The Gorge Magazine - Fall 2018

FALL 2018 thegorgemagazine.com

LIVING AND EXPLORING IN THE COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE

Mount Adams The “forgotten” peak takes center stage in a new book

Blue Zones Project Aiming for better health and well-being in The Dalles

Mountain Valley Meat A Hood River butcher serves a vital role in the Gorge food system

Visit Historic Downtown

TROUTDALE the gateway to the gorge TAKE EXIT 17 OFF I-84

Visit our many Specialty Shops, Art Galleries, Antique Shops, Fine Restaurants, and more!

Taste of Village Chinese RestauRant & Lounge { Cantonese and Mandarin Cuisine }

Lindsey Rosencrans, OD

971-292-2991 • MyQuiltingLoft.com Hours: Tues-Sat 10am-5pm 253 E. Historic Columbia River Hwy. Troutdale, OR 97060

COMPREHENSIVE & URGENT EYECARE Glasses • Prescription Sunglasses Contact Lenses

503-492-3897 • troutdalevision.com 226 E. Historic Columbia River Hwy

oRDeRs to go: (503) 666-7768 302 e. historic Columbia River hwy sun-thur, 11-10pm • Fri & sat, 11-10:30pm

gifts HomE dECoR EspREsso

TROUTDALE’S PIZZA DESTINATION! Fabulous Food ~ Martinis ~ Wine Fabulous ~ Martinis Beer Food ~ Cocktails Wine ~ Beer ~ Cocktails Fabulous Food ~ Martinis Lunch~Brunch~Dinner Minors Welcome All Minors welcome~ all Hours hours Beer Cocktails Lunch~Brunch~Dinner Happy Hour 4pm-6pm

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Serving artisan pizza & a great selection of local craft beer, cider and wine in a friendly, relaxing environment.

Lunch~Brunch~Dinner Minors Welcome All Hours www.Troutini.com ~ 503-912-1462 Minors welcome all hours Happy Hour 4pm-6pm Happy Hour 4pm-6pm

Downtown Troutdale on the Historic Columbia River Highway

Downtown Troutdale on the Historic Columbia River Highway www.Troutini.com ~ 503-912-1462

(503) 618-9394

Downtown Troutdale on the Historic Columbia River Highway

Troutini.com 503-912-1462

celebratemehoameonline.com 319 E. Historic Columbia River Hwy

503-489-5730 • find us on Facebook 275 Columbia River Highway

café • gifts • candy • souvenirs espresso • ice cream parlour

(503) 492-7912

289 E. COLUMBIA RIVER HWY

CONTENTS : FEATURES

p.50

Preserving the Wonder Friends of the Columbia Gorge completes a campaign to protect 470 acres on eight diverse properties in Washington

By Janet Cook

p.44 FROM DEVASTATION TO REJUVENATION One year after the Eagle Creek Fire tore through the Gorge, a former Forest Service fire manager takes an in-depth look at its aftermath — and the role of fire in the life of our forests

By Jurgen Hess

Courtesy of Friends of the Columbia Gorge

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FALL 2018 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

Visit Klickitat County Where The Sun Meets The Rain HUSUM RIVERSIDE BED AND BREAKFAST

Photo by Darlisa Black

MARYHILL WINERY

Family run B&B by the White Salmon River. Five queen-size rooms and a premier king suite. All have private entrances and baths. Our famous 5-star breakfast buffet is included.

Available for weddings and events.

Wine Press Northwest’s “2015 Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year”, 50+ award-winning wines, Tuscan-style terrace with views of Mt. Hood, Bocce, picnicking, live music every summer weekend from 1pm-5pm, tasting room, gift shop.

509-281-1181 • GorgeRooms.com 866 Hwy 141 • Husum

877-627-9445 • maryhillwinery.com 9774 Hwy 14 • Goldendale

BEST WESTERN PLUS HOOD RIVER INN

CHAMBERS FAMILY CHIROPRACTIC

The perfect base for exploring the Columbia Gorge. River view guest rooms, dining at Riverside, Cebu Lounge, heated shoreline pool, spas, and sauna. Wine tasting passes, tours and recreation packages.

Helping people suffering from injuries, tension, chronic pain, stress or blockages. Providing holistic, ‘no cracking’ chiropractic solutions that are tailored to each individual. We listen. We care. We get results!

800-828-7873 • hoodriverinn.com 1108 E. Marina Way • Hood River

509-493-0555 chambersfamilychiropractic.com

STAMP THE EARTH LLC

THE LYLE HOTEL

Specializing in decorative stamped and stained concrete. Serving the Gorge. Book today for Fall!

Design, installation & maintenance.

Visit our online gallery for ideas.

CCB: 210688 WA: STAMPEC88JCS

The Lyle Hotel Restaurant & Bar is a historic railroad hotel newly renovated with nightly stays & dinner serving local beers, wines and cider in the heart of wine country.

541-716-1094 • stamptheearth.com facebook.com/stamptheearth

509-365-5953 • thelylehotel.com 100 Seventh St • Lyle

TETRAHEDRON WINES

WHITE SALMON BAKING Co.

Experience our fine wines from small lot production and winemakers regularly pouring at the tasting room. Stop by and see what Tetrahedron has to offer!

Artisanal breads baked in our custom, hand-built, wood-fired oven. Full service café offering seasonal breakfast and lunch. Enjoy beer,wine, and locally roasted Pacific Rim espresso with your pastry. Join us Monday night 5-9, for wood-fired pizza!

