cities, A Cultural Atlas of San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle.

Upper Lefties A new guide packed with graphics, data for thinking creatively about places and how they change interview by Cathy Carroll What are some of the most surprising findings from your research for this book?

Maybe not so much surprising but several things stood out as interesting. We found out that (pre-Covid at least) downtowns still dominate commuting patterns in each city. Looking at home prices and trade through ports helped us appreciate just how much more wealth is concentrated in San Francisco compared to Portland with Seattle somewhere in between.

Through extensive research conducted by one of our contributors, we learned details about the decades-old history of gay bars in each city.

Each city has a few oddly-designed areas, often designed as exclusive neighborhoods, that break otherwise predictable grids (such as Ladd’s Addition). We also learned how much fun it is to make crossword puzzle maps for specific places. And that in 1987 Portland had forty-two typewriter stores.

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1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE

MANY WRITERS AND ARTISTS hail walking as the reigning muse. It’s no surprise then that the idea for an atlas comparing San Francisco, Portland, and Seattle sprung into the mind of Hunter Shobe on his four-mile walking commute to Portland State University, where he teaches and researches the cultural, political, and economic dimensions of how people connect to places and environments. In researching Upper Left Cities, Hunter covered hundreds of miles (and wore through several pairs of Sambas) walking across the three cities.

With fellow PSU geographers David Banis (Shobe’s counterpart for Portlandness, A Cultural Atlas) and Zuriel van Bellet, this sequel tells the stories of these cities through a deep academic dive disguised as rambles with cool friends who notice everything—from comparative drizzle, fog, banana slugs and coyotes, to jazz clubs, amusement parks, waterfronts, rental prices, graffiti and ramen shops—yielding insights you’d never expect.

With more than 150 maps and theme-based data, it’s translated into a meticulously, ingenious, creative visual companion. Take it along on your next adventure stroll.

Shobe and Banis answered a few questions about it:

What were some of the non-traditional topics you explored that revealed the most about the character of Portland in comparison to the other cities?

Similar in many ways to San Francisco and Seattle, Portland is quite distinct in others. Creating pages about international flights, sister cities, and port trade reminded us that although Portland is a place with global connections, it doesn’t have the global reach of San Francisco or Seattle.

While researching local voting patterns we noted how different Portland’s city government is compared to the other two cities. Portland has no geographically based districts for locally elected officials. The mayors of San Francisco and Seattle also have much more relative power than the mayor in Portland.

By square miles, Portland is bigger than San Francisco and Seattle put together. Yet, Portland still often feels like a much smaller town

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2021

compared to San Francisco and Seattle. Our research revealed that albeit in lacking multiple Fortune 500 companies, Portland features comparatively more weed shops, breweries and spirits operations. And at least one technology-related industry seems to have weathered longer in Portland, which is the only city of the three that still has a store that specializes exclusively in typewriters (Ace Typewriter is the place).

One way to examine the premium on space in a city is to look at amusement parks and cemeteries. Portland is the only city of the three that still has an amusement park—Oak’s Park, which first opened its doors in 1905 (come for the rides, stay for the roller skating!). And it turns out there is much more room to bury and commemorate those who have passed on in Portland than there is in Seattle or San Francisco (which banned burials within city limits over 100 years ago).

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food + drink

Pelican’s Father of All Tsunamis Imperial Stout is a tidal wave of flavor, aged in rye whiskey barrels.

Beerlandia

Oregon Winter: Made for Brews Barrel-agedier, boozier and sniftier, for Nordic hut-ing, hot tubbing or Blazer-fanning written by Beau Eastes THERE’S A LOT to love about Oregon winters.

The holiday lights at Peacock Lane, skiing the bowl at Mt. Bachelor, irrational Blazer championship hopes.

But the best part of the colder months here in the Beaver State is the unofficial fancy beer season. In November and December, the beers in Oregon get bigger, funkier and more barrel-agedier.

It’s fantastic.

Here’s what we’ll be drinking this winter at Beerlandia while we try to convince ourselves that Dame and C.J. can actually be the cornerstones of a competent defense. (Hint: it’ll have to be something stronger than Deschutes’ excellent-but-light Rip City Lager.)

Cocktail Card recipe courtesy of The Aimsir Distilling Company’s Christine and Stephen Hopkins

Fall Gin and Tonic 30

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Ecliptic Brewing’s Filament Winter IPA with Tangerine: If Oregon craft beer legend and Ecliptic founder John Harris wants to play around with his traditional winter beer and add tangerine, it’s best to just say thank you and order a pint or three for you and your friends. We fell in love with this festive IPA last winter, the first time Ecliptic added tangerine to its already well-received Filament Winter IPA recipe. Great in cans, phenomenal on tap if you can find it.

up what’s become our go-to hot tub beer for winter. At 4.5 percent, Wood Chopper makes for a fine nordic ski hut snack, as well.

Alesong Brewing’s Double Barrel Maple Rhino Suit ’21: We’ve touted Alesong before and for good reason.

They may be making the most innovative beers in all of Oregon. A big and bold take on their classic milk stout, Rhino Suit, this version is aged for a year in Heaven Hill bourbon barrels—then six more months—in Bissel Farm maple syrup barrels that once held Pappy Van Winkle bourbon. Yes, it’s as spectacular as it sounds.

Break out the snifters as the Double Barrel rolls in at 13.9 percent ABV.

Deschutes Brewery’s Cherries Jubelale: So you’re telling us Deschutes is taking our favorite winter seasonal and suping it up with cherries and vanilla and aging it in red wine barrels? Yes, a million times over. Cherries Jubelale is pretty much everything we love about fancy beer season.

A fun, new boozy take on a classic beer, Cherries Jubelale sits in at 10 percent ABV. We’re convinced this counts when you’re asked to bring a dessert to a holiday meal.

Little Beast’s Wood Chopper Belgian-style Witbier: Alright, maybe not technically a winter seasonal, but this Witbier from one of our favorite Portland breweries oozes holiday charm. Coriander, orange and lime spice

• 2 ounces Aitil • 1 rosemary sprig House Gin • 1 dehydrated • 2 ounces Fever Tree persimmon slice Elderflower Tonic • 1 Collins (a 5.25• 1 dehydrated lime inch-by-1.5-inch) wheel ice cube Pour gin in glass, add tonic and garnish with remaining ingredients.

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2021

Pelican Brewing’s Father of All Tsunamis Imperial Stout: A giant version of Pelican’s Tsunami Stout, the Father is full of dark chocolate and espresso goodness. Oh, and it’s aged in rye whiskey barrels. You’ll also get all kinds of hints of vanilla and caramel in this impressive 11.2 percent imperial stout.

Frame-Worthy Flavor Here in Corvallis there are distinct flavors for each season, locally sourced from regional farmers and foragers, brewers and winemakers.

So no, you won’t find this at home. The memorable meals you’ll enjoy in Corvallis are truly farm to plate: a multisensory art form infused with regional character.

Come taste and see what we mean by delightfully different.

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Create new memories

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CRAVINGS:

FRENCH ONION SOUP

Jordan Hughes

PAPA HAYDEN

Pink Rabbit libations such Fast Car by Tracy Chapman will run you down oh so pleasantly, with tequila and mezcal.

Gastronomy

701 NW 23RD AVE. PORTLAND 5829 SE MILWAUKIE AVE. PORTLAND www.papahaydn.com

LA PROVENCE

Pink Rabbit written by Lauren Sharp TAKE A TRIP DOWN the rabbit hole in Portland’s Pearl District at Pink Rabbit cocktail lounge. Pull a seat up at the neon-lit bar in the revamped space with its popart mural paying homage to its namesake bunny for hopped-up cocktails served until midnight most weekdays and 2 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays.

At the helm is industry veteran Collin Nicholas who cut his teeth on mixology in late-night leaders New York City and the Bay Area, and is a two-time finalist of Bombay Sapphire’s “Most Imaginative Bartender Award.” He grew up immersed in the strong cocktail of cultures of the East Bay and Berkeley, which he’s been bringing to bar programs across Portland as the bar director of Submarine Hospitality Group (Tusk, Takibi, Ava Gene’s).

Pink Rabbit is his first solo leap. “I’m excited to incorporate all the influences from past projects into the cocktails I’ve developed for Pink Rabbit,” said Nicholas, “It’s truly an inspiration from every region I’ve lived.” Nicholas and his team had been developing the Pink Rabbit idea for a few years, with the 2020 shutdown putting a delay in their original opening plans. During that time, Nicholas and team transitioned the old, dimly-lit eclectic space into a bright, sunlit bar that stands out for it’s colorful, fresh vibe.

Tempting libations include customer favorite Fast Car by Tracy Chapman, a melange based on tequila, mezcal, Cocchi Americano aperitif wine, saffron and grapefruit. The signature Pink Rabbit, is a balanced concoction that includes tequila, sherry, watermelon, coconut, lime and curry oil.

Chef Jonathan Holiday delivers a cocktail pairings menu with craveable and shareable globally influenced dishes such as miang khum, a pocket-sized betel leaf topped with coconut, shrimp and peanuts, and yucca tots, with garlic chives, kimchi ranch and sweet chili. Late night patrons can also rejoice as Holiday serves up an abbreviated menu from 11 p.m. until close.

After a drizzly day in western Oregon (not unlike those this time of year in Aix-en-Provence), put on your beret and head to this bistro, with multiple locations in the Portland area and The Dalles. Their rendition of this soup with beef consomme has a blanket of Provençal-style bread and melted Swiss and Parmesan cheeses. Savor it with a full-bodied red such as Bieler Père et Fils’ côtes-du-Rhône.

408 E. 2ND ST. THE DALLES www.provencepdx.com

THE VINTAGE RESTAURANT & BAR This quaint restaurant and dessert bar in downtown Eugene always is the perfect stop for a rich bowl of French onion soup.

Pair it with one of their handcrafted cocktails. such as the crisp and refreshing St. Citrine, a melange of vanilla-infused vodka, elderflower liqueur, grapefruit and a splash of soda, or keep it savory with a jalapenoinfused bloody Mary.

837 LINCOLN ST. EUGENE www.eugenevintage.com

232 NW 12TH AVE. PORTLAND www.pinkrabbitpdx.com

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This Portland classic is well known for the place to get dessert, however, their menu is filled with savory gems including their French onion soup, which some call the city’s best. Restore your vivacité with this dark, caramelized, cold-weather delight in Northwest or Sellwood.

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2021

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food + drink

BEST PLACES FOR

CHAI + SCONES THE DRAGONFLY COFFEE HOUSE

2387 NW THURMAN ST. PORTLAND www.thedragonflycoffeehouse.com

TEA CHAI TÉ There’s no better place to spend a rainy Oregon winter day that perched inside this tea bar’s eclectic dining room. Offering more than a dozen varieties of housemade chai blends ranging from the woodsy, decaf Rooibos Chai No. 77 to more traditional blends such as the Kasmiri Chai no. 37, this is a chai-lovers dream. Plus, their locally sourced gluten-free scones make a perfect pairing.

Carly Diaz

Looking for the perfect place to unwind after a crisp fall hike at Portland’s sprawling Forest Park?

Flit over to the Dragonfly Coffee House, which stands out for their house-made Urban Hike Chai.

This cozy neighborhood cafe also offers a selection of fresh handcrafted pastries, such as the pumpkin berry scone. Gluten-free options, too.

Dining

Put your palate in Chef Joel Lui-Kwan’s command at Lovely Rita with the “off menu” prix-fixe dinner, the chef’s selection of starters, main dishes and dessert.

Lovely Rita written by Lauren Sharp

Warm up after a day on the slopes at this family-owned coffee shop in northeast Bend.

Stay awhile to sip a fan favorite, Mountain High Chai tea latte, teamed with fresh ginger and cardamom. You’ll also want to snag a fresh-baked scone sourced from Too Sweet Cakes and Sparrow Bakery.

TEEMING WITH ’60s glam—bronze fixtures, velvet chairs, walnut dining tables— this spot at The Hoxton hotel is the place for an evening cocktail and small plates or prix-fixe dining. Adjacent to Portland’s Old Town Chinatown, it was scheduled to open in early 2020, Lovely Rita opened October 15.

Just like the lovely meter maid of the song invoked by its name, the space will be devoted to work (and lounging) during the day, transforming into a sultry dining destination for dinner. Of course, the hyper-local rotating beer, spirits and wine menu will be available throughout the day.

Chef Joel Lui-Kwan took the creative lead on the Pacific Northwest concept, overseeing the food throughout the hotel, which besides Lovely Rita, includes the breakfast and lunch cafe Little Rita and the rooftop bar, Tope. Lui-Kwan’s menu embraces smoked fish, oysters, pan-roasted meats, seasonal vegetables and artisan charcuterie sourced from farmers in the region. The chef and his team are dedicated to supporting local food sources yet also incorporating specialty items such as the Spanish octopus appetizer. For PNW flavor, order the elk tartar with cured egg yolk, pickled shimeji mushrooms, mustard seed and rye crackers or the smoked trout, with Nantes carrot, panisse (crisp, fried chickpea), romesco (a rich Catalonia-style tomato sauce) and mint.

Put your palate in Lui-Kwan’s command for an immersive Northwest culinary experience by ordering “off menu” for two or more guests. The family-style dinner is the chef ’s selection of starters, main dishes and dessert at $75 per person. Add a wine or beer pairing for $50. This gives you a personalized taste of the chef ’s creativity in the kitchen, influenced by his Hawaiian roots, life in Portland and volunteer work on farms across the region.

63130 LANCASTER ST., #145 BEND www.wildrootscoffeehouse.com

15 NW 4TH AVE. PORTLAND www.thehoxton.com/portland/lovely-rita-restaurant

41 WEST BROADWAY EUGENE 734 NW 23RD AVE. PORTLAND www.teachaite.com

WILD ROOTS COFFEE HOUSE

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NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2021

Experience the magic of chocolate at:

717 SW 10th Ave Portland, OR 97205 503.223.4720 www.maloys.com

That warm holiday glow For fine antique and custom jewelry, or for repair work, come visit us, or shop online at Maloys.com. We also buy.

farm to table Rex Leach with his boat the Ms. Julie.

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farm to table

After a stretch at sea fishing for rockfish, the trawler Ms. Julie arrives at port, where its catch is unloaded.

Farm to Table

Rock On

Rockfish rebound in Oregon’s waters, and one man’s catch is another one’s delight​ written by Sophia McDonald photography by Jon Christopher Meyers IN 2000, THE WATERS off the Oregon coast had been so severely overfished that it was declared a federal disaster zone. Scientists with the National Marine Fisheries Service predicted that even if drastic action was taken, commercial fishing would not rebound in the area until at least 2030.

It turned out they were sorely mistaken. In 2011, trawl fisherman catching rockfish and other species landed 3.5 million pounds of their scaly, slippery prey. In 2018, they netted 25.3 million pounds. In 2019, the number was closer to 25 million, according to Yelena Nowak, director of the Oregon Trawl Commission.

Rex Leach of Coos Bay, who has been a commercial fisherman since 1978, was on the Oregon Trawl Commission when regulations to restore the fishery were enacted. He and many others

opposed the restrictions at first. “We thought we were going to starve,” he said.

He lost that battle, but “thank heavens we did,” he said. “It saved our fishery. Otherwise, we would be out of business.”

Today, he’s a strong advocate for those regulations and the ones that remain. “We want a healthy ocean for our kids. We want it to be sustainable for them in the future.” Instead of a disaster zone, his hunting grounds are now a place where he can see his two sons working for the rest of their lives.

Leach got his introduction to fishing as a child, by crabbing with his father and grandfather. As he got older, he was drawn to the profession by the idea that he could fish part of the year and make enough money to do what he wanted for the rest of the year.

He started with one boat, the Ms. Julie, and eventually added the Texas Lady and Cap Elza to his small fleet.

With a vessel of his size, it would be hard to earn a living fishing for salmon, which is seasonal. Rockfish, however, can be fished year-round, and proved to be a much more lucrative catch. “I can catch 10,000 pounds of rockfish in 20 to 30 minutes if they’re schooled up in a spot,” said Leach. “And you can go back to that spot four or five day later and they’re still there.” Although it’s more typical for a fishing trip to last two days, he can bring home an impressive haul in that time.

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1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE 37

farm to table

FROM LEFT Freshly caught rockfish, ready to be filleted and processed. Fishermen and deckhands unload the Ms. Julie after three days of fishing off the Oregon Coast.

Oregon’s coastal waters are rich with twenty-five different species of rockfish, including black, vermillion, canary and yelloweye, which has been the slowest species to rebound. They are distinguished by their color and where they live. As the names imply, nearshore-slope or shelf rockfish live in shallow water near land, while midwater and deep-water rockfish thrive farther out in the ocean.

Leach catches rockfish with trawl nets, massive fiber webs with a set of steel doors that sink to the bottom of the ocean. The doors open at a 45-degree angle to allow fish in. As the nets drift along, rockfish will swim in but not back out. (They don’t tend to paddle against the current, he said.) Once nets are winched back to the boat, the steel doors open and the fish drop into the iced hull for storage.

Leach’s job isn’t as simple as motoring into the ocean and dropping a net, though. Due to the regulations from the

Oregon’s coastal waters are rich with twenty-five different species of rockfish, including black, vermillion, canary and yelloweye, which has been the slowest species to rebound. They are distinguished by their color and where they live.

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National Ocean and Atmospheric Administration, which regulates American fisheries, every boat must pay nearly $600 a day for a government employee to accompany them on a trip and monitor their activities. Monitors make sure that fishermen aren’t engaging in illegal practices such as killing fish and throwing them overboard because they aren’t the right species, something that used to be common. The number of fishing trips and the amount each fisherman can catch per year is limited to prevent overharvesting.

Back on shore, the fish are processed for sale—fresh if possible, because it fetches more money, but frozen if it can’t be sold in time. When the fishery shut down in the aughts, cheaper choices such as tilapia and catfish swooped in and took over.

When rockfish reentered the market, it had to undercut those prices to compete, Leach noted. But as people learn more about the quality of this simple but delicious white fish, prices, like its population, rise. That’s one more reason he’s grateful to be in this business.

As the focal point of a meal, rockfish is a versatile ingredient available fresh or frozen year-round. Perhaps the simplest way to prepare it is to seal it in parchment with vegetables and herbs, and bake it. It’s easy, and instructions come courtesy of Kyle Chriestenson, chef de cuisine at Red Hills Kitchen in McMinnville (see pg. 41).

So for a tempting Tuesday taco night, think grilled rockfish tacos with melon salsa, a recipe from Erik Englund, owner of Flying Fish in Portland.

For a taste of Vietnam instead, coat rockfish in sesame seeds and serve it in a bahn mi sandwich. The recipe for this crunchy, satisfying creation is on pg. 40, straight from the kitchen of Aaron Bedard, chef at the Stephanie Inn in Cannon Beach, where the rockfish swim.

farm to table

Oregon Recipes

The perfect pairing of French baguette and Oregon rockfish is revealed in Stephanie Inn’s sesame-crusted rockfish banh mi.

Rock Your Menu with Fish Sesame-Crusted Rockfish Banh Mi Stephanie Inn / CANNON BEACH Aaron Bedard SERVES 2

Stephanie Inn

• 1 cup water • 1 cup sugar • 1 cup rice wine vinegar • ½ cup onion, thinly sliced • ½ cup carrots, julienned • 1 jalapeño, seeded and julienned lengthwise • 2 tablespoons Sriracha • ½ cup mayonnaise • 1 egg • ¼ cup milk • ½ cup sesame seeds • ¼ cup flour • 1 tablespoon olive oil • 1 pound fresh rockfish, pin bones removed • ¼ cup cilantro leaves • 2 6-inch baguettes

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In a sauce pot, bring the water, sugar and vinegar to a boil. Remove from heat and add the onions, carrots and jalapeño. Set aside to cool.

In a small bowl, mix the Sriracha with mayonnaise. Set aside.

Whisk egg with milk and pour onto a plate. On two separate plates, put the flour and the sesame seeds. Season the rockfish with salt and pepper. Dredge the rockfish in flour, then the egg mixture, then the sesame seeds. Preheat a nonstick skillet on medium heat and add olive oil. When it is hot, add rockfish. Cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, then flip and continue to cook until the fish is cooked through, about 3 to 4 more minutes.

To assemble the sandwich, cut one baguette in half. Place the rockfish on bottom piece and top with half of the pickled vegetables and cilantro leaves. Spread the desired amount of Sriracha mayonnaise on the top piece. Repeat with the second baguette. Cut each in half.

farm to table

Parchment-Baked Rockfish

Red Hills Kitchen / MCMINNVILLE Kyle Chriestenson

• 4 medium zucchini • 6 Roma tomatoes • 1 medium yellow sweet onion • 8 cloves of garlic • 1 or 2 hot peppers, such as Fresno or jalapeño • 18 pitted green olives • 10 thyme sprigs; remove and mince leaves from half

• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, plus extra for finishing • 3 tablespoons regularground salt • 1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper • 4 pounds of rockfish fillets, pin bones removed • 4 lemons • A few pinches of coarse sea salt for finishing (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Thinly slice zucchini, tomato, onion, garlic and hot pepper. Chop olives and thyme. Place the rest in a large mixing bowl, (reserving a few rings of pepper for garnish) and drizzle vegetables in the bowl with 6 tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle with 1½ tablespoons of the regular-ground salt and ½ tablespoon of the freshly ground pepper. Mix well. Place vegetables in an 8-inch by 12.75-inch parchment bag.

In the same bowl, place the rockfish and sprinkle both sides with the remaining ground salt and pepper. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil. Place fish in a shingled layer on the vegetables in the parchment bag. Slice the lemons into thin rings and place them on top of the fish fillets. Top with the remaining thyme sprigs.

Squeeze any extra air out of the bag and roll the ends closed. Place the parchment bag into a baking dish with the rolled ends tucked under the bag. Bake for 25 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to stand for 5 minutes. With a pair of kitchen scissors, cut an X in the center of the bag and peel back corners to expose fish, taking care to not get burned by the steam. If desired, sprinkle portions with coarse sea salt and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

Natalie Gildersleeve

SERVES 6

Flying Fish’s grilled rockfish tacos combine the citrus flavors of melon salsa with Mexican crema and shichimi togarashi, a Japanese spice blend.

Grilled Rockfish Tacos with Melon Salsa Flying Fish / PORTLAND Erik Englund SERVES 4 • 1 medium melon such as honeydew, Charantais or casaba), cut into small dice • 1 English cucumber, cut into small dice • ½ red onion, cut into small dice • 1 bunch cilantro; chop half and reserve the rest

• 4-inch piece of fresh ginger, minced • 8 corn tortillas • 1 pound rockfish fillets • 1 cup Mexican crema or sour cream • 1 small to medium red cabbage, thinly sliced • 2 tablespoons shichimi togarashi Japanese spice blend • 1 lime, cut into 8 wedges

Kyle Chriestenson

FOR SALSA In a small bowl, mix together the melon, cucumber, red onion, chopped cilantro and ginger. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Bake rockfish along with seasonal vegetables, all within parchment.

FOR PLATING Brush tortillas with a small amount of water. Warm both sides on the grill. Set aside on a plate covered with a dry dinner napkin.

Lightly oil the rockfish. Season with salt and pepper and grill until cooked through.

Top tortillas with a good pinch of cabbage, rockfish and salsa. Finish with a few cilantro leaves, a dollop of crema and a pinch of shichimi. Serve with lime wedges.

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1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE 41

farm to table

Homegrown Chef

A Rockfish By Any Other Name written by Thor Erickson photography by Tambi Lane ORDER ROCKFISH at a restaurant in New York, and you’ll likely get a striped bass. Place the same order in California, and you could end up with a vermilion rockfish. Here in Oregon, rockfish can be anything from quillback, pygmy, shortbelly, longspine, yellow-eye, to widow, canary, chilipepper, thornyhead and the old standby—red snapper.

Oregon sport and commercial fishermen regularly catch more than twenty-five species of rockfish. Many of these rockfish have similar characteristics and are difficult to tell apart.

According to the Food and Drug Administration, a single fish species can go by multiple names from the time it’s caught until the time it ends up on your plate, and many kinds of fish can legally be sold under a single name.

The good news is that all these species of Oregon rockfish taste relatively the same. The flesh is versatile and can be prepared in many ways, from sautéing, grilling and baking, to steaming or frying. The mild flavor of the fish is a great backdrop for bold flavors.

On chilly Oregon days of fall and early winter, I love to create a quick getaway to warm climates via my palate, with fish tacos and a cold beer.

All these species of Oregon rockfish taste relatively the same. The flesh is versatile and can be prepared in many ways, from sautéing, grilling and baking, to steaming or frying.

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Oregon Rockfish Tacos SERVES 4 • 11/4 cups all-purpose flour • 2 tablespoons paprika • 2 teaspoons black pepper • 1 teaspoon garlic powder • 1 pinch of kosher salt • 1 cup Oregon lager • 1 egg • 1 cup mayonnaise • 3 tablespoons canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce • 1 teaspoon fresh garlic, minced • 2 quarts canola oil • 1 pound Oregon rockfish cut into eight, 2-ounce pieces • 16 corn tortillas • 1/4 head of red cabbage, finely shredded • Pickled red onions (ingredients and recipe below) • 1/2 cup fresh, whole cilantro leaves • 2 limes, cut into wedges FOR THE PICKLED RED ONIONS • 1 red onion • 3 tablespoons avocado oil (or other light oil such as canola oil) • ¼ cup rice wine vinegar • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt • 1/8 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper FOR THE PICKLED RED ONIONS Thinly julienne red onions, cutting with the “grain” of the onion.

Heat oil in a medium sauté pan over medium heat for 30 seconds and immediately add onions to pan. Wilt the onions,

do not let them turn brown.

Add vinegar, salt and pepper. Bring to a simmer and turn off the stove.

Cover pan with a lid and let it sit for 10 minutes to cool to room temperature while you prepare the tacos.

FOR THE TACOS Combine flour, paprika, black pepper, garlic and kosher salt using a whisk. Mix beer and egg together and add to the flour mixture and whisk until a smooth batter is formed. Set aside.

Combine mayonnaise, chipotle and minced garlic in a medium bowl and whisk until homogenous.

Set aside.

Heat oil in a deep fryer, Dutch oven, or large saucepan to 350 degrees.

Transfer fish pieces to bowl with batter and turn to coat thoroughly. Working one piece at a time, dip the fish in the batter, letting the excess batter drip away. With tongs or dry fingers, carefully lower a couple of pieces of the fish into the hot oil. Turn occasionally, until golden brown on all sides, about 3 minutes total.

Transfer to a paper towellined plate and season with salt. Repeat with remaining fish, frying a couple of pieces at a time.

Heat the tortillas in a large skillet. Divide the tortillas into 8 stacks of two tortillas layered one on top of the other.

Top each with a bit of shredded cabbage, 1 piece of fish, pickled red onions, chipotle mayo and cilantro. Serve with lime wedges.

farm to table

Tacos with fresh rockfish, plentiful yearround, offer a winter getaway for the palate.

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2021

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home + design

“I did a lot of things to get north light, because that’s the steady light that a painter likes.”

— Brenda Smola-Foti, owner of The Farmhouse @Tabula Rasa Farms

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home + design

Home Stay

What makes an Airbnb retreat feel special? Two popular Oregon hosts offer tips for your home or rental written by Melissa Dalton

Tabula Rasa Farms

Tabula Rasa Farms: A ScandinavianInfluenced Farmhouse in Carlton THE AIRBNB REVIEWS of The Farmhouse@Tabula Rasa Farms are effusive. “This home was beyond amazing,” reads one. “If you appreciate design, this is your spot,” goes another. One really makes their case: “Every single light has a dimmer in the entire house.” After all, when the farmhouse’s owner, Brenda Smola-Foti designed the farmhouse more than a decade ago, she paid careful attention to the details, especially lighting.

“I did a lot of things to get north light, because that’s the steady light that a painter likes,” said Smola-Foti, who grew up working on her father’s cattle ranch in Oklahoma, and now describes herself as “an artist who made the jump to farmer.”

In 2008, Smola-Foti bought twenty-three acres of farmland near Carlton. The land was “really raw,” with no electricity, infrastructure—and she soon learned— not much water. Four attempts to drill brought nothing, and she was getting discouraged. “My now husband really talked me into keeping going and moving forward,” said Smola-Foti. “And that’s when I started designing the house.” Smola-Foti wanted the farmhouse to be her home and painting studio, and planning it was an “act of faith” that the land would provide. It did. The fifth attempt at a well struck.

Now, Smola-Foti runs Tabula Rasa Farms, a regenerative agriculture practice that raises pork and grassfed beef on the site. The farmhouse is positioned on a rise, with an oak savannah grove behind it and pastures spread below. The home’s basic shape was influenced by a log cabin Smola-Foti once rented. “It started out as 35 by 40 feet with a loft,” said Smoli-Foti of the early design.

A later remodel with architect David Horning added a mud room, expansive porch, and second bedroom suite.

Natural light is prioritized via oversized windows in the shared living spaces. Clean lines and warm woods are a nod to Smola-Foti’s affection for Scandinavian decor, AT LEFT The Farmhouse overlooks the pastures of Tabula Rasa Farm in Carlton, a leader in the regenerative agriculture movement. Relax on the deck and watch cows graze.

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1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE 45

Tabula Rasa Farms

Tabula Rasa Farms

home + design

ABOVE, FROM TOP With an aesthetic gained from having lived in Norway between high school and college, the owner installed an exposed loft built from salvaged beams from her partner’s shipyard.

The porch is vacation-perfect, as is the outdoor shower.

gained from having lived in Norway between high school and college. Wood floors and an exposed loft built from salvaged beams from her partner’s shipyard anchor the open plan. Custom shelves hold favorite books and a Morso woodstove cozies a corner. An Ikea kitchen tucked under the loft is a workhorse ready for big meal prep, and the two upstairs bedrooms are wrapped in shiplap wood for a snugger feel.

The porch is a vacationer’s dream, with a protected area nestled in the trees, a sunny deck for enjoying the vista and an outdoor shower. SmolaFoti also made the home as energy efficient as possible, and installed rainwater collection tanks with a filtration system to supply primary water, with the well for backup. In this way, the house “mirrors a lot of the things that we do on the farm,” said Smola-Foti.

Artwork is peppered throughout, created by the artist-owner and pulled from her personal collection. “One of the things reflected in the Airbnb is that it was my workplace and home,” said SmolaFoti, who has since moved to another spot on the property. “I put all of my journey into that house.”

And if the five-star reviews are any indication, the guests certainly appreciate it.

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home + design

Alba Betancourt

AT CENTER River Cabaan near Tillamook sits between forest and a private, 300foot stretch of pebbled beach along the Wilson River for easy access to swimming, fishing and campfires.

AT LEFT The simple, tasteful interior includes wall-to-wall windows, creating a lightfilled space for absorbing the vistas.

Bennett Young

River Cabaan: A Cool River Getaway Near Tillamook Karie Higgins and Lee Gibson know a thing or two about running a successful Airbnb. On the Instagram channel for the @rivercabaan, the moniker for their midcentury Wilson River retreat followed by more than 17,000 people, the couple post about their chic cabin, garnering hundreds of likes. The home has been used for multiple photoshoots by brands such as Floyd, a furniture company in Detroit, and Parachute linens, as well as design-minded entities. There’s a waitlist to book, and when upcoming available dates are announced, the calendar fills up four months of reservations in ten minutes.