Friday - Sunday 11:00am-6:00pm 509-774-8323 • tetrahedronwines.com 421 State Street (Hwy 14) • Lyle

509-281-3140 • whitesalmonbaking.com 80 Estes Ave • White Salmon

EXPLORE KLICKITAT COUNTY, WASHINGTON AND THE NORTH SHORE OF THE COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE! VISITOR INFORMATION CENTER: 1 Heritage Plaza, White Salmon, WA 98672 • 509-493-3630 • mtadamschamber.com

CONTENTS : DEPARTMENTS

our gorge 12 PERSON OF INTEREST 16 VENTURES 18 BEST OF THE GORGE 22 HOME + GARDEN 24 LOCAVORE 28 STYLE + DESIGN 32 EXPLORE 36 WINE SPOTLIGHT 68 PARTAKE 74 EPILOGUE

24

16

Left, by Kelly Turso and right, by David Hanson

outside 56

32

PALISADE POINT Sweeping vistas reward hikers on this Badger Creek Wilderness trail

By Ben Mitchell

arts + culture 58

THESE ARE NOT YOUR GRANDMA’S QUILTS A group of fiber artists takes quilting to the next level

By Peggy Dills Kelter

wellness 62

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FALL 2018 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

Top, by Beth Kerschen and bottom, by Ben Mitchell

REACHING FOR THE BLUE ZONE A health initiative in The Dalles aims to help residents live longer, better

By Janet Cook

HOME + JEWELRY

SINCE

1994

305 OAK STREET

DOWNTOWN HOOD RIVER 54 1-386-6188

EDITOR’S NOTE

L

ast year, I did something I’ve never done before. I bought part of a cow. It was a cow I knew, sort of. My hair stylist, Mary, whose salon is in her home on Hood River’s west side, occasionally raises a couple of cows in her adjacent pasture. After a peaceful life spent munching grasses in her meadow, the cows are sent up to Mountain Valley Meat in Mt. Hood, one of the Gorge’s only custom slaughterhouses and butchers. There, Jason Johnston does what he does best, which is to slaughter the cows and expertly turn them into the various cuts that have been pre-ordered by customers.

GORGE FRUIT &

CRAFT FAIR

As a former vegetarian, I was a little squeamish about this whole thing. But I wholeheartedly buy into the local food concept, and I figured this was as local as it gets. I got to see “my” cow whenever I went for a hair cut. Mary would tell funny stories about the cows’ antics, and I would marvel at their beautiful coats. I went in on a quarter cow with a friend, and together we filled out the form for which cuts we wanted. Then, in early December, I got a call that my meat was ready to pick up.

My friend and I drove to Mountain Valley Meat with a couple of coolers. When we got there, Jason opened up the huge walk-in freezer and started bringing out our order — dozens of neatly wrapped packages stamped with my name and the type of cut. It was early December, and the freezer was filled nearly to overflowing with packaged meat, as well as whole deer and elk carcasses from hunting season. My formerly vegetarian mind was blown — but not in a bad way. I was impressed with the sheer volume of meat, and the obvious care that Jason put into his work. I felt good about the local meat I was getting, raised in an idyllic Hood River pasture, slaughtered and butchered and packaged by this local family. The whole process — from my cow’s life to the neat white packages — happened within 12 miles of my kitchen.

Photographer and writer David Hanson profiles Mountain Valley Meat in this issue, beginning on page 16. As Hanson writes, small custom butcher shops like the Johnston’s are a vital part of the local food system. I feel fortunate to have evidence of this in my freezer.

October 20 & 21

We have other stories of local people and products in this issue, too, including a story on Columbia Black Garlic (page 24), Eco-Glass Straws (page 28), and the Gorge Grown Mobile Farmers’ Market (page 22). We also take a look at The Blue Zones Project, a health initiative in The Dalles whose goal is to help residents live longer, healthier lives (page 62), and we feature some new properties in Washington recently acquired by Friends of the Columbia Gorge for permanent protection.

There’s plenty in here to enjoy as the cooler days of fall set in. We hope you enjoy this issue. Happy autumn!

FALL 2018 thegorgemagazine.com

—Janet Cook, Editor

541-354-2865 hoodriverfair.org

LIVING AND EXPLORING IN THE COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE

Mount Adams The “forgotten” peak takes center stage in a new book

Blue Zones Project

ABOUT THE COVER Photographer Darryl Lloyd took the cover shot of Mount Adams from the ranch where he was raised near Glenwood, Wash. “This is the view I grew up with, as we saw it on clear, autumn days,” he says.

This image was taken on a brilliant October day, from the “East 40” meadow at the Flying L Ranch, with a fresh coat of snow on the mountain and the aspen and cottonwood trees in the meadow putting on a show. mtadamsbook.com

Aiming for better health and well-being in The Dalles

Mountain Valley Meat A Hood River butcher serves a vital role in the Gorge food system

When you have read this issue please pass it on to a friend or recycle it.

Together we can make a difference in preserving and conserving our resources.

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FALL 2018 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

FALL 2018 EDITOR

Janet Cook

CREATIVE DIRECTOR & GRAPHIC DESIGNER Renata Kosina

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Jody Thompson

ADVERTISING SALES Jenna Hallett, Suzette Gehring and Chelsea Marr

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ruth Berkowitz, Don Campbell, Viki Eierdam, David Hanson, Jurgen Hess, Peggy Dills Kelter, Kacie McMackin, Ben Mitchell

COVER PHOTOGRAPHER Darryl Lloyd

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS David Hanson, Jurgen Hess, Immense Imagery, Renata Kosina, Aubrie LeGault, Darryl Lloyd, Kacie McMackin, Ben Mitchell, John Schreiber, Kelly Turso

TO ADVERTISE IN THE GORGE MAGAZINE please contact Jody Thompson jthompson@thegorgemagazine.com

Your love is unique your ring should be too APLAND

JEWELERS

541.386.3977

3RD & OAK ST., HOOD RIVER

CUSTOM DESIGN IS OUR SPECIALTY

G R O U P & C U S T O M T O U R S AVA I L A B L E

Experience the Columbia River Gorge like never before... from the seat of an electric ‘pedal assist’ bicycle

VISIT US ON SOCIAL MEDIA facebook.com/thegorgemagazine

THE GORGE MAGAZINE thegorgemagazine.com PO Box 390 • 419 State Street Hood River, Oregon 97031

We appreciate your feedback.

Please email comments to: jcook@thegorgemagazine.com

The Gorge Magazine is published by Eagle Magazines, Inc., an affiliate of Eagle Newspapers, Inc. 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 Eagle Magazines, Inc. Articles and photographs appearing in The Gorge Magazine may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the publisher. The views and opinions expressed in these articles are not necessarily those of The Gorge Magazine, Eagle Magazines, Inc., Eagle Newspapers, Inc., or its employees, staff or management. All RIGHTS RESERVED. PRINTED IN THE U.S.A.