So, what’s the secret? “Obviously, the location can’t be beat,” said Higgins, who works as a brand director for a New York City jewelry line. The cabin sits on 328 feet of private frontage on the Wilson River, with a wall of windows and a big deck overlooking the water. It’s an ideal spot for summer hangs around the campfire and finding secret swimming holes, yet also fun for winter, when people can curl up in front of the fireplace and enjoy the views from the couch.

As the name River Cabaan might suggest, Higgins and Gibson, who’s a footwear designer at Nike, have created an experience that turns common expectations of cabin decor on its head. “Ours is a little bit different than a classic Pacific Northwest cabin,” said Higgins. “It’s lighter and brighter, so with the combination of the river, the interior is very relaxing and tranquil.”

It’s true that cabins can run dark, and this one was no different. Built in 1963, it was likely a fishing haunt, and had dark wood floors, wood-paneled walls and an orange brick fireplace. A healthy dose of white paint transformed it. “It was a lot of painting—that was the main thing that we worked on to just lighten and brighten it up,” said Higgins.

Stylish curation comes naturally to the creative couple, so they mixed vintage designer finds, as with the ’70s-era cane chairs found on Craigslist, and design store picks, such as the Deep Thoughts Chaise from Blu-dot, with the occasional IKEA piece for balance. “I think some people, because it’s a rental, don’t want to put anything special in the space,” said Higgins. “But I think what makes an Airbnb feel great is knowing that there’s some lovingly curated touches and design elements throughout.”

At the River Cabaan, the thoughtful details are many. There’s the living room’s record player and vinyl collection, “a really eclectic mix of records,” noted Higgins, for any mood. Rumpled linen sheets suggest an afternoon nap, while in the bathroom, a face mask by Portland-brand Wild Care is waiting. Then there’s the handmade ceramics and glassware on the kitchen shelves, with pretty cookbooks to inspire the discovery of new recipe. The goal, said Higgins, is that once guests check in, they feel pleasantly pampered until it’s time to head home.

“It’s those little luxuries,” said Higgins, that make all the difference.

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Tabula Rasa Farms

home + design

A covered deck lets you take in the bucolic scene from The Farmhouse at Tabula Rasa Farm.

DIY: Tips for a Successful Airbnb MAINTAIN INVENTORY No guest wants to have to run to the store for a sponge or toilet paper on vacation. Higgins uses Amazon’s subscription service to stay on top of supplies for the River Cabaan. “A lot of the admin of an Airbnb is the stock and the cleaning,” said Higgins, so streamlining the process with regular deliveries is a time-saver. Have on hand things that visitors commonly forget to pack as well, such as extra toothbrushes and deodorant, said Smola-Foti.

DON’T FORGET THE OUTDOORS While the Carlton farmhouse has a lot of dedicated outdoor space, including a deck and covered porch, SmolaFoti makes sure to populate it with ample seating so that guests can take advantage of finding a place in the sun.

Likewise, at the River Cabaan, there’s a hammock, too.

KEEP IT FRESH No one wants to dry off with a towel that’s lost its fluff, or sleep on threadbare sheets. While responsible laundering is, of course, a must, keep an eye for when these items inch past their prime, and replace them. Higgins will also swap out furniture when it’s looking a little worn, or change the art for a fresh new look.

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PLENTY OF STORAGE There’s something wonderful about turning around, and having a wall hook right where you need it. Higgins suggested plenty of baskets for visitors to stow their stuff, and helpful wall hooks, especially by exterior doors and in bedrooms.

GO LOCAL, AND A LITTLE LUXURIOUS The River Cabaan offers coffee from Portland mainstay Stumptown, and shampoo and conditioner from Seattlebased Rudy’s. “Luxurious touchpoints,” Higgins called such thoughtful additions, and it’s even better if they are local products.

STOCK THE KITCHEN A fully-equipped kitchen in a rental is always appreciated, said Smola-Foti, who gets positive feedback from guests for just that. Higgins includes top-notch condiments and a Chemex coffee maker alongside artisan drinkware.

“Then they don’t have to worry about bringing salt and pepper and olive oil and things like that,” said Higgins. “It takes a little bit of work, but it makes the experience so much more seamless.”

ADVENTURE MAKES THE HEART GROW FONDER EAST PEAK, WALLOWA MOUNTAINS

wallowacountychamber.com

Bring a piece of the Northwest into your home or office.

Tables starting at $800 dougfir.com

home + design

Favorite Gems from the River Cabaan

Curious about the hype around linen sheets? Try the Linen Starter Bedroom Bundle from Parachute, the direct-to-consumer brand that may have started all the talk. Available in eleven colors, the set includes a fitted sheet, two pillowcases, duvet cover and insert, and two pillows. www.parachutehome.com

Bring on the color with the rainbow hues of bath towels by Dusen Dusen, a womenswear and home goods line based in Brooklyn, New York. We especially like the set of towels called Pattern, which features a mix of bold prints in modern color combinations. www.dusendusen.com

The River Cabaan stocks enamelware from the heritage British brand Falcon Enamelware, and Crow Canyon Home based closer to home, in Northern California. Plus, their Splatter 16-piece Dinnerware Set has an unexpected marbled pattern that will look good on tables outside or in and are still hearty enough for everyday use. www.crowcanyonhome.com

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AGIC MAGIC

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Victor Sailer/Photo Run

mind + body

Ryan Crouser at the 2021 Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, where setting world records has become a competition against only himself.

Global Domination The crusher of world records and the Tokyo Olympics talks the mystique of Hayward Field, 1,000-calorie meals and the best job on earth written by James Sinks

WHEN A YOUNG Ryan Crouser first learned to hurl a shot put in his grandfather’s backyard in Gresham, he celebrated new personal bests each time, and loved to try to launch the metal ball past the throwing zone patch of sand, out onto the grass and sometimes out of the yard. He dreamt of winning championships and breaking records.

Now, roughly two decades later, he’s doing a lot of winning—including four college titles and two Olympic gold medals. This year was one for the ages for the world’s top-ranked male shot put athlete.

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After training for much of the pandemic on a handmade plywood throwing platform in Fayetteville, Arkansas, where he is a track and field assistant coach at the University of Arkansas, Ryan opened the 2021 campaign by setting a world record for indoor track and field in shot put, throwing a distance of 74 feet, 10.5 inches.

That was just the beginning. For the U.S. Olympic Trials, he returned to Hayward Field at the University of Oregon in Eugene, where he has been competing since qualifying for the Junior Olympics in fifth grade. “There’s no place in the world where I’d rather compete,” said Crouser, who’s been to scores of venues. “There’s the dedication of the fans and the world-class facilities, even more so now. Track and field is showcased best at Hayward Field.”

In June in Eugene, the 6-foot-7 Crouser heaved his 16-pound shot put the longest distance ever recorded at a meet—76 feet, 8.25 inches—longer than two full-size school buses parked end-to-end.

That feat crushed the world outdoor mark that had stood since 1990, two years before he was born.

And then, as part of the United States team a month later in Tokyo, the defending Olympic champion from 2016 won gold again—and notched a new Olympic distance record of 75 feet-5.5 inches in a winning performance that was so dominant, five of his six throws went farther than those of everyone else there.

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mind + body

Ryan Crouser at the 2021 Prefontiane Classic in Eugene.

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mind + body

Victor Sailer/Photo Run

Afterward, he donned his trademark cowboy hat and flashed a handwritten sign that paid tribute to his grandfather, who died a month before the games. “Grandpa, we did it,” the sign said.

Ryan says the trick to shot put is to not overthink it. That, besides relentless workouts and a strict 5,000-calorie-a-day diet regimen to stay in pinnacle shape. “All the preparation is done well before,” he said. “You don’t win on the day of the meet, it’s the preparations that went in beforehand.”

The best throws happen when you clear your head, he maintains. Relax. Don’t force it. Akin to golf, if you try too hard when you swing, you’re more likely to shank it into the neighboring fairway.

Crouser comes from Oregon track and field royalty.

The Crouser clan likes to throw things, and they are particularly good at it. His grandfather set the Gresham High School record in javelin in the 1950s. His dad and coach, Mitch Crouser, was an alternate for the 1984 Olympics for discus. His uncle qualified for the Olympics twice as a javelin thrower. Another uncle also throws the javelin, as do several cousins.

Looking forward, Ryan knows he can still go further.

“It’s almost easier in the sense I am just competing against myself.

I don’t need to worry about chasing what anybody else has done.

The thing about having the world record is that if ever I throw a new personal best, it’s a new world record. The goal for me is always trying to improve myself and my personal bests.”

In August, he returned to Eugene for his first post-Olympics competition—the annual Prefontaine Classic. A tower of a man with white Nikes and a mullet, he scanned the multihued green seats in the sea of stands in the gleaming, historic, newly rebuilt arena and stepped back into the familiar 7-foot-diameter ring.

He cradled the 16-pounds of iron and tungsten against his chin. He cleared his head, spun a tight pirouette, and let it fly.

The ball bounced into the sand at the far edge of the pit, 75 feet11.5 inches away. Good enough for first place on that day, but not quite another world record.

Afterward, in an interview, he was asked if the university should make the Hayward shot-put pit bigger. After all, at 80 feet long, is it perhaps not big enough, given that he keeps throwing it farther than anyone ever has?

Ryan shook his head. Don’t change it.

Someday, he says, if everything goes right and he keeps improving, maybe he will make it onto the grass.

“All the preparation is done well before. You don’t win on the day of the meet, it’s the preparations that went in beforehand.”

Ryan Crouser

Shot Put World Record Holder Age: 28 Born: Portland Raised: Boring Schools: Sam Barlow High School, Gresham; University of Texas at Austin Champion: World Record Holder, indoor and outdoor, 2021; 2016 and 2020 Olympic Gold Medalist and Olympic record holder

WORKOUT “It varies throughout the year,” he said. Inseason, he focuses more on throwing. In the off-season, the fall and winter before indoor season begins, he maintains a grueling six-day-a week cycle to maintain peak muscle mass and his weight of more than 300 pounds. The routine focuses on upper and lower body muscle groups on Mondays and Tuesdays, and other days with Olympic-style lifts and exercise styles including core training and plyometrics to maintain strength and quickness. “When I am working on heavy singles, my best back squat is about 700 pounds, my best bench is in the mid 500s, cleans are in the low 400s and snatches in the low 300s.”

NUTRITION “The goal is 5,000 calories every day, 50 weeks a year, and you try to do it in five 1,000-calorie meals, which helps with recovery, performance and building muscle. It’s a lot of lean red meat and chicken, and whole grains like brown rice and quinoa.”

MOTIVATION “It’s an opportunity to do something at a high level that not a ton of people get to experience, and I am just trying to appreciate it while I can. There’s not a whole lot of things in life where you can really dedicate yourself 100 percent, and have the outcome be that I can 100 percent say that today, I’m the best I’ve ever been.

That’s a pretty special feeling. For me, I get to train as a professional athlete, lift weights, coach college kids, and throw a big heavy ball around as a job. And you get to travel around the world.”

— Ryan Crouser, shot put world record holder

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artist in residence

Graffiti Lessons From spray can to canvas, Portland artist Mayfair blends street sense with fine art sophistication written by Daniel O’Neil

DEPENDING ON WHERE and when you see Mayfair, you may think you’re encountering several different individuals. One is dressed in a tailored Italian suit, vest and tie. Another is decked out in hip-hop clothes: spray-painted vest, flat-billed hat. Yet another wears a paintstained shirt, arms sleeved in tattoos, hands covered with the colors he’s mixing. Don’t let any of these appearances fool you. Mayfair is a dental industry professional, a selfless promoter, a graffiti artist and a talented painter all in one.

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David Acuna

On sunny days, Mayfair often gets easel and boombox for en plein air action in Portland.

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Born in El Salvador in 1975, Omar “Mayfair” Pleitez moved to Canoga Park, in Los Angeles, at age 4. By age 12, he was the youngest member of a graffiti crew, filling notebooks and walls using markers and spray cans. Life quickly taught him important lessons. “Because I’m from the streets, I’m humble,” he said.

“I know what it’s like to struggle, and that’s not lost on me.”

Mayfair learned to hustle early. Doing graffiti, he proved his self-confidence and his skills. Becoming a dad at age 17, he committed to a career in the dental industry, which shifted his focus away from spray paint. But the hiatus from art only proved temporary. “I am always an artist, always going to be an artist, always going to paint,” he said.

In 2004, a cousin suggested Mayfair create in a new way, using oils on canvas. Mayfair, whose name reflects an earlier ambition to be a writer, began experimenting with paint. “I fell in love with it, but I was terrible,” he said. He kept teaching himself to paint, a few portraiture workshops were his only formal training.

He lived in Los Angeles until 2010, when his employer, a dental insurance company, sent him to Portland, a city he’d never heard of before. The weather was an adjustment, but the cultural scene convinced him to stay. By now, he was taking himself more seriously as a painter. Hiding his “graf game” past, he talked with galleries, but they preferred artists with art degrees and previous shows. “I realized real quick that I was too street for the galleries, but I was too fine art for the street,” he said.

After what he called the “growing pains” of learning how the art world works, Mayfair found his way in Portland’s art scene.

He participated in shows but remained focused on the style, and dimensions, of art he envisioned. “People said the paintings were too big, that nobody would buy them because they were too expensive,” Mayfair said. “But do you compromise your style and the kind of work you do for the sake of a show? Or do you say, ‘No, that’s not how I get down?’ At a certain point you walk away and say, ‘I’m going to find my own lane to get into this thing.’ If they don’t open the front door, I’m going to knock down the back door.”

In 2018, Mayfair started Drenchtown Graffiti, promoting spray-can artists shunned by mainstream galleries. He rarely exhibits his own work in these shows, but makes sure Drenchtown showcases and fundraises for Morpheus Youth Project, a nonprofit that uses art to inspire under-served and incarcerated youth in the Portland area. “Mayfair has a really good heart,” said Carlos Chavez, executive director of Morpheus. “He wants to make sure everybody else gets seen and validated. He’s a true fan of the other artists.”

Graffiti has influenced Mayfair in multiple ways. It gave him a sense of community, instilled an appreciation for large canvases, and forced him to take on challenges. As a kid, Mayfair engaged in graffiti battles with rivals, each artist trying to prove superior skills. Now, Mayfair can only battle himself. “For me, it’s like, ‘What can I do to get me out of my comfort zone and make me paint a little more aggressively?’” he said. “So I can let myself know, ‘You’re not as dope as you think you are.’”

Photo to Canvas

artist in residence

“Little Ms. St. Claire” by Mayfair.

Lately, Mayfair has found his match in fabrics: silk and satin, its sheens and folds, the way a dress drapes across a body. It’s no coincidence that, outside of art, Mayfair customizes clothes and has designed a limited run of jackets and vests for Portland clothier Collier. Accordingly, the complexity of Renaissance-era women’s attire intrigued Mayfair, and a series of six paintings appeared in his mind. The vaulted ceilings of his Vancouver home’s garage gave him ample space to paint canvases nearly nine feet tall.

The challenge of such large-scale intricacy paid off. The artist stretched his abilities. And, after a blind jury review of his Renaissance series, Portland Open Studios invited Mayfair to show last October. This, in turn, helped him win a grant from Portland’s Regional Arts and Culture Council. “Mayfair is not only a disciplined artist, he’s also a natural entrepreneur and is very outgoing,” said Leah Kohlenberg, board chair of POS and cofounder of Get Gallery PDX. “He has a way of making folks feel at home, while his larger-than-life work inspires the dreamer in all of us.”

Come what may, including working in the dental field full-time and the havoc wreaked by Covid, Mayfair’s going to paint. On sunny days, he often sets up his easel and boombox somewhere in Portland, dressed with style, playing reggae and painting live for the passersby. “I’m always trying to pay it forward,” he said. Like a graffiti mural or one of his paintings, Mayfair’s character proves sizable and saturated with color.

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STARTUP 60 WHAT’S GOING UP 62 WHAT I’M WORKING ON 64 MY WORKSPACE 66 GAME CHANGER 68

Go inside The Essential Oil Company of Portland with founder Robert Seidel.

Dan Hawk

pg. 66

Photo, below: Christopher J. Scott

startup

ABOVE Tables from Doug Fir of Portland are on a mission to create reasonably priced dinner tables not made in Asia.

AT RIGHT Portland’s Eastside Woodworks helped design and make the Doug Fir prototype table.

Falling for Doug Fir

A Portland maker splits the market with locally sourced wood tables written by Cy Sampson MAC BISHOP HAD already founded one successful startup, Wool & Prince, when the idea of a second came to him—locally sourced wooden tables.

It began with a frustrating shopping experience in Portland, in which he and his wife couldn’t find a reasonably priced dinner table that wasn’t made in Asia. They ended up doubling the amount they were prepared to spend and contracted with a local woodworker who used Douglas fir bought from a sale after a flood in Clackamas County had felled the tree.

Bishop had found a gap in the market between imports and expensive custom furniture made from local resources. In April of 2021, he launched Doug Fir, a company founded on locally sourced wood and locally built dining tables that were priced for the middle market.

“Our tables are more expensive than Ikea, but similar to West Elm or Crate & Barrel, just made with materials from the Northwest and manufactured in the Northwest,” Bishop said.

To be able to scale the new business, Doug Fir couldn’t continue to build tables one by one affordably, they needed production and packaging contracts. “To get the price down, we needed a flatpacked furniture design,” said Bishop. “We found the perfect hardware partner in Germany to enable our simple, flat-pack design and a wood shop in Oregon that could handle our first production run of twenty tables.”

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A graduate of Cornell University, Bishop came into the working world with the right tools for managing startups. He studied entrepreneurship, marketing, accounting and finance. Passion is the only element college can’t teach.

While living in New York, the recent college graduate fell in love with Merino wool. He began to admire its looks, its resiliency and even its resistance to odor. Merino wool inspired him to take a self-imposed challenge of wearing the same wool shirt for 100 consecutive days without washing it and gauging its condition. More than three months later, the wool shirt looked passably good and emitted no odor, as shirts of any other material would. He had found his passion and founded Wool & Prince in 2013. The startup sold 3,000 shirts in ten days.

So far, Doug fir hasn’t made the immediate splash that Wool & Prince had. “The struggle for us is that at Doug Fir, we’re competing on both ends of the market—the custom furniture makers and the mass-market retailers,” he said. “So we try to be as aggressive with our price as possible while still keeping the quality of custom makers.”

A 6-foot-by-3-foot table made of Douglas Fir, for example, sells for $800 through the company’s website, dougfir.com. The equivalent table at Crate & Barrel runs more than $1,000 by comparison.

Wool & Prince’s vision is to “own less, own better and get to the things we love doing.” The same mission may equally apply to Doug Fir, where buying locally and with locally sourced materials is a way to reduce carbon and improve the local economy at the same time.

Going forward, Bishop said Doug Fir will add new local wood species to its portfolio, offer different sizes and shapes and eventually segue into chairs made from local resources and by local manufacturers.

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what’s going up?

Extensions of trails at Mt. Hood Meadows are among several that add to existing systems to make the hiking journey seamless.

Trail Tune-Up Get higher, hike longer, with new linkups in the mountains and at the coast written by Jacques Derning IN OREGON, it’s not about what’s going up as much as out. These new trails add to existing systems to make the hiking journey seamless. No matter, they broaden the recreational opportunity and improve the quality of life for all.

MT. HOOD New trails at Mt. Hood Meadows originate in the parking lot, then climb up to the top by way of the eastern side of the ski area. Not just a stand-alone network, they also connect to the Timberline Trail, Elk Meadows and Sahalie Falls.

BEND Discover Your Forest, a local nonprofit that promotes recreation in Deschutes National Forest (among others in Oregon) is helping to create a new set of summer hiking and running trails at Mt. Bachelor that offers an 11-mile complete hiking loop from West Village to the summit in the high cascades and back.

AT LEFT The trail construction project connecting Neahkahnie Mountain and Manzanita received a national award from the American Trails Coalition.

Mt. Hood Meadows

OREGON COAST The hallowed, but incomplete Oregon Coast Trail just got a little more connected. A coalition of groups including the Lower Nehalem Community Trust, the City of Manzanita, the Trailkeepers of Oregon and Northwest Youth Corps bought and built the missing 2-mile segment between Manzanita and Neahkahnie Mountain to help keep hikers on the trail and out of harm’s way by not having to walk along the shoulder of Highway 101.

SOUL, CALMED

what i’m working on

Goal: Net Zero An Oregonian brings lessons from a timber town to leadingedge climate change solutions interview by Fiona Max

Jesse Jenkins, shown here at a lecture, is working on the Carbon Mitigation Initiative of the Net-zero America Project.

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what i’m working on

FOLLOWING THE RELEASE of the United Nation’s damning report on climate change, we caught up with Professor Jesse Jenkins, a leading engineer in the United States’ transition to net-zero emissions. Jenkins grew up in Oregon, and was involved early in the Pacific Northwest’s clean energy industry. Now he is working on the Carbon Mitigation Initiative of the Net-zero America Project, which published research in December 2020 laying out five ways that America could get to net zero by 2050 and the leading transition model for a carbon-free U.S. Jenkins has a joint appointment at Princeton University, where he is an assistant professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering and at the Andlinger Center for Energy and the Environment.

What is the Net-Zero America Project, and what does it do?

The project aims to show that there are actually many different viable ways for the U.S. to get to net-zero emissions. The challenge is for society to navigate the trade-offs of each pathway and decide what we want as a country. We provide research and insights that guide better climate policy making. This means evaluating emerging technologies and using our models of future energy systems as a test-bed for novel energy technologies like long-duration energy storage, advanced geothermal energy generation or carbon capture.

We can also use our models to help identify what cost and performance targets different technologies need to reach to really have an impact.

Why is this the lead model for the U.S.?

What sets this model apart is that it paints a much more visceral picture of what an energy transition actually looks like across the country.

We tried to get as granular as possible about what’s needed to get built across the country, in a state, and sector by sector by 2050.

The model can say, ‘Go build 600 gigawatts of wind or solar,’ but what has to happen for that to be viable? What would happen to the thermal power plants across the country when they retire or get converted to something else? Where do we grow all the biomass that we need to harvest sustainably for bioenergy production? How do we build a network of CO2 pipelines across the country to take CO2 from where we capture it to where we need to store it? These are things we address.

What do you want to emphasize about the benefits of Net-Zero?

An important thing we found is the public health benefits of the clean energy transition. We could be saving a couple of hundred thousand lives over the next thirty years by transitioning off of fossil fuels and towards cleaner sources. If we transition to electric vehicles or other zero emissions

vehicles, we can achieve 95 percent reduction in urban air pollution as well as a big reduction in air pollution from refineries and oil and gas extraction. That has huge benefits in terms of lives saved, hospitalizations avoided, and the costs of our healthcare system.

How reliant is America’s net-zero transition on political consensus?

The reconciliation bill is critical because it can pass without Republican support and drive big investments in wind, solar and electrification. It has got to pass if we are going to have any legislation this year that actually drives significant emissions reductions.

If not, it looks pretty implausible that we would be able to stay on track for net-zero by 2050 because it is already going to require a pretty unprecedented rate of change, even if there is no further delay.

What inspires and guides your work?

I actually was born outside of a town called Timber, a town of 250 up in the mountains in the Coast Range. I could see the impacts of clearcutting and—at the same time—the decimation of the timber industry. All these little towns that used to thrive are now dead because the mill closed and the jobs are gone. I’ve drawn inspiration and motivation from that for thinking about the fossil energy transition. There are communities that are dependent on oil extraction or coal and are going to go through very similar transitions and we need to do a better job than what we did with Oregon’s timber transition.

We’re doing something deliberate with policy that is going to have huge impacts on people’s livelihoods, the economy and local places. We have to transition in a way that is thoughtful and addresses the huge dislocations that can happen.

We can use the Northwest’s forestry transition as an analog for what we might be able to learn and do better in the fossil transition.

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Robert Seidel was studying forestry in New York in the 1970s when he encountered the aroma of balsam fir. This set off a “quest” for the extraction of aromatic compounds from natural products and, later, designing his own distillation equipment.

He learned everything he could find on the topic and then, at Powell’s Books, found a six-volume set of books, The Essential Oils by Ernest Guenther. “I devoured all six volumes and still use that set of books today.”

Aromatic Quest

The scent of balsam fir propelled a forestry student to build a company based on essential oils written by Seamus Casey photography by Dan Hawk 66

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my workspace

“I started my business in 1977 with the goal of supplying true essential oils to the consumer, the herbalists, soap makers and candle makers,” Seidel said.

The Essential Oil Company, based in Portland, imports the majority of its essential oils from around the world—rose from Bulgaria and Turkey; jasmine from India and Egypt; patchouli, clove bud and leaf from Indonesia; neroli from Egypt; and rosemary from Morocco.

“I am proud that I have created a business doing what I enjoy doing,” said Seidel. “I am also pleased to have been able to provide employment for my staff for the last fortyfour years.”

CLOCKWISE FROM LEFT Founder Robert Seidel at The Essential Oil Company in Portland. Seidel with his daughter and The Essential Oil Company’s COO, Ilana Seidel. Bottles of oils at The Essential Oil Company in Portland.

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game changer

drinking water. She’d been so excited to become a part of the community and put down roots, and this struck Crump, who had grown up on a farm in Virginia with its own water well. “I thought, this doesn’t make sense to me,” Crump said. “How is that possible?

This is America. I honestly just naively believed that by living in America, you have access to good, healthy, clean water.”

The new resident of Rockaway Beach didn’t yet know where her water came from, but now was determined to find out. While walking her dog on the beach one subsequent morning, she saw a familiar face and asked about Rockaways’ water and its source.

As luck would have it, Crump had encountered Nancy Webster, the founder of the local activist group that sought clean water for Rockaway Beach. Webster told Crump that 80 percent of the drinking watershed had been clearcut in the past ten years on steep slopes and sprayed with toxic chemicals, triggering the water utility to counter that with unsafe levels of chlorine.

“That just blew me away,” Crump offered. She immediately signed on with Webster’s watershed advocacy group.

The steelhead guiding circle in Oregon is small. So it wasn’t completely surprising that an acquaintance of hers in the industry at nonprofit Pacific Rivers was working on a film about wild steelhead and contacted Crump about addressing steelhead through the lens of Rockaway Beach and its tributary rivers. The film, Behind the Emerald Curtain, was a powerful shot over the bow of Big Timber and a wakeup call to all communities where lax logging regulations on private land are at odds with safe drinking water for the community.

Crump was so impressed that a nonprofit was willing to take on the powerful timber lobby that she joined the board of Pacific Rivers, whose mission is to protect and restore the watershed ecosystems of the West to ensure river health, biodiversity and clean water for present and future generations.

Crump soon found her voice in advocating for reforming Oregon’s harmful logging practices of private lands. In the process, the fishing guide and advocate, whose own father once lobbied against the federal Clean Air Act, became an ambassador for Patagonia.

Crump encourages all Oregonians to call their local representative and tell them to end clearcutting on drinking watersheds, increase buffers on non-fish-bearing streams and stop the use of aerial spraying of herbicides.

“Our coastal community’s culture is fishing, and we are facing pretty bleak returns of fish every year,” she said. “If we’re dumping herbicides and pesticides where the baby fish are born, we only have ourselves to blame.”

R.A. Beattie

Kate Crump, a fishing guide, hunter and ambassador for Patagonia, became an environmental activist after learning her drinking water in Rockaway Beach failed federal standards.

The Ravages of Clearcutting

A fishing guide works to reform practices endangering Oregon drinking water written by Jacques Derning FISHING GUIDE KATE CRUMP and her husband were living in Rockaway Beach in a camper on their truck, saving all they could to buy a small home on the Oregon Coast.

After losing sleep but building their savings, in 2013, the two young fishing guides finally found their place in the Nedonna Beach neighborhood. “We were so excited,” Crump recalled. “It was such a big step for two young people to buy their first house, especially because we weren’t making much money as guides for another outfitter.”

Soon after taking possession, Crump went to the mailbox and found a letter from the local utility that said the city’s water did not meet the Environmental Protection Agency’s standards for 68 1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE

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MORE ONLINE

To watch Behind The Emerald Curtain, go to www.bit.ly/emeraldcurtain

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ROMANTIC GETAWAYS FOR 6 TYPES OF LOVERS Indulge every kind of passion—for food, wine, art, culture, the outdoors, your dog, yourself and your lover—with these premier Oregon adventures written by Vanessa Salvia

IT’S WELL-KNOWN that the ancient Greeks had multiple words for love. They differentiated between passionate love, the affectionate love of friends, familial love—even obsessive love. Of course, feeling one type of love doesn’t preclude another—you can love food and wine and outdoor adventure, or be a dog lover who also loves art and culture. Fortunately, in Oregon it’s easy to do a romantic getaway with a single focus or one that mixes it up. So for an adventure your dogs will love as much as you will, or a place to indulge a passion (obsession?) for great food and wine, visit any of these spots for the ultimate expression of self love—bringing your canine pals or significant other is up to you.

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PACIFIC CITY

HEADLANDS LODGE Much of the Oregon Coast is dogfriendly, but there’s a difference between allowing dogs and really welcoming them. Headlands Coastal Lodge & Spa not only welcomes them, they make your sandy stay easier and more fun with their dog-friendly amenities.

Each pup receives a Ginger dog bed (made in Bend), water bowls, towels and treats upon arrival. After you enjoy the sunsets and scenery, visit the rinsing stations at the entrance to hose yourself and your four-legged friend off before you head back to your room, each with a private oceanview balcony.

Reserve a special dog-friendly table at the Meridian Restaurant & Bar, and pick up maps to all the nearby dogfriendly trails. Each season, the lodge offers new adventure packages, most of which can be customized to include your dog. “Our adventure coaches learn what you want to do and experience and help you plan your itinerary, from tidepools to fishing trips and everything in between,” says marketing manager Briana Romancier. “It’s a fun way to immerse yourself, even if you don’t know anything about the Oregon coast, and there’s definitely fun stuff for all the four-legged friends to do, like sunset bonfires on the beach.”

DOG LOVERS For urban chic adventures with your pooch, stay at Royal Sonesta, near the Pearl District and Portland strolling bliss. (photo: Cheryl McIntosh Photography)

PORTLAND

ROYAL SONESTA Headlands has dog rinsing stations, a dog-friendly restaurant and ocean-view balconies. (photo: Headlands)

To really pamper yourself and your pooch on a city outing, opt for Royal Sonesta’s dog-friendly suites, where you can bring your pet without an extra charge.

The Sonesta’s building has a long history in Portland. Built in 1912 as a department store, it retains the marvelous architectural details a retail store of that time had to have—soaring ceilings and picture windows make for a luxe lobby.

The location, near the Pearl District and Portland fixtures such as Powell’s Books, is central to strolling bliss. Easy access to Tom McCall Waterfront Park pleases people and pooches, with a walk or run along the waterfront path.

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SENECA

SILVIES VALLEY RANCH

At Tetherow, go eco-chic luxurious with balconies, fireplaces and spa-style bathrooms—still close to town—with a 700-acre backyard beside the Deschutes National Forest. (photo: Tetherow)

BEND

TETHEROW Just because you want to spend your time outdoors doesn’t mean your lodging should be dowdy. Eco-chic boutique property Tetherow has luxuries such as balconies, fireplaces, spa-style bathrooms and views of its backyard, an 18-hole golf course and 700 acres adjacent to the Deschutes National Forest, with the Cascade range beyond. It’s less than two miles to the Old Mill District, where a riverside trail weaves by shops and restaurants. Just 18 miles up the road lie the slopes of Mt. Bachelor.