Please visit SOLRIDES.COM or call 503.939.4961 for reservations and tour calendar

THE GORGE MAGAZINE : FALL 2018

9

MENS • WOMENS • KIDS • BABY • CLOTHING • SHOES • GIFTS • TEXTILES

OUR GORGE person of interest p. 12 ventures p. 16 best of the gorge p. 18 home + garden p. 22 locavore p. 24 style + design p. 28 explore p. 32 wine spotlight p. 36

Darryl Lloyd examines a western red cedar on Mount Adams. Native Americans stripped bark from the trees to weave into baskets. p. 12 Photo courtesy of Darryl Lloyd

THE GORGE MAGAZINE : FALL 2018

11

OUR GORGE : PERSON OF INTEREST

Darryl Lloyd

The renowned photographer’s new book celebrates a lifetime on Mount Adams

M

ount Adams has always been the less showy sentinel guarding the Columbia Gorge. Its wide, rounded summit is less dramatic than the jutting peak of Mount Hood.

Climbers gain more prestige from summiting Hood than Adams, even though, at 12,276 feet, Adams is the higher mountain. Mount Adams’ history of being ignored — it’s often called “the forgotten volcano” — dates back to Lewis and Clark, who mistook the peak for Mount St. Helens.

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STORY BY JANET COOK • PHOTOS COURTESY OF DARRYL LLOYD

None of this matters to Hood River’s Darryl Lloyd, an inveterate photographer and sometime writer.

For him, Mount Adams is the most beautiful and intriguing of all mountains. He’s spent more than 70 years exploring its many facets, along the way becoming one of the foremost experts on Mount Adams.

Now Lloyd has published a book about his beloved mountain that fills a void in the literature about the Cascade Range’s third-highest peak. Ever Wild: A Lifetime on Mount Adams is part memoir, part human and natural history, and part scientific exploration. Ultimately, it’s a call for protection and preservation of the mountain Lloyd loves and knows so well.

Lloyd grew up at the eastern base of Mount Adams, in the Glenwood Valley of southern Washington, and he and his twin brother, Darvel, began exploring the mountain as toddlers. Lloyd’s father was a forester and his mother dreamed of running a guest ranch. To that end, the family built a sprawling ranch house on 80 acres, with a grass runway where the elder Lloyd could fly his Waco biplane in and out as he commuted to his forestry job in Tacoma. They named it the Flying L Ranch.

“It was a perfect childhood,” Lloyd says. “We were the luckiest kids in the world.” The guest ranch was not a profitable venture — the guests became friends and Lloyd’s mother rarely charged them to stay there — but with all that open space, and Mount Adams rising a few miles to the west, the Lloyd twins had everything they needed.

Lloyd’s family often spent their free time on the mountain, much of it in the early years at Bird Creek Meadows, which remains one of Lloyd’s favorite places. As they got older, Lloyd and his brother would accompany their father when he went timber cruising in the forests of Mount Adams, surveying and gathering timber inventory data. They learned how to use a map and compass, and often slept in the forest among the trees. “We never had a tent — we were lucky if we had a tarp,” Lloyd recalls. “And we hardly ever used trails. We were off-trail, bushwhacking. It was a way of life from a young age.”

The twins climbed Mount Adams for the first time with their father when they were 10. “My dad was a seat-of-the-pants climber,” Lloyd says. “He wasn’t technically skilled.” When the boys were in sixth grade, they had a teacher who was an experienced mountain climber and took them on several climbing

OPEN STUDIOS

Darryl Lloyd, opposite bottom, has spent a lifetime exploring Mount Adams. He and his twin brother, Darvel, at the summit in the 1970s, opposite inset. Above, a view of Mount St. Helens erupting from the flank of Adams. Below, the night sky from a campsite.

adventures, teaching them technical skills that would serve them well. One of their trips was on a rarely hiked route on the southeast flank of Mount Adams. It was on this trip that Lloyd, who brought with him his first camera, a Kodak Brownie Holiday, got hooked on photography.

Lloyd and his brother attended high school in Portland, but returned to the Flying L — and Mount Adams — as often as possible. Around this time, Lloyd first met U.S. Supreme Court Justice William O. Douglas, who bought a home in the Glenwood Valley about a mile down the road from the Flying L Ranch. Douglas — who, along with his wife, Mercedes, became good friends of the Lloyd family — was a staunch conservationist and, through prolific writing and advocacy, pushed hard over decades for the preservation of wild places. He became an influential figure in Lloyd’s life, and Lloyd credits him with helping set him on his path of working to share and conserve Mount Adams.

Life took Lloyd in multiple directions over the years. He graduated from the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy in Kings Point, N.Y., and worked on oceanographic research vessels, sailing extensively in the Pacific Ocean. He studied geography at the University of Colorado and earned a Master of Marine Affairs degree from the University of Rhode Island. But Mount Adams was never far from his heart or mind, and he continually felt a pull back to the mountain.

Jill Mayberg: Red Horse

SIXTH ANNUAL CLARK COUNTY OPEN STUDIOS TOUR

50 ARTISTS FREE SELF-GUIDED TOUR 10 AM–5 PM, SAT–SUN NOvEMBER 3–4, 2018 A program of Arts of Clark County — Learn more at:

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THE GORGE MAGAZINE : FALL 2018

13

OUR GORGE : PERSON OF INTEREST In 1970, he and Darvel landed back at the Flying L and launched the Mount Adams Wilderness Institute (MAWI). The program offered two-week sessions all summer long where the Lloyd brothers took participants backpacking on the mountain, exploring and learning the natural history and science of the area. Participants also learned mountaineering skills and climbed to the summit.

“It was an incredible success,” Lloyd says.

The program quickly gained popularity and the summer sessions filled up for 10 years running.

In 1980, MAWI was entering its second decade. It was booked for the summer once again when, on May 18, Mount St. Helens erupted. As part of widespread closures in the wake of the eruption, the Forest Service closed public access to Mount Adams indefinitely, effectively putting an end to MAWI. In the late 1980s, Lloyd and his brother took over the Flying L Ranch. “We ran it and for the first time, it became a real business,” Lloyd says. They hosted guests year-round, with cross-country skiing on the area’s many trails being a highlight of the winter months. They sold the ranch in the late 1990s, but Lloyd’s connection to Mount Adams continued.

In 2004, a proposed resort on the mountain’s southeast flank led Lloyd to found Friends of

14 FALL 2018 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

Darryl Lloyd and his brother, Darvel, operated the Mount Adams Wilderness Institute for 10 years, taking participants backpacking on the mountain and teaching natural history, science and mountaineering skills. Above, a MAWI group on Rusk Glacier in the late 1970s. The eruption of Mount St. Helens brought an end to the popular institute.

Mount Adams (FOMA). Lloyd dropped everything he was doing at the time to fight the proposal full-time.

Ultimately, the Yakama Nation, on whose land the resort would have been situated, denied the proposal.

Lloyd continued to run FOMA. With Darvel and other board members, the group led hikes on the mountain for many years, and also organized educational forums — often in partnership with the Yakama Nation and the Forest Service. Lloyd continues to send out occasional reports on Mount Adams-related news to an email list that has grown to some 800 members.

Lloyd now lives in Hood River, with a view of Mount Adams from his window. But the mountain continues to hold sway over him. He’ll spend the fall promoting his book throughout the Pacific Northwest, sharing with others the mountain that has been so vital to him.

“I couldn’t live without it,” he says.

For more information, including author events and book signings, go to mtadamsbook.com.

DESIGN / BUILD REMODELING HOME IMPROVEMENT SOLAR ENERGY

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OUR GORGE : VENTURES

The Neighborhood Butcher Mountain Valley Meat serves a vital role in the local food system

I

STORY AND PHOTOS BY DAVID HANSON

t’s the day before county fair season and it’s all business at Mountain Valley Meat, the only butcher shop and slaughterhouse in all of Hood River County. Jason Johnston stands in a teal blue apron, shoulders slightly hunched as he slides a side of beef through a whirring table-top meat saw. A stack of rib-eyes grows on the stainless-steel counter next to him.

“This beef ’s from Dufur,” Johnston says, deftly pushing the slab with one hand, pulling it with the other, the saw slicing through two-inch ribs like it’s red velvet cake. “We get beef from all the way over in Hermiston. And we’re taking animals from six county fairs this year — Hood River, Skamania, Sherman, Wasco, Klickitat and Gilliam.”

Jason and Toria Johnston bought Mountain Valley Meat in 2014. The shop had been around since 1951, but time takes its toll on slaughterhouses, and the old buildings and equipment needed some fresh blood, if you will, when the Johnstons bought it. Toria’s career was in medical transcription and personal training, but she’d worked with 4-H clubs for more than two decades, helping coordinate students

16 FALL 2018 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

learning to raise, account for and ultimately auction off their goats, sheep, cattle, or pigs at county fairs. Jason built cell phone towers, traveling all over the west.

“It was time for a career change,” he says.

“I wanted to be home more. And these places are necessary for the community. Small custom butcher shops and slaughterhouses are all closing down. There used to be a handful of butchers in Hood River and a few in Parkdale. People used to see meat being handled and cut all the time.”

The first thing to know about small butchers like Mountain Valley Meat is that you can’t buy its hand-cut, hand-wrapped ground beef, pork chops or bacon in grocery stores or farmers’ markets. The USDA classifies these shops differently from the large-scale slaughter and packing facilities allowed to sell retail. For Jason, customers bring their animals to him and he simply does the slaughter, cutting and packaging.

The customers return to pick up the packaged meat and give or sell to families, neighbors, or employees, or Johnston ships the meat to the rancher’s customers.

Celilo Restaurant and Bar

Someone like me, who lives on a tenth of an acre in town and does not raise anything worth eating, cannot walk in and buy a pound of hamburger meat. I can, however, call ahead and place an order for a certain part of a specific animal. It’s a quirky, small-town work-around that yields good local beef or pork at great prices. And the rancher wins, too.

“The rancher gets more money and they can have a bigger customer base,” Jason says. “They can set the price and it’s more stable, rather than riding the wave of the commodity market if they take their meat to a big USDA processing plant like most people have to do.”

More than 50 percent of America’s grocery-store beef is processed in one of 13 commercial slaughterhouses. The biggest of the industrial-scale packinghouses slaughter over 25,000 head per day. A rancher who lovingly raises a cow on wild sage ranchland somewhere in Sherman County and who knows the animal by a mark over its eye or a pattern in its coat has to relinquish that animal to the same packing house as the industrial rancher whose nameless cattle subsist in a dusty, crowded feedlot off an interstate before being sent to slaughter. A highly functioning small butcher shop like Mountain Valley Meat isn’t going to change that dynamic, but it gives a community like the Columbia River Gorge the option to participate in a local meat economy.

After slaughter, the cattle or pigs are cleaned and hang in a refrigerated room to dry age for around three weeks depending on the specific size and health of the animal. Then Johnston — who learned the trade by reading books and working with the previous owner — and his crew butcher and package the various cuts and store them in a massive walk-in freezer.

“Several ranchers bring us anywhere from 20 to 30-plus head throughout the year,” Johnston says. “They give us a list of their customers, from county locals all the way to Portland, Seattle and Alaska. We want to keep growing and add a whole new building. That would mean more farmers can raise their own animals.”

Then there’s game meat. After the county fair season wraps up, hunting season begins and Jason and Toria and their staff of nine swells to 14 through January as they process mostly deer and elk.

“We hunt and we used to drive our game meat to Kelso to a friend,” says Toria. “Having a relationship with your butcher is like having a doctor you like.”

“These farmers put a lot of time and energy and care into raising healthy animals,” says Jason. “They want them taken care of well at the butcher. We’re hoping for a sort of snowball effect: having access to a good butcher means more animals are raised for local consumption, which means less beef has to be shipped in from big feedlots.”

The local slaughterhouse might never have the Saturday-morning-stroll appeal of a farmer’s market, but a custom butcher shop is a vital part of a functioning local food system. And for meat eaters who like to “know your farmer,” Jason and Toria plan to open Mountain Valley Meat to visitors, welcoming people to come know their butcher, too.