“Tetherow is so close to everything,” said marketing manager Carrie Ramoz.

“It provides genuinely out-the-door access to endless miles of paths, trails, and outdoor adventures.” The Adventurous Romantics package offers snowshoe or cross-country ski rental and a shuttle to a nearby sno-park where you can bring your dog (they’re welcome at Tetherow too), a picnic lunch and bottle of wine.

Just be sure to book it two weeks in advance.

Back at your haute base, unwind in the outdoor heated pool and stay put for a local culinary journey at The Row and Solomon’s restaurants. Head downtown for more diversions. Or, after a day of adventuring, keep it mellow and check out one of the locally crafted Breedlove Guitars so you can sing a love song beside the fireplace or jam under the stars at one of the outdoor firepits.

Goat caddies at rustic-chic Silvies Valley Ranch. (photo: Silvies Valley Ranch)

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Here, you’re not only staying at a hotel or a lodge, but also an honestto-goodness ranch. Silvies merges a luxury retreat and spa experience with an ecologically sustainable livestock ranch. Bike, herd goats or cattle, shoot, hike, fish, go for a wagon or horseback ride, ice fish, or golf in the snow with neon-green tennis balls, all without leaving the 140,000-acre property.

“We’ve got a huge playground,” said Mark Conn, the property’s marketing director. A new winter package for a three-night stay includes the first night at the lodge and on the second night, ski or hike to the property’s remote cabin with an outdoor shower and dinner around the fire. “We cook everything outside. It really is for the outdoor adventurous,” said Conn.

Back at the lodge, treat yourself to a couples’ massage or other restorative treatment at the tranquil Rocking Heart Spa, filled with natural light and inspired by high desert nature and culture. Let city life flow away in the indoor lap pool, saunas, hot tubs or on the climbing wall.

Golfers will want to play the 18-hole reversible golf course, clockwise or counter-clockwise. Enlist a goat caddy—yep, custom-saddle wearing goats who carry a few golf clubs, extra balls and tees, refreshments and peanuts (for them and you) on two courses.

OUTDOOR ADVENTURE LOVERS

ASHLAND

ASHLAND SPRINGS HOTEL

ARTS & CULTURE LOVERS PORTLAND

Ashland is no secret to art and culture lovers, home to the world-famous Oregon Shakespeare Festival. After hitting award-winning galleries, theaters and restaurants, return to well-appointed accommodations such as the Ashland Springs Hotel, in a lovely, historic building that crowns Ashland’s skyline. In 1925, when the Ashland Springs Hotel building was built, the nine-story structure was the tallest between Portland and San Francisco. Originally designed to be six stories, the visionary builders had higher aspirations.

“You feel the opulence and the historic energy when you enter the grand lobby, with the mezzanine, spectacular chandelier, original flooring and beautiful stained glass,” says Karolina Lavagnino, marketing director for the property, part of the Neuman Hotel Group. Throughout the hotel is a naturalist theme, with framed lithographs of birds and pressed plants and curio cabinets filled with shell collections.

Other great escapes include Lithia Springs Resort and Wine Garden, where rooms have mineral hot springs water flows directly to soaking tubs beside fireplaces. For a mid-century chic experience, head to Ashland Hills Hotel & Suites.

At the lovely, historic Ashland Springs Hotel, award-winning galleries, theaters, restaurants and Oregon Shakespeare Festival are steps away. (photo: Neuman Hotel Group)

THE NINES You’ll feel as if you joined a hip art entourage at The Nines, where you’ll be surrounded by an art collection curated by Oregonian Paige Powell, a former confidante of Andy Warhol.

Browse more than 400 sculptures, paintings and custom installations throughout the property and in your room. The 35-foot stairwell chandelier called Bird Song, created by Melody Owen, uses glass, LEDs, and steel to illustrate the audio waves of Pacific Northwest bird songs. The library features artwork by filmmaker Gus Van Sant, and guest rooms are home to original art by students of the Pacific Northwest College of Art. Choose from modern, local, sustainable steakhouse fare at Urban Farmer, or pan-Asian cuisine at Departure on the fifteenth floor, with a remarkable outdoor terrace and bird’s-eye views of the city of roses.

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FOOD LOVERS EUGENE

EXCELSIOR INN Set behind a stone wall and wrought iron gate, the Excelsior Inn and Restaurant is steps from the University of Oregon campus, but will transport you to Italy a hundred years ago. Originally a fraternity house built in the early 1900s, it now feels as if you’re dining in a small Italian villa.

The fourteen guest rooms all have a European charm and some are dog friendly.

Owner Maurizio Paparo creates menus that span the regions of his Italian homeland and include dishes such as pasta al granchio, crab with fettuccine, in a smoked mussel cream sauce with wild mushrooms, lemon, crispy onion and chives. The pastries look like gems in a jewelry case. For a casual mood, there’s the bistro, and the restaurant is elegant without being stuff y.

On three nights each month, a Cucina Regionale dinner includes the wine and dishes emblematic of Italy’s diverse culinary regions.

HOOD RIVER

COLUMBIA CLIFF VILLAS

Italian pastries at the Excelsior will evoke thoughts of amore. (photo: Excelsior Inn)

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FROM TOP Find a perch at Columbia Cliff Villas’ private cliff-side balconies. In Hood River, local bounty is practically a religion, especially at Celilo. (photos, from top: Columbia Cliff Villas, Aubrie LeGault)

Getting a fresh perspective is easy when you’re in a luxurious perch above a 208-foot waterfall. At Columbia Cliff Villas, European-style hotel rooms, villas and penthouse suites treat you to Columbia River Gorge views. Private balconies look straight down the cliffs to the river. Let the concierges help arrange dining options in Hood River, where local bounty is practically a religion and wineries outnumber churches by about fifty to one.

At Celilo Restaurant and Bar, Chef and Managing Partner Ben Stenn worked in France and New York City before falling in love with Hood River in 1995. Since then, he’s forged deep relationships with area growers and producers, a focus that’s manifested in dishes which let the ingredients sing.

Just one example is the pan seared coho salmon, served over French beans from nearby Oak Rose farm, with olives, capers, feta cheese and Sardinian fregola pasta, garnished with pickled pepper relish and mint aioli.

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NEWBERG

THE SETTING INN

The Allison adds a new vineyard to its meticulous, art-filled surroundings. (photo: The Allison Inn & Spa)

A new, contemporary property, The Setting Inn, is perfectly situated for wine tasting, with scores of vineyards and wineries within a ten- to fifteen-minute drive. Begin just across the street at Vidon Vineyard, a certified sustainable vineyard and winery crafting 100 percent estate wines since 1999. The Setting Inn’s expert concierges can schedule tasting dinners and exclusive tours. Most working vineyards won’t allow guests to get close to the grapes for harvesting, but inn’s boutique vineyard gives you access to touch, taste and take pictures.

Put on your fluff y robe and slippers and from your room’s balcony or sheltered patio, take in the surrounding ten acres filled with lavender and fruit and Cyprus trees. Ramble outside through the manicured courtyard and to The Barn, a modern take on retro fun, with bocce, cornhole, croquet and badminton. Every detail will let you disconnect from your routine and reconnect with romance inspired by beautiful surroundings.

NEWBERG

THE ALLISON INN & SPA The Willamette Valley is known for world-renowned pinot noirs, and Newberg is in the heart of it all, within minutes of more than 100 wineries.

The downtown is charming, and its seven wineries with tasting rooms makes it easy to park, sip, and wander. Pop into the Chehalem Cultural Center to take in rotating art exhibits between sips and dinner. It’s admission-free, which lends itself to making a brief visit or extended visit.

Art is part of the experience at The Allison Inn & Spa, with more than 500 original works curated from 100 Oregon artists throughout meticulously tended gardens, grounds and guestrooms. Meander along a path to The Allison’s Rain Dance Vineyards with its new tasting room and immersive experiences such as vineyard tours in the founding family’s 1969 Land Rover.

“The fireplace in the lounge at The Allison is a really romantic spot for a glass of wine or a cocktail,” said Leslie Caldwell, executive director of Taste Newberg. “It’s an ultimate destination for luxury and romance, and of course, wine.” Jory, the resort’s four-star restaurant, is named for the region’s soil and terroir which has brought world renown to its wine.

The new Setting Inn offers contemporary style and thoughtful concierge services. (photo: Bob McClenahan)

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Wishing You a Sweet Holiday At select Oregon retailers and always online at wildwoodchocolate.com

E A S Y

T O

G E T

T O

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H A R D

T O

L E A V E

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I M P O S S I B L E

T O

F O R G E T

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Toll Free: 866.912.8366 | columbiacliffvillas.com | 3880 Westcliff Drive Hood River, OR 97031

The PNW

HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE written by 1859 Oregon’s Magazine staff photography by Toby Nolan The Pacific Northwest seems as if it was made for winter holidays and, when done right, vice versa. They go together like goose down and jackets, whiskey and salted caramel s’mores and the warmth of a fire kindled with handcrafted pineconecinnamon-rosemary and rose-petal soy starters. And once you’ve celebrated friends, family and the season, grab some functional gear from under the tree, open up that gift of a PNW getaway you gave yourself, and strike out on a dreamy, new-year renewal adventure, from truffle hunting and bubbly wine tastings to mineral-springs soaks and chill-yet-toasty ways to explore waterways. Merry, indeed.

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1 Malicious Women Candle Co. All-Natural Soy Fire Starters/Bug Repellent, four pack www.malicious women.com $12 2 Ruffwear Pacific Ring Toy www.ruffwear.com $24.95

3 Ruffwear Grip Trex Dog Boots www.ruffwear.com $37.50

8 REI Co-op Pack-Away Adjustable Cube www.rei.com $49.95

4 Oregon Statehood 1859 Beanie www.1859oregon magazine.com $24.95

9 KAVU Rope Bag and Rope Sling www.kavu.com $55

5 650 Down Jacket 2.0 www.rei.com $99.95 6 REI Co-op Trailsmith Glove www.rei.com $39.95 7 REI Co-op Pack-Away Bin www.rei.com $99.95

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10 1927 S’mores Company Whiskey Salted Caramel S’mores Kit www.1927smores.com $27 11 Hydro Flask Coffee Mug and Cooler Cup www.hydroflask.com $24.95

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1 Sudara Anju Full Punjammies Lounge Pants www.sudara.org $64 2 Wild Currant Candle Company Lux Line Candle and Matches www.wildcurrant candle.com $28

3 House Dogge Customizable Merino Wool Dog Toy www.housedogge.com $26-$32 4 Looptworks Upcycled Voyager Lunch Bag www.looptworks.com $25 5 Wild Currant Candle Company White Reed Diffuser www.wildcurrant candle.com $36

6 Broken Top Candle Co. Coastal Rainfall Soy Candle www.brokentop candleco.com $26 7 Thread & Whisk Dahlia Round Culinary Tote www.threadandwhisk.com $149

9 How to Be a Wildflower: A Field Guide by Katie Daisy www.katiedaisy.com $19.95 10 Wild Carrot Herbals Solid Facial Cleansers www.wildcarrot herbals.com $12.99 each

8 Workshop Worklight www.getworkshop goods.com $158

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1 San Juan Island Sea Salt Fun Flavors Set www.sanjuanisland seasalt.com $54 2 Portland Syrups Rose Cordial Syrup www.portlandsyrups.com $14 3 Bow Hill Organic Pickled Heirloom Blueberries www.bowhill blueberries.com $12 4 Jacobsen Salt Co. Salty Chocolate Caramels www.jacobsensalt.com $13

5 Columbia Gorge Confections Chocolate Bars www.columbiagorge confections.com $8

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6 Arrowhead Chocolates Medium Handcrafted Wooden Box www.arrowhead chocolates.com $80 7 Hood River Distillers Timberline Vodka www.hrdspirits.com $25.99 8 Clear Creek Distillery Pear Brandy www.clearcreek distillery.com $87

9 Meadowland Simple Syrup www.meadowland syrup.com $26 four, 1-ounce bottles $17 per 8-ounce bottle

10 Kachka: A Return to Russian Cooking

by Bonnie Frumkin Morales and Deena Prichep www.kachkapdx.com $40

11 Dumplings Equal Love: Delicious Recipes from Around the World

by Liz Crain www.sasquatchbooks.com $22.95 12 Thread & Whisk Grace Apron with Linen Flounce www.threadandwhisk.com $148

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13 Smith Teamaker Holiday Assortment www.smithtea.com $32.99 14 Wine from Oregon and Washington www.oregonwine.org www.washingtonwine.org

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gift a Local

EXPERIENCE

Lithia Springs Resort’s Wine & Wellness

Yacht Tubs and Hot Tub Boats Float into 2022 on the waters of the Pacific Northwest in just a bathing suit—with nary a chill. This is no New Year’s Day polar plunge. In Portland, rent an 18-foot Yacht Tub, a boat with an integrated 104-degree soaking tub for six, and soak in the Willamette River scenery. Take in the city skyline and its bridges and turn up the yacht rock on the Bluetooth as the vessel’s blue lights illuminate the surroundings.

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Navigate as you would play Atari—with a joystick.

Seattle’s Hot Tub Boats offer virtually the same amenities on Lake Union, aboard boats built by devoted shipwrights dedicated to the Seattle community.

Portland’s Yacht Tubs $360 for two hours www.yacht-tubs.com Seattle’s Hot Tub Boats $400 for two hours www.hottubboats.com

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2021

Warm your body and soul in Southern Oregon, where water from local mineral springs flows, heated, into luxurious soaking tubs into your private bungalow or suite made even more cozy with fireplaces. With a Wine Country Escape Package, choose from four sustainable wineries to customize your experience. Savor gourmet breakfast and dine at Larks Home Kitchen Cuisine in downtown Ashland. Executive Chef Franco Console’s cuisine captures the essence of the region with ingredients from local farms, orchards and artisans.

Or, kick off a new year with the women’s empowerment and wellness retreat package named for the state motto, “She

flies with her own wings.”

Embark on a journey of healing, self-awareness, reflection, renewal and reset in this tranquil resort set on four acres of gardens punctuated with fountains, a koi pond, gazebo, tree canopies—perfect for meditation. With two, hour-long, private “discover sessions” with an expert life coach, consider it an investment in your future self as you sustain yourself with gourmet breakfasts, afternoon tea with fresh baked goods and fruits.

Wine Country Escape Package overnights start at $284 She Flies with Her Own Wings two-night retreats starts at $498 www.lithiaspringsresort.com

Truffle Hunting Tours

Photos, from left: Yacht Tubs, John Valls/Lithia Springs Resort, Marielle Dezurick, Brooks Winery

Give yourself or others time to roam Oregon’s wilderness in search of coveted, elusive truffles, just as the season kicks off in January, or book one for spring. Explore the forest with Stefan Czanecki, owner of the Willamette Valley wine touring company Black Tie Tours, and his trained truffle-sniffing dog, Ella. (Czanecki’s family moved to the valley in 1997 to drink wine, hunt mushrooms and open the acclaimed restaurant, The Joel Palmer House in Dayton, and has been introducing others to the region’s bounty ever since).

You’ll be comfortably transported to fertile foraging grounds, where you’ll learn truffle hunting tips and etiquette, as well as how to use these little world-famous treasures in dishes at home. A mix of patience and instant gratification, the tours culminate with a truffle-themed picnic lunch.

If that isn’t heady enough, heighten the experience by requesting the tour company arrange for a guest winemaker to join you for the tour and pour wine for a private tasting during lunch. $250 per person Optional wine experience: $125 for up to six people www.blacktietours.com

Beyond Brooks’ Tastings at Home Want to savor carefully curated, local foods and wine with their artisan makers— and even friends and family near and far—without having to leave your home?

Each month, Brooks Winery in Amity offers a tasting webinar based around premium wine and a culinary theme ranging from chocolate and charcuterie to breads and barbecue.

For example, in January, discover Camas Country Mill with its founders, Tom and Sue Hunton, and their stone-milled sustainable grains from the Willamette Valley as you sip a 2016 Brooks Sparkling Riesling

and a surprise new release.

In February, Portland’s Woodblock Chocolate creators Jessica and Charley Wheelock chat about the history and philosophy of cacao, their journeys to farms from Hawaii to Peru and how they developed chocolate crafted from just two ingredients: cacao and pure cane sugar.

As with all Brooks purchases, part of the tastings’ proceeds benefit environmental nonprofits 1% For The Planet and Kiss the Ground. $99 + shipping www.brookswine.com

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A woman says a final goodbye to her favorite horse near the Zumwalt Prairie.

EASTERN STATE OF MIND photography by Talia Jean Filipek FROM WALLOWA LAKE, stretching across Nez Perce ancestral lands, hunting grounds for bighorn sheep and deer, where Chief Joseph’s band summered and gathered huckleberries, to wildflower-filled meadows and Oregon’s largest wilderness, the Eagle Cap, Eastern Oregon seems to serve as the world’s repository of peace and quiet—as well as grit.

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A lingering autumn tree on the shore of Wallowa Lake.

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT A baby browses the children’s section at Wallowa County bookstore The Bookloft. Bison roam at the base of the Wallowas at Stangel Bison Ranch. A pup takes a rest on the Snake River after many days rafting with the Minam Store outfitters.

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An irrigation ditch at sunset near Wallowa.

AT RIGHT, FROM TOP Bob Lions, cowboy and master carpenter at Wallowa Lake Lodge, points to a bird of prey.

Moving cattle near Carman Ranch in Wallowa.

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TRAVEL SPOTLIGHT 94 ADVENTURE 96 LODGING 98 TRIP PLANNER 100

pg. 96 Put snow camping in Central Oregon on your adventure list.

Brad Bailey/Wanderlust Tours

NORTHWEST DESTINATION 108

This holiday season, celebrate the small town charm of

Baker City, Oregon www.travelbakercounty.com

travel spotlight

Go East!

The Wallowas offer wide-open spaces to play, explore and discover inner and outer peace

Wallowa Lake beginning to freeze over in December.

written by Cathy Carroll WE ALL KNOW the old-timey call for adventure: “Go west, young man!” This winter, go with the obverse: “Go east, young !”

Fill in your own gender. And by east, aim for Eastern Oregon, specifically, the Wallowas.

Take to the roads, whether they’re cleared or paved with packed, cold, dry snow (when tires get grippy). At Wallowa Lake, first notice what’s missing: traffic, noise, hurry, tension, human-made marring of the beauty of the natural world. A few things you’ll immediately gain: deeper breaths, a clearer mind and a visage with fewer worry lines.

Take in the deer and elk who’ve made the winter trek down into the valleys as hawks and raptors swirl above. Reconnect with belly laughter zipping down on a sled at Alder Slope or any other of the surrounding hills. Nordic ski at Wallowa Lake’s local parks or Iwetemlaykin. Snowshoe and hike up the West Fork or Hurricane Creek Trails (always checking the Wallowa Avalanche Center before backcountry jaunts).

Add gravity into the mix at Ferguson Ridge Ski Area or “Fergi,” the community-run ski slope with a t-bar, rope-tow—the hype is low and the prices are, too. The cozy lodge is friendly, and the lower slopes are kind to kids and beginners. Kick off the new year with a call to your wild side at the Eagle Cap Extreme Sled Dog Race in January, when mushers and their run-loving canine teams forge into the wilderness for this 200-mile, Iditarod qualifier.

Bring yourself back to civilization with a strong, ruby-colored winter ale at Terminal Gravity Brewing Company in Enterprise followed by a strolling amid the boutiques, galleries and eateries in Joseph.

Talia Jean Filipek

www.wallowalake.net

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Visit Prineville & Crook County for your next outdoor adventure. You'll be glad you did. p r i n e v i l l e c h a m b e r . c o m

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Boise

adventure

Fire + Ice = Love

Wanderlust Tours leads snowshoe trips by the light of the sun, stars, moon or bonfire.

A recipe for winter fun in Bend, from mellow to adrenaline-laced, or both

Brad Bailey/Wanderlust Tours

written by Adam Thorn Smith

IF OREGON IS a dartboard of adventures, Bend is the bullseye—dead center, dedicated to the outdoors, and destiny to adrenaline junkies. In this high desert town, people surf water and land, from river wave to snow-clad volcano. Wild mountains, streams, forests, caves and cliffs are top targets year-round. But, you can put the mild side of Bend in your sights too.

Historic downtown is a rustic-hip center of food, drink, music, softly lit streets and riverside strolls.

Festivals, fundraisers, concerts and markets populate the calendar. Boutique lodging and pro outfitters offer amenities and excursions suited to novice explorers and those who prefer endorphins over adrenaline.

Of all the seasonal regional getaways in Oregon, winter in the state’s center is among the best. Getting there is part of the experience. If you’re coming from the Willamette Valley, you may wind along the Santiam River, sniff the mist of Sahalie and Koosah Falls and let your best friends, the furry kind, lap up a little of Detroit Lake before the scent of juniper lets you know that Bend’s around the bend.

Regardless of your travel companions—whether soulmate, old pals, your family or four-legged friends, even if you go alone—here are three keys to a crackling winter getaway in Bend: snow, fire and love.

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adventure

Snow Central Oregon’s two mainstays for downhill action: Mt. Bachelor’s famous powder thrills every level of boarder and skier while, Hoodoo offers night skiing.

To play on the snow while gaining an understanding of the natural forces also at play here, seek out Wanderlust Tours, which leads snowshoe trips by the light of the sun, stars, moon or bonfire. Master naturalist guides share their deep knowledge about the fascinating, volcanic-formed landscape as they introduce you to the fun of snow camping, or going sub-snow to explore lava tube caves. All the while, you’ll maintain a low impact on the environment in these delicate ecosystems.

If you’re craving the warm, flickering glow of a campfire but with urban adventure amenities, check into the Campfire Hotel, Bend’s new renovated, vintage camp-inspired guest experience.

With a 900-square-foot, warm-for-winter pool, saltwater hot tub and pool bar at the ready with local craft beer, wine, spirits and snacks, you won’t be missing the bivy sack too much.

Soaking in the camp vibe can be achieved by hanging at the massive fire pit and making good use of the sleeping bag blankets by Rumpl and tuned acoustic guitars. Particularly in this dog-friendly town, what would the camping experience be without yours? They’re welcome here, too.

Mt. Bachelor

Fire

Romantic: Fan the flames further afar. Wanderlust Tours’ guides offer frozen forest treks to a snapping bonfire in a snowsculpted amphitheater, complete with hot cocoa, hazelnut vodka, local desserts, live music, and master naturalist as guide.

Special snowbound bonfires are planned for New Year’s and Valentine’s Day. If your chill persists, find the warmth of Oregon Spirit Distillers for some award-winning whiskeys, homegrown fire in a bottle. Catch a live band on Thursdays.

Dogs: They’ll be comfy at Campfire around town and on river walks, but when heading to human-only destinations, Wee Tails Play Care, a daycare for small dogs, offers a safe haven of new friends, toys, treats and a professional trainer.

Coffee: Get a morning cup of love at The Pantry, a small cafe where the spirit of sustainability meets old West mercantile.

Outdoor decks and puppy treats make it inviting for dogs and their humans.

Shopping: Wander through dozens of stores and outfitters through downtown Bend or along the Deschutes River in the Old Mill District or adjacent Box Factory.

Food & Drink: Between the slopes and town, trust The Row to satisfy, with vast views, twelve local brews and one of Bend’s best burgers. Nearby, Cascade Lakes Brewing mixes microbrews with sports-bar friendliness.

Lane Pearson Photo

Love

FROM TOP Find the wow in powder at Mt. Bachelor. Get the vintage camp vibe at Bend’s Campfire Hotel, with its 900-square-foot, warm-for-winter pool, saltwater hot tub and bar with local craft beer, wine, spirits and snacks.

Back at Campfire Hotel, saunter into the Canteen at for a three-cheese panini and pickled seasonal vegetables. Sip a “Hipster Spritzer,” a trending concoction of tequila, aperol, watermelon, soda water and black lava salt—poolside or fireside.

Need a night cap? Downtown, Canteen’s sister saloon Dogwood Cocktail Cabin is the spot for a drink and dessert du jour, upstairs on a sofa. Seek out the dartboard, if you care to throw—it’s hidden in a brick nook.

Whether you opt for adrenaline, relaxation or both, you’ll leave satisfied, and your best friend will give it four paws up.

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Photos: Adrift Hospitality

ROOMS In addition to the Ice House’s King Suite and Luxe Suite, The Bowline offers forty king-sized rooms, including some with oversized windows facing the Columbia River or historic downtown Astoria. All rooms have king beds, luxurious sheets, and fireplaces.

AMENITIES Luxury linens, in-room coffee, loose-leaf teas, wifi, flat-screen TVs with cable, in-room dining. Dogs are welcome in the Ice House suites and certain king rooms. Valet parking is available for $15 per day.

DINING

Lodging

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP The Bowline Hotel’s Ice House offers rooms with views over the Pacific, too. Indulge in your room’s large soaking tub. From your balcony, watch sea lions and whales.

The Ice House, Bowline Hotel written by Lauren Sharp COZYING UP AT the Oregon Coast doesn’t have to mean sacrificing contemporary luxury. The Bowline Hotel’s Ice House, a newly converted cannery, is at the heart of Astoria’s historic Cannery Row, alongside the Columbia River and surrounded by Astoria’s celebrated breweries and restaurants, including Buoy Beer Company, Fort George Brewery + Public House and Astoria Brewing Company.

This boutique property at the edge of the Columbia River offers rooms with views over the Pacific, especially dramatic in winter. Perched from the second story Ice House balcony, sip a warm libation and spy on your neighbors—in this case, sea lions and whales as well as gulls, ducks and cormorants nibbling on crustaceans.

Meander through the nearby art galleries and shops and along the pier, then head back to your room’s large soaking tub. Pour in the herbal bath salts and unwind, watching the trees along the shore sway in the ocean breeze. Don your bathrobe and slippers, turn on the multi-setting fireplace and dim the lights to experience being completely warm while watching the stars come out over the vast, dark, cold sea.

Wake up to the crisp salt air and sip French-press coffee from the private balcony.

Explore Fort Stevens State Park for miles of hiking and biking trails, historic sites, birdwatching and boating—although you’ll be tempted to just stay in.

1 NINTH ST. ASTORIA www.bowlinehotel.com

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Explore Northwest cuisine with a Scandinavian twist at The Knot Bar. Locally sourced food and drink is served in a post-industrial milieu with a real-time view of the mouth of the Columbia River. Cocktails are crafted with local spirits and the menu pays homage to the rivermeets-ocean locale. Try the albacore and slowroasted Columbia River salmon with sweet corn porridge, roasted corn consommé and dill.

LODGING OPTIONS The Ice House offers the second-story Luxe Ice House King, which sleeps two, and the Ice House Suite, on the ground floor and accommodates up to 4. The Bowline’s main building offers a selection of king-size rooms ranging in size and including a Luxe Trolley View King, with a river view and stove, or one with views of downtown.

Venture out to a Pacific Northwest destination where outdoor escapades, craft beer and cuisine, and an art-loving spirit will feed your soul.

Ski majestic mountain peaks, snowshoe through quiet forests to stunning waterfalls, or practice your pirouette on an icy rink.

Seek out the top spots tucked around some of Oregon’s most spectacular sights…

Make a plan at VisitCentralOregon.com.

trip planner

Piqued by Off-peak November and December is truly prime time in Oregon wine country written by Jenny Sequa

IT MAY SEEM CONTRARIAN, but it turns out that November and December are the best months to get out to vineyards and taste Oregon wines. Gone are hordes of summer sippers and the attendant faux glam. Gone is the traffic on Highway 99.

Gone is the scorching heat. Over the holidays, Oregon’s wineries take on a more approachable and intimate persona. After harvest and bottling, winemakers are more relaxed. And, let’s face it— with the exception of rosé—the body of wine is fuller when you’re not wearing flip-flops.

Over the past forty years, the Oregon wine industry has put considerable effort into making wine tasting a memorable experience during the Thanksgiving holiday weekend and into December. It’s especially true between November 29 to December 1, when wineries open for special barrel tastings, live music and holiday discounts on bottles. Ah, romance.

Below, we hope to get your creative juices flowing with some suggestions about where to go and what to do during this particularly wonderful time in Oregon’s wine regions. Of course, there are far too many AVA’s for us to mention in one story, but you can find more ideas on our website.

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Stave & Stone Winery offers earthy syrahs and merlots with views of Mt. Adams.

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Open Daily 11 am - 4 pm ElizabethChambersCellar.com ~ 503-412-9765

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Open Daily 12-5 pm

Hours & Reservations: SilvanRidge.com | 541-345-194545

Discover eclectic dining, charming shops, wineries and craft breweries, and— of course—spectacular scenery, just an hour east of Portland.

Plus: Mt. Hood ski areas are only a short drive away!

HOLIDAY IN

HOOD RIVER Plan your getaway today with our local lodging options

hoodriverinn.com

westclifflodge.com hoodriverhotel.com

trip planner

Jason Okamoto

Christian Horan

The idea of Thanksgiving in Wine Country first centered on the dense viticulture region of the Willamette Valley, home to hundreds of wineries and dozens of AVAs. For those who live in the Willamette Valley and the Portland area, this will, of course, be the most convenient for you. It will also offer the most opportunity to explore. Because there is a bewildering array of wineries, it’s best to let narrow themes be your guide: best syrahs, the same varietal of wine from two nearby AVAs, wineries with barrel tastings, etc.

Think of some of the major wine regions such as Dundee, McMinnville, Newberg and Salem and plan your tasting, dining and lodging around these mini romantic getaways.

Dundee has such wineries as Methven, Dobbes and Fox Farm Vineyards. The small town of Carlton is home to Cana’s Feast.

Newberg’s classics are Anam Cara, Owen Roe and Et Filles. Farther south and just northwest of Salem, you’ll find Left Coast, Bethel Heights and Eola Hills.

For dining, we looked to the restaurants that serve local wines to keep you on the same holiday tasting journey. Bistro Maison in McMinnville is one such restaurant with an extensive Oregon wine list and great French cuisine with an Oregon flair.

Likewise the venerable Joel Palmer House is another destination restaurant well known for the generations of chefs and restaurateurs of the Czarnecki family and the multi-award winning five-course tasting menu. Naturally, where there is food of this quality, there are Oregon wines to pair.

If you’re as far south in the Willamette Valley as Eugene, then the French inspired Marché is a must for food and wine lovers.

From seared duck breast to choucroute garnie, Marché brings flavor to every bite.

Lodging shouldn’t be too difficult to find, but must be done right to strike the right note with your love. The Allison Inn and Spa in Newberg evinces romance and good taste. Likewise Eugene’s newest, The Graduate Hotel, is a smart gem of a boutique. Hotel Oregon in McMinnville is another way to solve the romantic equation, though more on the rustic side.

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Laurel Dailey

Willamette Valley

AT LEFT The small town of Carlton is home to Cana’s Feast. ABOVE, FROM TOP Northwest of Salem, you’ll find Left Coast. In Eugene, the Frenchinspired Marché is a must for food and wine lovers, and The Graduate Hotel is a smart gem of a boutique.

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2021

Andrea Johnson Photography Neuman Hotel Group

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP Abacela in the Umpqua Valley is among Southern Oregon wineries trailblazing with tempranillo. Kriselle Cellars leverages the Rogue Valley’s microclimates for a malbec that will transport you to Argentina. Relax in retro style at Ashland Hills Hotel.