For more information, find Mountain Valley Meat on Facebook.

David Hanson is a writer, photographer and video producer based in Hood River. Find his editorial and commercial work at ModocStories.com and weddings at CascadiaStudios.com.

aubrie legault

Jason and Toria Johnston, opposite inset, own Mountain Valley Meat, a custom butcher and slaughterhouse in the Hood River Valley.

Roberto Contreras, opposite bottom, carries a tray of freshly butchered meat. Above, fresh rib steaks are ready for packaging.

Cheers.

Dinner (Daily) 5pm-close Lunch (Fri/Sat/Sun) 11:30-3pm Happy Hour (Daily) 5-6pm

541-386-5710 www.celilorestaurant.com 16 Oak Street, Hood River, OR

Planning an event?

Contact Celilo Catering!

THE GORGE MAGAZINE : FALL 2018

17

OUR GORGE : BEST OF THE GORGE

Streets Alive

1

The first ever Hood River Streets Alive event happens on Sept. 30 in The Heights neighborhood. Between 11 a.m. and 3 p.m., some of the lanes on 12th and 13th streets in the business district will be closed to traffic. In addition, a loop route through the neighborhood east of 12th Street will be made safe for two-way biking and walking. There will be a protected bikeway and safe crosswalks demo, a street festival, games, live music and other activities as part of the familyfriendly event. streetsalivehr.com

Kyle Ramey

Car is King Weekend

Supp

orting

authentic mus

ic experiences for students in ou

r comm

unity

2

Maryhill Museum’s annual Car is King Weekend, Oct. 6-7, is a celebration of Sam Hill’s love of roads, the automobile and the arts. Highlights include the Councours de Maryhill classic car show, a chance to drive the historic Maryhill Loops Road (which is opened to cars only twice a year), and the Maryhill Loops Climb, where vintage sports cars race in a three-mile timed climb up the Maryhill Loops Road. While you’re there, check out all the great art at the eastern Gorge museum. maryhillmuseum.org

FRI. SEPT. 14TH SAT. SEPT. 15TH

Waterfront Park · 12pm-10pm

Kickstand Coffee & Kitchen · 6pm TONY SMILEY FAMILY, MAN Double Mountain · 9pm SOUL PROPHET River City Saloon · 10pm FUGAWES

MOLLY SCHWARZ & FRIENDS THE WASCO BROTHERS BONNEVILLE POWER TRIO THE ANTONYMS HRVHS CHOIR THE GROOVE CABIN

DIRTY REVIVAL

FEATURING JEFF CARRELL & VICTOR JOHNSON

AFTER HOURS 10pm-12am Volcanic Bottle Shoppe HARDSHELL HARMONY Trillium Cafe THE HAZELNUTS Slopeswell Cidery GRATEFUL GROWLERS Music Underground Disco/ Karaoke Party

WWW.MUSICFESTIVALOFTHEGORGE.COM

MFOG

THANKS TO ALL OF OUR GENEROUS SPONSORS

3

The fourth annual Music Festival of the Gorge has expanded this year, kicking off Friday, Sept. 14, with live music at three venues in Hood River. On Saturday, Sept. 15, seven musical acts take the stage throughout the day at Waterfront Park, from noon to 10 p.m., with headliner Dirty Revival, a 7-piece soul/rock band from Portland. The music continues after hours at four Hood River venues. The festival is a fundraiser for school music programs in Hood River County through the Matt Klee Scholarship Fund and Arts in Education of the Gorge. musicfestivalofthegorge.com

18 FALL 2018 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

mark temple

Bonnie Raitt Tribute Band at CCA

4

The Bonnie Raitt Tribute Band brings its show, Something to Talk About, to Columbia Center for the Arts on Sept. 29. The show is a musical collaboration between some of Oregon’s finest singers and musicians joining to pay tribute to the “queen of the bottleneck blues.” The show is a fundraiser for CCA’s Seniors & the Arts program, which brings art experiences to senior centers and organizations throughout the Gorge. columbiaarts.org

We know the Gorge.

Hops Fest

We know Real Estate.

The annual Hood River Hops Fest takes place Sept. 22 from noon to 8 p.m. in downtown Hood River. This year features the largest selection of fresh-hop beer in the event’s 15-year history, with more than 50 breweries serving some 60 fresh-hop ales. The family-friendly event (open to all ages until 5 p.m.; 21-and-over after that) includes food and craft vendors and live music. Tickets, available presale for $15 ($20 day of ), include entry, a commemorative glass and five taste tokens. hoodriver.org

Our professional realtors are ready to put their local knowledge to work for you on both sides of the river.

5

Residential • Vacation Investment • Commercial Contact us to discuss your Real Estate needs!

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Austin Smith/Bear Boot Productions

541-386-2330

Hood River · The Dalles THE GORGE MAGAZINE : FALL 2018

19

OUR GORGE : BEST OF THE GORGE

Sense of Place

6

Longhouse meeting in Celilo Village circa 1950s (Reed College Library)

The annual Sense of Place Lecture Series, sponsored by Gorge Owned, brings another season of monthly presentations that explore the human and natural history of the Columbia Gorge. The lectures, by donation at Columbia Center for the Arts in Hood River, include: The Ice Age Oregon Trail (Oct.10); Native Voices of the Columbia River (Nov. 14); Crisis on the Columbia: Native-White Alliances & Opposition to The Dalles Dam (Dec. 19); Schemes, Dreams and Teams: a Century-Long Saga to Protect the Columbia Gorge (Feb. 13); Shifting Sand: A Journey Through Time at the Columbia’s Nichols Boat Basin (March 20); and Along the Columbia: Discovering the Architectural Heritage of Our Gorge Towns (April 10). gorgeowned.org

Harvest Fest

7

Celebrate harvest season in the Gorge at the 36th annual Hood River Valley Harvest Fest Oct. 12-14 at the Hood River Event Site. More than 120 vendors offer local seasonal produce, artisan food products, and arts and crafts. A beer, wine and cider tasting area features locally-made beverages, and a kids’ activity center includes bouncy houses and face painting. A pie-eating contest for festival-goers ages 15 and over takes place Saturday and Sunday at 2 p.m. hoodriver.org

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FALL 2018 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

Raymond Perkins

photoboyko/Bigstock.com

Kriekfest

8

Hood River Kriekfest takes place at Waterfront Park in Hood River Oct. 6, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. The event — which moves from Parkdale to Hood River this year — is a celebration of sour cherry beer, plus cherry ciders, wine and mead. More than two-dozen breweries, cideries and wineries will serve their unique cherryinspired beverages — including some available exclusively in Oregon at Kriekfest, and others blended specifically for the event. kriekfest.com

pong-photo9/Bigstock.com

History.Charm.Romance.