Southern Oregon Southern Oregon’s wine regions are dominated by the Upper Rogue Valley near Jacksonville and Applegate Valley west of Medford. Often overlooked by beginners, these two areas are home to some of Oregon’s best wines outside of the strict pinot noir confines associated with the state. The warmer temperatures lend themselves to Southern European and South American styles of wine found in Spain or Italy. For those who are also looking for warmer temperatures and new wines in their holiday getaway, Southern Oregon is your destination.

Indeed Rogue Valley has many microclimates, but one style that is emerging as the region’s amor is tempranillo, a Spanish varietal. Winemakers at vineyards such as Abacela and Kriselle have perfected the Oregon tempranillo.

Though malbec originated in France, Argentina is where most of this style of wine is now grown, because of the climate.

Likewise, you can indulge your Argentinian fantasies through 104 1859 OREGON’S MAGAZINE

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Oregon malbecs in Southern Oregon. Wooldridge Creek, Abacela and Kriselle all have elegant malbecs which will transport you afar during a seated sipping.

To keep the rest of the journey on par, get reservations at one of our three favorite wine-conscious restaurants in the region.

Larks, the restaurant of the Ashland Springs Hotel, is mandatory eating with its focus on locavore dishes. Alchemy, also in Ashland and associated with the Winchester Inn, is another sure bet for Oregon wine paired with a compelling dinner. Finally, the Jacksonville Inn and its historic ambiance is one of the most romantic tables in all of Southern Oregon.

This destination comes with special destination hotels. Ashland Springs Hotel, the resplendent and historic property, has hosted Hollywood stars and vinophiles with no acting experience. Ashland Hills Hotel is a cool reminder that mid-century modern holds a place in our collective memory. Lithia Springs Resort is the all-in indulgence with a full body of offerings.

trip planner

Hood River Long known for its fruit growing and production, only recently has Hood River begun to be associated with some of the best soil for grapes and wine making. But there in full sight of Mt. Hood and a winter playground are some of the most interesting new students in Oregon’s expansive wine class. All around are extracurricular pairings: skiing at Timberline or Mt. Hood Meadows or cross-country skiing at Teacup Nordic.

Though the region is still young in wine years, there are plenty of wineries that are wise beyond their years that provide a great way to cap off a day on the mountain. The Pines 1852 is one and has a new tasting room in Hood River. Viento, with its pinot noir and riesling, is another. Stave & Stone Winery is a third, offering earthy syrahs and merlots views of Mt. Adams.

To add panache to your visit, find tables at Celilo, Broder Øst or Stonehedge Gardens. All of these will impress you with their menus and service. Celilo beautifully plates such dishes as homemade pasta with smoked salmon and duck confit. Broder Øst, breakfast and lunch only, has all of the Nordic trimmings after your Nordic ski—salmon fishcakes and smørrebrød with house-cured gravlax. Stonehedge Gardens delights with seared ahi tuna and steak Diane. There are two rounds of seating beginning at 5 p.m. and 7 p.m.

Three diverse lodging options should add excitement and romance to your stay. The historic Hood River Hotel in downtown Hood River is a classic beauty with rooms that overlook the soothing Columbia River. On the edge of town, Columbia Cliff Villas are a more expansive way to overlook the river with rooms that feel like luxury condos. The new Society Hotel across the river in Bingen, Washington, is a hip and luxurious way to experience the Columbia River Gorge and renewal in a winter’s escape to wine country.

Though the region is still young in wine years, there are plenty of wineries that are wise beyond their years that provide a great way to cap off a day on the mountain.

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CLOCKWISE FROM TOP Soak in autumn views at Stave & Stone Winery. The Pines 1852 has a new tasting room in Hood River. Ski Mt. Hood Meadows before sampling some of Oregon’s best vintages. Dine at Celilo Restaurant and Bar, where dishes elevate local ingredients. Rest your head at the historic Hood River Hotel in downtown Hood River, with rooms that overlook the Columbia River.

WINE COUNTRY, OREGON

trip planner

EAT WILLAMETTE VALLEY Bistro Maison, McMinnville www.bistromaison.com The Joel Palmer House, Dayton www.joelpalmerhouse.com Marché, Eugene www.marcherestaurant.com

ROGUE VALLEY Alchemy at the Winchester Inn, Ashland www.alchemyashland.com The Jacksonville Inn, Jacksonville www.jacksonvilleinn.com Larks, Ashland www.larksashland.com

HOOD RIVER Broder Øst www.brodereast.com Celilo Restaurant www.celilorestaurant.com Stonehedge Gardens www.stonehedgeweddings.com

STAY WILLAMETTE VALLEY The Allison Inn & Spa, Newberg www.theallison.com Graduate, Eugene www.graduatehotels.com Hotel Oregon, McMinnville www.mcmenamins.com/ hotel-oregon

ROGUE VALLEY

Silvia Flores

Ashland Hills Hotel www.ashlandhillshotel.com Ashland Springs Hotel www.ashlandspringshotel.com Lithia Springs Resort www.lithiaspringsresort.com

Richard Hallman/Mt. Hood Meadows

Aubrie LeGault

HOOD RIVER

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2021

Columbia Cliff Villas www.columbiacliffvillas.com Hood River Hotel www.hoodriverhotel.com Society Hotel, Bingen, Washington www.thesocietyhotel.com/ bingen

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northwest destination

Spokane for the Holidays Stopping time for a winter’s moment written by Monte Vali

BRAIDS DANCE AROUND her face and down from her knit hat. Her balance is slightly off, and her hair whips her face like a horse’s tail. Her mittens are wet from falling. Her skates bite into the ribbon of ice on a December evening in downtown Spokane.

Her smile would stop time for any passersby who remember what it is like to be 8 years old and gliding by on great holiday expectations.

Winter in Spokane can be an urban snow globe if you know where to be and what to do. Riverfront Plaza on the Spokane River has been a constant labor of love for the city and, now, a world-class park space for Spokane residents and visitors. The city recently completed $64 million in improvements that added the Numerica Skate Ribbon and the Pavilion at Riverfront Park.

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Each November, across from the park, the town lights a 50foot Christmas tree at River Park Square. Also from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. on select Wednesdays in November and December, the festive new pavilion hosts Winter Market at the Pavillion, where local farmers, artists and hand crafters sell their goods to the public. At night, expect a holiday light show from the pavilion.

Less obvious about winter in Spokane are the options for skiing. Mt. Spokane, managed by a deeply qualified crew of Nordic aficionados, offers some of the best groomed terrain for skinny skiing in Washington. In 2018, Mt. Spokane also added a new high-speed triple lift and opened nearly 300 acres of new terrain for snow riders.

SPOKANE, WASHINGTON

northwest destination

EAT Gander and Ryegrass www.ganderandryegrass.com Rüt Bar & Kitchen www.rutspokane.com Zona Blanca www.limefishsalt.com

STAY Historic Davenport www.davenporthotel collection.com Montvale www.montvalespokane.com Ruby River Hotel www.rubyriverhotelspokane.com The Spokane Club www.spokaneclub.org/STAY

PLAY The Bing www.bingcrosbytheater.com Fox Theater www.foxtheaterspokane.org Mt. Spokane www.mtspokane.com Numerica Ice Ribbon www.my.spokanecity.org/ riverfrontspokane/ attractions/skate-ribbon

CLOCKWISE FROM FAR LEFT Spokane is a winning winter destination. In Spokane, the Numerica Skate Ribbon is prime for winter twirling on ice. Hogwash Whiskey Den is the place for swirling spirits on ice. The Fox Theater is where dancers swirl in The Nutcracker Ballet.

No one should leave Spokane without sipping a drink in the Historic Davenport Hotel in the heart of downtown. Built in the grandeur of 1914, the Davenport came from the drawings of architect Kirkland Cutter, who also designed one of the premier buildings of the 1893 Chicago World’s Fair and the Patsy Smith mansion in Spokane, which has the largest stained glass window ever created by Tiffany Studios. Nostalgia and style come together in his buildings.

Naturally, no winter redoubt is worth living if not for the cozy places to find and sip a good bourbon cocktail. No doubt, you can start at the Davenport, but there are many options that will put a Bing Crosby song in your heart. Hogwash Whiskey Den, Bistango, Durkin’s Liquor Bar and Volstead Act all nicely fit the bill

and will transport you to a moment in time when jazz suffused the night, candles lit tables and bartenders were rated not by the strength of their character but by the strength of their drinks.

Shopping can be done in two parallel worlds—either along the streets of downtown and its boutiques or in River Park Square, the downtown shopping mall on the banks of the Spokane River.

Bring your evening attire for Spokane’s live stage performances.

The Fox Theater is presenting The Nutcracker Ballet, The Spokane Symphony charms with “Holiday Pops with The Sweeplings,” then dives into Beethoven’s Ninth on New Year’s Eve. Catch Elf the Musical at the Bing Crosby Theater on weekends in December, too.

The holidays here stop time in a good place, like a child’s smile while gliding around the ice ribbon in winter.

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1859 MAPPED

The points of interest below are culled from stories and events in this edition of 1859.

Astoria Seaside

Milton-Freewater Hood River Portland Tillamook Gresham

Pendleton

The Dalles La Grande

Maupin Government Camp

Pacific City Lincoln City

Baker City

Salem Newport

Madras

Albany Corvallis

Prineville

John Day

Redmond

Sisters Florence

Ontario

Bend

Eugene Springfield

Sunriver Burns

Oakridge Coos Bay Bandon

Roseburg

Grants Pass Brookings

Jacksonville

Paisley

Medford Ashland

Klamath Falls

Lakeview

Live

Think

Explore

30 The Aimsir Distilling Company

60 Doug Fir

94

Wallowa County

40 Stephanie Inn

62 Mt. Hood Meadows

96

Campfire Hotel

44 The Farmhouse at Tabula Rasa Farm

62 Mt. Bachelor

100 The Allison Inn & Spa

44 River Cabaan

66 The Essential Oil Company

100 Columbia Cliff Villas

52 Hayward Field

68 North Coast Communities for Watershed Protection

108 Spokane, Washington

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Joseph

NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2021

Take YOUR Time. The Coast is Calling.

Taking your paid time off is good for your body and mind.

Don't let those PTO days go to waste.

Take YOUR Time on Washington's Long Beach Peninsula.

VisitLongBeachPeninsula.com

Pursuing excellence through fitness 61615 Athletic Club Drive

(541) 385-3062

Until Next Time Snowshoeing at Crater Lake. photo by Discover Klamath Visitor and Convention Bureau

Continue for Special Insert

WE SEIZE THE (SNOW) DAY

You won’t find a more inspiring mountain town than Missoula, where three rivers and seven wilderness areas converge in the cultural hub of Montana. The allure is immeasurable, with outdoor access at every corner and a culinary scene that rivals big cities. This vibrant community is bliss for fresh air enthusiasts, creative souls, and anyone who enjoys a good beer alongside a great meal. Missoula doesn’t just feed the soul, it satisfies the senses.



DISCOVERY SKI AREA

Travel Safely. Explore Responsibly.

Call 1.800.526.3465 or visit destinationmissoula.org/1889 for more information.

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Idaho’s Brundage Mountain Resort is rich with trails, 18,000 acres of backcountry powder and amenities in McCall. (photo: John Webster Photography/Brundage Mountain Resort)

A NORTHWEST

SKI TRIP PLANNING GUIDE TO ALLEVIATE DECISION FATIGUE WRITTEN BY INGRID ANDERSEN WE’VE REALIZED HOW precious time and travel are over the past two years of likely having little of the former and doing none of the latter. That sets high stakes on getting this year’s ski trip just right. Coming through the dredges of the pandemic has been difficult, and the winter outdoors and skiing are increasingly the antidote.

Because ski areas in the Pacific Northwest are in national forests, regulations prohibit development unlike their counterparts in Utah or Colorado where hotels, spas, restaurants, bars and shopping are all at the base or within a village walk.

At many of our ski areas, it takes a little more planning and logistics to put together the perfect visit. In this piece, we will look at just how to do that at some of our favorite ski areas and bedroom communities.

Cover: Sun Valley Resort in Idaho (photo: Hillary Maybery/Sun Valley Resort)

2021 SKI NORTHWEST 3

OREGON

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Mt. Bachelor is home to some of the best snow in the West and seemingly endless skiable terrain. Sipping microbrews and taking in the views at Crux Fermentation Project. Walking the Deschutes River Trail in the Old Mill District. LOGE offers a comfy base camp for every adventurer. (photos, clockwise from top left: Anelise Bergin/ Mt. Bachelor, Crux Fermentation Project, Steve Heinrichs/Visit Central Oregon, LOGE)

are divine and the views of the Cascades are not bad either.

Bend Brewing Company has its own indoor-outdoor vibe downtown and wholesome craft beers.

The best vegetarian meals in Bend are at Wild Rose, a downtown northern Thai restaurant; Spork, a creative Asian fusion restaurant; and Kebaba, a Middle Eastern favorite among locals.

Cocktails are best served at Joolz, a downtown Middle Eastern restaurant; the new Waypoint at Northwest Crossing; or El Sancho, serving margaritas at either of its two locations.

MT. BACHELOR Mt. Bachelor is the belle of the ball in Oregon. It has 4,300 of terrain, 12 chair lifts, 101 runs, 6 terrain parks, 3,365 vertical and days-worth of territory to ski.

While Bachelor can be seen for miles around, it’s 22 miles back into Bend where you’ll find the first lodging accommodations.

While Bend’s lodging options were limited even five years

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ago, the industry has grown with the soaring popularity of Bend.

LODGING: The first hotel coming back to Bend from Bachelor is LOGE, a cool remake of a lifeless motel that has ski lockers, a bar and a barbecue area with Traeger grills. Families will want to consider Tetherow, where there’s a bar and restaurants, as well as a heated pool, or The

Oxford for the convenience of being in downtown Bend.

DINING + DRINKING: Dining options are easy and plentiful in Bend, where good food and good beer go hand in hand. To get the best of Bend, begin at its breweries. Deschutes Brewery is well known and worth the wait for its food and drink.

Likewise with Crux Fermentation Project, the food and beer

WINDING DOWN: For winding down in Bend, there are easy and scenic hikes close by. The River Trail can be accessed in The Old Mill District and comprises a three-mile loop if you’re inclined, or just stroll any section of it until you’re mind has calmed. Drake Park alongside Mirror Pond is also a nice stroll if you’re staying downtown.

For full body relaxation, try Spa W or the Radiant Day Spa in the Old Mill. Both have a full menu that will leave you in a better place on your ski trip.

THE REST. UNLOCK ACCESS TO THE NW’S LARGEST PLAYGROUND — Winter Adventures Await. Season Passes, Multi-Week Lessons, Private Lessons, and more on sale now.

Visit MTBACHELOR.COM for more information.

OREGON

HOODOO SKI AREA The long-held Hoodoo moniker “steep, deep and cheap” is still relevant today as its runs may be steep, but Hoodoo’s prices are not. Hoodoo is relatively inexpensive compared to its Cascades neighbors, and it offers thirty-six runs, 800 skiable acres and five lifts. On the Santiam Pass, Hoodoo’s base elevation is 4,700 feet, 22 miles northwest of the charming, eclectic, Western-themed town of Sisters.

LODGING: The lodging options for Hoodoo are as thrilling as its runs. FivePine Lodge in Sisters is a boutique property with beautiful and modern facilities tucked into a quiet wooded area. Many rooms have hot tubs and gas fireplaces. Up the road and closer to Hoodoo is Black Butte Ranch, a luxury destination resort with vacation rentals, restaurants and more.

Either of these will ease the decision fatigue of planning.

DINING + DRINKING: A few favorites in the Sisters area are Three Creeks Brewery on the FivePine Lodge campus, Angelina’s Bakery for vegan and vegetarian food of the most divine quality and The Open Door for modern Italian cuisine and Oregon wines. Sisters Bakery on the main street, Cascade Avenue, also makes the mother of all fritters. A family of four could greedily share one.

WINDING DOWN: Both Black Butte Ranch and FivePine Lodge have trails immediately outside your door for a stroll into the forest. They also both have amazing spas to leave the real world far behind.

Hoodoo packs great value as well as plenty of fun with nearby resorts, spas and the charming Western-themed town of Sisters. (photo: Pete Alport)

Mt. Hood Meadows woos advanced skiers with black diamonds and wins the hearts of those seeking accessible pricing, too. (photo: Richard Hallman/Mt. Hood Meadows)

MT. HOOD MEADOWS Hood River could arguably be considered the winter bedroom community for Mt. Hood Meadows ski area, 35 scenic miles south. Meadows, as it’s known, has 2,150 acres of terrain, 2,777 vertical, 11 lifts and 87 trails. Its reputation soars with advanced skiers as its terrain offers a lot in the black diamond range. As much as it caters to the extreme skier, its prices are for the average Joe when it comes to resort pricing.

LODGING: Lodging in Hood River begins with the handsome and historic Hood River Hotel downtown. Not only is this a stylish and comfortable redoubt, if you’re already a season pass holder at Meadows, you’ll get 15 percent off your room rate. The adjacent Nordic restaurant, Broder Øst, is more reason to make this your lodging destination. The Best Western Plus makes our list because of its gentle vistas of the Columbia River and its proximity to Pfriem Brewery, one of the best in Oregon’s competitive field.

DINING + DRINKING: In the Fruit Loop of Oregon, Hood River sits at the nexus of great craft beer and wine, a nice problem to have. Perhaps the best way to split the difference is at restaurants such as Solstice Woodfire

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Pizza. Four & Twenty Blackbirds food truck at 5th and Cascade Avenue has beautiful vegetarian options. Double Mountain Brewery has delicious beer and the best truffle pizza combo. For the full experience, try Celilo downtown, which brings together local meat and produce and wine in a romantic atmosphere.

WINDING DOWN: Water has a calming effect after a long day on the mountain. Hood River Waterfront Park runs alongside the rolling Columbia. If the wind isn’t strong, this walk will help you relax and reflect. Another interesting meander is the Hood River Pipeline Hike along the Hood River, and it continues on the top of an actual pipeline.

For more body wellness, look to Spa Remedease at the beautiful setting of the Columbia Gorge Hotel.

Hood River’s Double Mountain Brewery. (photo: Double Mountain Brewery)

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OREGON

ANTHONY LAKES MOUNTAIN RESORT Old-school, small-town Anthony Lakes Resort has all of the qualities for an Americana ski getaway. With both a cool alpine and exceptional Nordic trail system, this venue is truly an Oregon hidden gem. One lift serves 21 runs, 1,100 acres of skiable terrain and lies adjacent to 30 kilometers of trackset Nordic trails.

LODGING: Baker City is your home base 35 miles southeast of the resort, where the handsome and historic Geiser Grand Hotel will nicely feed this nostalgic ski vacation. First opened in 1889, Geiser Grand today retains the splendor of centuries gone by.

DINING + DRINKING: For dining options in Baker City, Latitude 45 Grille serves local meat in the form of steak and burgers; graze Mulan Garden for good vegetarian

options, and swing into Lefty’s Taphouse for local beers and pizza.

Skiing at Anthony Lakes Mountain Resort offers pure, Americanaimbued fun. (photo: Alyssa Henry)

WINDING DOWN: If you’ve never been to the Oregon Trail Interpretive Center, you should not miss this opportunity for your wind down. A trail outside of the center leads to actual wagon tracks from the Oregon Trail. That should be a grounding experience for all and a historic ending to a nostalgic ski trip through time.

WITH BOTH A COOL ALPINE AND EXCEPTIONAL NORDIC TRAIL SYSTEM, THIS VENUE IS TRULY AN OREGON HIDDEN GEM. 8 SKI NORTHWEST 2021

EASTERN OREGON POWDER AWAITS...

FULL SERVICE DAY LODGE ALPINE & NORDIC YURT RENTALS CAT TRIPS

MOUNTAIN BIKING, HIKING, CAMPING & YEAR-ROUND FAMILY FUN!

WASHINGTON

METHOW VALLEY When the skis get skinnier and the trails get longer, you’re in the heart of Nordic country. One of the world’s best expressions of Nordic ski terrain is Methow Valley, where groomed trails wind more than 100 miles along the Methow River around the floor of the valley and into the surrounding forests. The string of towns along this part of the valley are Mazama, Winthrop and Twisp.

Here, you are in a Nordic mecca in the Pacific Northwest.

LODGING: The rustic River’s Edge Resort or Methow River Lodge puts you on the banks of the Chewuch and Methow rivers respectively and with hot tubs overlooking the calming rivers.

At the more remote Sun Mountain Lodge northwest of Winthrop, many rooms have gas fireplaces and hot tubs and the

lodge has two outdoor heated pools for winter guests.

DINING + DRINKING: Morning coffee and baked goods are best at Rocking Horse Bakery on the main street of Highway 20, at this point a trickle of a town avenue. The Mazama Store is a remote density of goodness with its deli and outdoor food carts. For old-school burgers and good beer, the Old Schoolhouse Brewery in Winthrop is the place. For dinner, the tiny

town of Twisp has two outstanding restaurants—Tappi, an authentic Italian restaurant, and Linwood, a creative Asian fusion restaurant.

WINDING DOWN: Walk down to the community ice rink on the Susie Stephens Trail and, if you’re comfortable with ice skates, glide around the outdoor rink, taking in the fantastic Methow Valley all around you.

Indulge in Sun Mountain Lodge’s full spa for some body work.

WHITE PASS Less than an hour west of Yakima, White Pass Ski Resort sets up nicely for families, with half of its runs intermediate, a third beginner and a fifth advanced.

In all, there are 1,400 skiable acres, with 2,000 feet of vertical covering six chairlifts and 45 runs. White Pass’s Nordic skiing comprises 18 kilometers of groomed skinny skiing.

At White Pass Ski Resort in Yakima, families will be set with many intermediate and beginner runs. (photo: Shannon Mahre/Mahre Media)

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LODGING: For those who want to get in the maximum number of turns, book a rental condo at White Pass Village Inn directly across the road from the ski resort. Otherwise, head into Yakima, where there are many compelling options. The Hotel Y, Ledgestone

FROM TOP Experience Nordic skiing’s Valhalla in the Methow Valley, where groomed trails wind through the valley and forests.

Reward yourself at Sun Mountain Lodge, with its pleasing spa. (photo, bottom: OCTC)

Hotel and Hotel Maison are just a few.

DINING + DRINKING: Yakima has a developed dining scene with many global cuisines to choose from. Nonetheless, Zullee Mediterranean Grill with its dolmeh, hummus, babaganoush and tzatziki; and Zesta Cucina serving a menu with cracked pepper steak kebabs, chop salads and Parmesan halibut should be on your radar.

WINDING DOWN: Serenity Day Spa is a good place to unwind from the day’s bump and grind.

Or set your mind at ease at the Yakima Area Arboretum, along the banks of the Yakima River, open all days and from dawn to dusk.

(c) MitchellIMAGE

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METHOW VALLEY NORTH AMERICA'S LARGEST CROSS-COUNTRY SKI AREA

120+ miles of groomed trails kids ski free cozy lodging delicious local food winter wonderland fun for everyone VISIT US ONLINE TO PLAN YOUR ADVENTURE:

winthropwashington.com

methowtrails.org

IDAHO

Descend the legendary slopes of Sun Valley Resort and into its glamorous, storied past. (photo: Jon Mancuso/Sun Valley Resort)

SUN VALLEY RESORT The birthplace of lift-serve skiing and the nostalgic winter playground of Hollywood’s golden era, Sun Valley has charm, history, people-watching and more than 2,000 skiable acres. The main Warm Springs Lodge at Bald Mountain (Sun Valley Resort’s main ski area), was renovated in 2019 after a fire ripped through and gutted it in 2018. Rest assured, the glamour of the original was dutifully restored. The resort has 120 runs, 18 lifts and 3,400 feet of vertical drop.

LODGING: Lodging in Ketchum got a lot more difficult when the modern clean lines of Limelight Hotel entered the picture. Limelight was the first modern luxury alternative to the rustic and charming hotels of a bygone era.

That said, the history and secrets of Ketchum are within the walls of the Sun Valley Lodge. A 2015 renovation updated its rooms and pool area and added a full spa.

Both of these accommodations

BRUNDAGE MOUNTAIN RESORT Launched by a local mill owner, a potato mogul and Norwegian Olympic ski champion Corey Engen on Thanksgiving 1961, Brundage Mountain Resort has 67 trails, more than 1,900 vertical, 1,920 skiable acres and five chairlifts. Snowcat skiing unlocks 18,000 more acres of backcountry powder.

LODGING: Brundage Bungalows are comfortable, rustic cabins that feel like mini ski chalets.

Shore Lodge has a heated pool,

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hot tubs, firepits and an indoor theater. The historic Hotel McCall in the heart of downtown McCall is another great way to experience McCall while on your ski trip. Overlooking Payette Lake, Hotel McCall’s current iteration came after being rebuilt from a devastating fire in 1937. It has an indoor heated pool and a spa.

DINING + DRINKING: Rupert’s at Hotel McCall has a menu that includes vegetarian options, with many foods sourced from the farmers market. Himalayan momos, a black rice Buddha

will provide a memorable Sun Valley experience.

DINING + DRINKING: The Main Street classics (Pioneer Saloon, Sawtooth Club and Whiskey Jacques’) may be overrun on any given weekend. Shoot for Despo’s for top-notch Mexican cuisine and margaritas. Il Naso is an intimate Italian restaurant out of the fray and with a deep wine list.

For cocktails, head back to Main Street to either Warfield’s Distillery & Brewery or to Limelight Hotel, where you can sit indoors or outdoors in a courtyard that overlooks a little park that houses the regional museum.

WINDING DOWN: Relaxing is easy to do when you’re in the Ketchum area. Head north of town on Highway 20 and pull off at one of the many trailheads along the Big Wood River. Outand-back hikes in this valley are restorative and de-stressing. For the rest of your being, there’s Zynergy spa, a full-service spa with a flair for body care.

bowl and a mixed grill of elk are just a few items on an engaging menu. McCall Brewing Company has a mix of sandwiches, wraps and burgers along with a good portfolio of craft beer for a more casual dining experience.

WINDING DOWN: From downtown, you can pick up the North Valley Rail Trail McCall Trailhead behind City Hall and do an easy, scenic out and back. For the ultimate in relaxation, book services at Shore Lodge’s spa, The Cove, from massage to soaking immersion pools.

FROM TOP Ridgeline ripping in the backcountry, accessed by snowcat. Get the mini ski-chalet experience at Brundage Bungalows. (photos, from top: Brundage Mountain Resort, Brundage Bungalows)

Make tracks, make memories.

Book your McCall, Id winter vacation at

visitmccall.org

Stay Ski Stay & & Ski Packages Packages FROM $144* *Per Person, based on double occupancy

Sign the McCall Promise and help us preserve this special place. #travelresponsibly

MONTANA + CANADA

MONTANA

SNOWBOWL Just 12 miles northwest of Missoula and in the Lolo National Forest, Snowbowl is Missoula’s alpine playground. With 950 skiable acres and 39 runs served by three double chairs, Snowbowl is a great balance of challenging black diamonds and proximity to a great mountain town. Like many ski resorts set in national forests, most lodging options (and most restaurants) are farther afield.

LODGING: If skiing and snowboarding is your raison d’etre, then book a room at the slopeside Gelandesprung Lodge, with outdoor hot tub and food options nearby. The cool factor goes up at hot tub rooms at the renovated Thunderbird Motel on the banks of the Clark Fork River in downtown Missoula. If you’re traveling with your dog, Jacobs Island Bark Park is right out the door.

DINING + DRINKING: Try Plonk in downtown Missoula, a classic brick galley-style restaurant and bar for cocktails, massaman curry, shrimp and octopus ceviche and seared halibut cheeks. Boxcar Bistro at the Old Sawmill District is another good dining experience in Missoula. The French-inspired menu has bouillabaisse, raclette and chicken chasseur.

WINDING DOWN: To unwind in Missoula, book a massage at Sorella’s or, if the weather allows, lace up a pair of skates at Glacier outdoor ice rink and sip hot chocolate as you go.

FROM TOP Chairlift views of Snowbowl’s black diamond trails. Downtown Missoula offers dining spots including Plonk, with dishes such as grilled venison short-loin with brandy-currant foie gras. (photos, from top: Chris Henderson, Plonk)

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Fernie Alpine Resort’s vast terrain includes a village with lodging, dining and bars. (photo: Fernie Alpine Resort)

BRITISH COLUMBIA

FERNIE ALPINE RESORT Unlike many of our featured ski areas, Fernie is the complete village resort with ski services, lodging dining, bars and a grocery store. Its skiing covers all facts of terrain. The lift-service alpine area has 2,500 skiable acres, with 3,550 vertical, 142 runs, seven chairlifts and a few restaurants on the mountain. Fernie also offers spectacular catski options for more advanced skiers who crave deep powder.

Getting to Fernie may not be easy, but definitely worth your effort. In southeast BC, it lies about 170 miles northeast of the Washington border if driving.

Flights are available from Portland or Seattle and go to nearby Cranbrook with about a 70-mile scenic mountain drive to an oasis of Canadian ski nirvana.

For cross-country skiers, the Fernie Nordic Society manages a few ski areas nearby including the Elk Valley Nordic Centre just 5 kilometers back toward town.

If you plan ahead for a special Nordic ski trip, book the snowcat up to Island Lake Lodge for 25 kilometers of skinny skiing, a spa and gourmet-lunch package.

LODGING: In the Fernie ski village, there are a few options which include: The Griz Inn, Lizard Creek Lodge, Snow Creek Lodge and Slope Side Lodge.

The convenience of these for visitors whose activities center on skiing, is unmatched. Book Island Lake Lodge if you’re taking the Nordic plunge.

DINING + DRINKING: Cirque Restaurant and Bar boasts surf and turf plus a Parisian gnocchi dish on the menu. Its wine list is dominated by French reds and British Columbia whites. Legends Mountain Eatery has two kinds of poutine on its menu, plus burgers and sandwiches, beer and wine.

Between these two venues, there’s little need to forage further.

WINDING DOWN: First consider the Fernie Aquatic Center for its 25-person hot tub. Perhaps more important are two Canadian traditions you shouldn’t miss while in town—skating at the Fernie Memorial Arena, and curling, which you can do on drop-in Thursdays beginning in January 2022 at the Fernie Curling Club.

Après ski at Cirque Restaurant and Bar. (photo: Matt Kuhn)

Experience the Canadian Rockies, Fernie Style.

Destination BC/Dave Heath

Over 30 Ft of Snow Annually | 3,550 Vertical Ft | Top Elevation 7,000 Ft 2,500 Acres of Lift Access Terrain & Thousands of Acres for Catskiing

Located in the Rockies of southeast British Columbia, Fernie is known for its deep powder snow and cool local vibe.

Just over a 100 miles north of Whitefish & Kalispell, Montana, Fernie is easy to get to. Add the great currency exchange rate that saves you 20–25% on everything, a trip up is well worth it!

Fernie Alpine Resort – 4 Nights Ski-in Ski-Out Suite & 4 Days of Skiing from US$278/night for two.

FWA Catskiing – Single Day Snowcat Skiing from US$396/person, early or late season.

Island Lake Catskiing – 2 Nights & 2 Days All-Inclusive from US$1580/person.

Book today and visit safely this winter! | experiencefernie.com | #ferniestoke

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