Fill Your Pantry

9

Stock your pantry and freezer for the winter at the 4th annual Fill Your Pantry event, Nov. 3 from 2 to 6 p.m. at the Rockford Grange (4250 Barrett Drive, Hood River). Locally grown and produced staples available for purchase in bulk include potatoes, onions, root crops, winter squash, beans, grains, fruit, honey, cheese, dried herbs, jams, jellies and more. There will be food storage demonstrations, educational materials, kids’ activities and live music. rockfordgrange.net

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THE GORGE MAGAZINE : FALL 2018

21

Have Veggies, Will Travel Gorge Grown Mobile Farmers’ Market takes local produce on the road STORY BY JANET COOK • PHOTOS COURTESY OF GORGE GROWN

F

or Delpha, a resident of Hawks Ridge Assisted Living in Hood River, the Friday afternoon visits from Pippin have been a welcome addition to her week. Pippin doesn’t come any closer than the far corner of the expansive manicured lawn at Hawks Ridge, but that’s just fine. It means Delpha, who gets around ably with the help of a walker, gets some extra exercise.

When Pippin arrives at 2 p.m., Delpha is one of the first ones to the corner where she begins

22 FALL 2018 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

prometeus/Bigstock.com

OUR GORGE : HOME + GARDEN

browsing through what Pippin has to offer. On a recent Friday, it’s fresh peaches, plums and blueberries, salad greens, kale, beets and carrots, dark purple eggplant and bright red tomatoes. There’s a box of perfect-looking corn-on-the-cob and a pail of bright, nodding sunflowers. The palette of sumptuous, late-summer produce would thrill any painter.

Pippin is the refrigerated van that serves as the Mobile Farmers’ Market operated by Gorge Grown Food Network. Named after the heirloom apple, Pippin serves as a cold storage for fresh produce that can then be taken to communities and neighborhoods around the Gorge where there isn’t currently a regular farmers’ market. The weekly stop at Hawks Ridge makes it easy for residents of the assisted living community — most of whom don’t drive — as well as the adjacent apartment complexes to buy fresh local produce.

“Partnering with Gorge Grown has been a win all around for our residents, our chef ’s healthy meal plan, for the neighborhood and for local farmers,” said Victoria Cauldwell, marketing director at Hawks Ridge. “We couldn’t have asked for more.”

The mobile market got its start in 2008, and ran for several years through a patchwork of grant funding.

Gorge Grown gave it a hiatus after the 2014 season, with an eye toward creating a more sustainable business model for it, and to assess how to better serve the people and communities who need it most.

“The first phase was a real success,” said Sarah Sullivan, executive director of Gorge Grown. “It served as the starting point for a lot of farmers’ markets that are now self-sustaining.” She cites the farmers’ markets in Goldendale, White Salmon and Stevenson, which all got their start with the mobile market.

Gorge Grown re-launched the Mobile Farmers’ Market this year, with primary funding coming from the Columbia Gorge Health Council, one of the organizations that leads the Columbia Gorge Coordinated Care Organization which serves members of the Oregon Health Plan, Oregon’s Medicaid program. “That’s really exciting because it means that health care organizations are recognizing that access to healthy food is a cornerstone of health,” Sullivan said.

The Mobile Farmers’ Market offers an appealing variety of produce at Hawks Ridge in Hood River on a recent Friday, opposite. Above, the mobile market on location in Lyle.

Silvan Shawe, Gorge Grown’s food access coordinator, works with 29 local farmers to source fruit and veggies to stock Pippin. Currently, the mobile market sets up weekly at Hawks Ridge as well as in Cascade Locks and Lyle.

Once a month, it goes to Moro and Wasco.

Gorge Grown has been working with nearly a dozen restaurants and small stores — including Brenna’s Market in Mosier and Grass Valley Country Market — to sell the excess produce. “There’s very little waste,” Sullivan said. “It’s been great to work with these small stores as well and, in a sense, be a distributor.”

When fall harvest season kicks in, Sullivan hopes to add a couple of extra stops to the Mobile Farmers’ Market route. Her plan is to expand the mobile market even more next year. “We’d love to go to West The Dalles and even make regular stops at some of the larger employers in the Gorge,” she said.

“Our goal is to really ramp it up over the next couple of years.”

With the success of the Hawks Ridge mobile market, that stop is likely to stay on the regular route.

With her bag loaded with peaches, blueberries and plums and resting on the seat of her walker, Delpha heads back down the sidewalk toward Hawks Ridge. She said she likes to have the fruit on hand to offer visitors who come to her apartment, and also the aides who assist with her medication. She even sometimes brings fruit to the dining room to share with others. “I used to get candy bars at the Dollar Tree,” she said. “But I figure this is a lot healthier.”

For more information, go to gorgegrown.com.

The Mobile Farmers’ Market accepts cash, checks, Veggie Rx and WIC, as well as Senior Farmers’ Market Vouchers. The Mobile Farmers’ Market route makes the following stops: Cascade Locks Lyle Sundays, 11am – 1pm Fridays, 4pm – 6pm Cascade Locks Farmers’ Market / Brigham French’s Farm Nursery (620 State St.) Fish Market (681 Wa Na Pa Street) Moro 1st Saturdays, 10am – 1pm Hood River Sherman County Farmers’ Market (Main St.) Fridays, 2pm – 3pm Hawks Ridge on the Heights (8th & Pacific Ave.) Wasco 1st Saturdays, 2pm – 4pm The Depot (Clark St.)

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THE GORGE MAGAZINE : FALL 2018

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OUR GORGE : LOCAVORE

Bulbs of Black

A company in The Dalles brings black garlic to the Gorge STORY BY RUTH BERKOWITZ • PHOTOS BY KELLY TURSO

“

D

o you want to smell something amazing?” Cynthia Brunk asks people passing by the Columbia Black Garlic booth at the Hood River Farmers’ Market. Smell her black garlic — it’s smoky and intense like the remnants of your clothes after hours of lingering around the campfire. Touch the black garlic — it’s gooey and squishy like licorice and gummy bears. Taste the clove and it’s sweet, savory and flavorful like balsamic vinegar, molasses and dark chocolate.

Black garlic has been consumed for hundreds of years in Asia. In Korea, where many think black garlic originated, people consume the black bulb to boost their immune system and suppress cancer.

Yoohyun Park, who moved to Oregon recently from North Korea, says her father drinks a black garlic concoction daily for health reasons and her grandmother used to make her own black garlic in her rice cooker, also for medicinal purposes. In Thailand, people eat black garlic in the belief that it keeps them young.

24 FALL 2018 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

Japan will host its 3rd annual International Black Garlic Summit this September bringing farmers, chefs and business people together. Black garlic may be the new kale — healthy and versatile.

Although prevalent in Asia, black garlic is only beginning to make its debut in the United States.

Brunk discovered it in 2014 while suffering from rashes on her body and digestive problems. Instead of seeking help from a traditional doctor, Brunk scoured the internet for natural remedies.

She kept seeing a theme of possible cures: kombucha, black garlic and probiotic pills.

Anxious to get better, Brunk ordered black garlic online and made small batches in her crockpot. Within a month of eating black garlic and drinking kombucha, she felt considerably better.

Today, Brunk consumes black garlic in powder and clove form multiple times a day, sprinkling it on everything from avocados to popcorn.

Wanting to share her love for this so-called superfood, Brunk, an entrepreneur, has spent the past few years experimenting with ways to make large quantities of black garlic and has recently perfected her method. Obtaining certification from

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Cynthia Brunk, opposite and above, discovered black garlic when she sought natural remedies for digestive problems. She was so impressed with the black cloves that she eventually launched Columbia Black Garlic, which is the only Oregon company commercially producing the product.

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the Oregon Department of Agriculture was no easy task, especially because not many people know about black garlic in the U.S. and Brunk’s company is the only Oregon company commercially producing it. When Brunk first applied for her license, the government categorized her product as a low acid/ canned food. But, of course, that’s not what black garlic is. Brunk chuckles about the letter Oregon State University food safety scientist Mark Daeshel wrote after inspecting Brunk’s business: “Her manufacturing process is solid,” he said, “but I have no way to prove it.”

I visited Columbia Black Garlic’s new facility in The Dalles and learned that making black garlic requires no other ingredient — only heat, moisture and time. Brunk gets organic garlic from Azure Farms in Dufur. The raw, firm garlic bulb then undergoes one month of 140-degree (Fahrenheit) heat and high humidity. During this time, the low heat and high moisture triggers the Maillard reaction, a chemical process that gives browned food — think cooked meat or roasted vegetables — its distinctive flavor. In this case, the amino acids and sugars in the garlic also react with the heat and undergo a chemical process that gives it twice the antioxidants of raw garlic.

The garlic changes color from creamy white to ebony black and the pungent raw clove loses its spicy bitter taste and gains a complex, melt-in-your-mouth umami flavor. The extended time heated at a low temperature also gives black garlic a high concentration of a compound called S-allylcysteine, a watersoluble and easily absorbable amino acid that is being studied as a treatment for metabolic disorders as well as certain malignant and metastatic cancers.

Brunk warns consumers, particular those who want the medicinal benefits of black garlic, to make sure they know the source of their garlic. She says WalMart and Amazon might be selling black garlic that could be full of pesticides, and she has heard that one company may even inject the garlic with raw sugar so it weighs more and costs more. As with most foods, Brunk advises, check the source, and know your farmer.

THE GORGE MAGAZINE : FALL 2018

25

At Columbia Black Garlic, Brunk produces peeled cloves and black garlic bulbs, as well as black garlic powder, above. She also sells black garlic spice blends. She sources her garlic from Azure Farms in Dufur.

Black garlic recipes range from simply spreading it on bread and as an accompaniment to eggs to making gourmet sauces for fish, meat and pasta dishes. On the sweet side, chocolatiers and bakers are adding it to their treats, and a few chefs have even made black garlic ice cream. Locally, Michael Kelly, owner of Treebird Organics farm in Trout Lake, has been experimenting with adding black garlic to his sausages. He made a batch with black garlic and cheese, which was delicious, but he cautions cooks, “It’s easy to overdo it, I need to dial it back a little because a shaker goes a long way.” Brunk’s daughter Rose, owner of the Blue Rose Bakery in Hood River, has embraced the sweet, savory taste and she bakes black garlic brownies.

Though all these recipes are intriguing, I have been delightfully munching on a simple clove of black garlic every day, more and more convinced that it will keep me healthy.

You can find Columbia Black Garlic at many local farmers’ markets, including Hood River, The Dalles and Oregon City. Or go to columbiablackgarlic.com.

Ruth Berkowitz is a lawyer, mediator and writer. She lives with her family in Hood River and Portland and is a frequent contributor to The Gorge Magazine.

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FALL 2018 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

OUR GORGE : STYLE + DESIGN

Building a Better Straw Changing attitudes toward single-use plastics puts Hood River’s Eco-Glass Straws on the map STORY AND PHOTOS BY BEN MITCHELL

I

n the mid-2000s, Craig Graffius began quietly making glass straws in the small shop adjacent to his house located just a few minutes from Hood River. This summer, the Pacific Northwest and the rest of the nation finally took notice.

In the span of a month, The Oregonian, The Seattle Times, KGW8, KATU, The Chicago Tribune, and Bloomberg all published stories about Graffius and his small business, Eco-Glass Straws. As of late July, ABC’s “Good Morning America” was pursuing a story, as well. As media requests flooded in, so did traffic to the Eco-Glass Straws website, causing it to temporarily crash.

28 FALL 2018 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

“We literally grew overnight,” Graffius, 50, says. “Without even exaggerating that.”

Why the sudden interest in Graffius and his glass straws? In short, it’s because they’re not plastic straws. As concerns over plastic accumulating in the world’s oceans grows, so has public backlash against single-use plastic items –– especially plastic straws. A video taken in 2015 of marine biologists removing a plastic straw lodged in a sea turtle’s nasal cavity has since gone viral and helped spur a burgeoning movement to reduce plastic straws or ban them entirely.

Plastic straw regulations have particularly gained traction in the Pacific Northwest: in June, the city of Seattle implemented a plastic straw and utensil ban, and as of August, the city of Portland was also strongly considering banning them, as well. Seattle-based coffee giant Starbucks also moved to get rid of plastic straws this July, with other companies following suit.

Though he’s not exactly impartial, Graffius argues that the aesthetics, taste, and strength of

Craig Graffius, opposite, works on a batch of glass straws in his Hood River shop. His wife, Tamiko, and daughters Hailani and CeCe, above, also help with the business.

glass give it the edge over other plastic straw alternatives such as paper or stainless steel. Graffius has been a glassmaker for the majority of his life, learning the craft from his best friend’s father during his youth in southern California.

In his 30-plus years of working with glass, he’s made everything from vases to wine stoppers to

duck callers to hummingbird feeders, but he’s focused exclusively on straws for the past 12 years.

“I’m a guy who likes to create … I’ve always had a passion for fire, flame, and glass,” he says.

However, producing glass straws wasn’t Graffius’ idea but rather that of his wife, Tamiko. She helps Graffius with the business along with their two daughters, Hailani, 16, and CeCe, 11. One day, Craig and Tamiko were enjoying margaritas at home, but found that the plastic straws they were using did a poor job and clogged easily. Tamiko encouraged Craig to use the glass around his shop to start making straws.

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Graffius works to polish a glass straw, left, which includes blowing air through it. At right, he puts a bend in a straw after heating the middle. Graffius works with people with physical disabilities to design glass straws with specific bends and shapes to fit their needs.

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“I give all credit to my wife,” he says. “She’s the one who really pushed me to start the glass straw.”

But it wasn’t just slow-moving margaritas that motivated Graffius to shift his focus to straws. Growing up surfing in California and visiting his grandparents’ house in Hawaii, Graffius says he’s always been passionate about the ocean and the environment. Like millions of others, Graffius has also seen the sea turtle video (“that video gets me [emotional],” he says).

In addition to wanting to reduce consumers’ reliance on single-use plastic items, Graffius says he has also been working with injured veterans, paraplegics, individuals with MS, and other people with physical disabilities to design glass straws with specific bends and shapes to fit their needs. Recently, he helped design a straw for a woman who had half her face paralyzed as a result of a stroke. “When I got to go to their house and show them the design of the bend for the glass straw that she wanted, she started crying and I started crying,” he says. “It was so emotional.”

To make the straws, Graffius ships in borosilicate glass tubes from Germany –– the same kind of glass that Pyrex is made out of, which is able to withstand hot and cold temperatures. Next, he cuts the tubes to appropriate lengths with a carbide blade, then shapes and polishes them with a torch. They are then fired in a kiln at 1,050 degrees for six hours. Each handmade straw takes less than a minute to make (minus the time in the kiln) and comes in different thicknesses, lengths, and colors, and can also have lettering put on it.

Even before the media attention, Graffius was a busy man, sometimes working 14 hours a day seven days a week, with the bulk of his product going to Foods Alive, a Chicago wholesaler, which purchased anywhere from 1,000 to 4,000 straws a month. But now that Eco-Glass Straws is becoming a known quantity, Graffius has had to focus on other areas of the business besides just the glassmaking.

“I literally stopped being a glassblower and started being a PR person,” he jokes of the media attention.

Since the beginning of the summer, Graffius has rolled out a new-and-improved website, is in the process of patenting a glass straw-making machine, and is looking to expand beyond his shop. Sales are up, with big customers like McDonald’s and Pepsi inquiring about his wares.

However, Graffius’ business isn’t just about wholesalers and large customers. Individuals can buy straws right off the Eco-Glass Straws website, with prices starting at $5.95 per straw. He’ll even deliver if you’re nearby. “It’s that easy,” Graffius says. “If you’re in Hood River or Parkdale, I’ll just deliver it to your house.”

Even though the business is growing, Graffius says he wants to stay put in the Gorge, and as of now, is looking for a warehouse in Hood River to house the new iteration of Eco-Glass Straws. “I want to make our base Hood River, for the kids, for the generations ahead and see where we go,” he says. “I feel like you couldn’t ask for a better place than here.”

For more information, go to ecoglassstraws.com.

Ben Mitchell is a writer and filmmaker who lives in Hood River. He is a frequent contributor to The Gorge Magazine.

Photo: Michael Peterson

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OUR GORGE : EXPLORE

The Balch Hotel

Historic and stately Dufur hotel promises a peaceful getaway STORY BY DON CAMPBELL • PHOTOS COURTESY OF BALCH HOTEL

L

et’s suppose you’ve hit your quota of life’s daily prattle, bluster and hyperbole. You need to exorcise a few personal demons, chase the negativity out of the room, and suck in a powerful lungful of fresh air, maybe one with a teasing redolence of history, of discovery, of heritage.

Dufur calls your name.

There, amid the sweet gilded ocean of amber waves that rolls south from The Dalles, amid the patchwork of new vineyards, and amid, this day, the remnant char of angry grass and wheat wildfires, lies a Western respite that just might mollify your weary-to-the-bone spirit.

Smack on the cusp of where the Columbia River Gorge transitions to high desert, The Balch Hotel sits, still regal and restful as ever. Its three-story brick presence and garden and grounds are testament to this once thriving agriculture, merchandising and short-rail transportation hub. The town, named for brothers Andrew and Enoch Dufur in the late 1880s, found itself in need of a hotel by the early

32 FALL 2018 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

1900s. An enterprising pharmacist and rancher named Charles Balch stepped in and erected the new lodging in 1907 to accommodate travelers and business folk, many riding aboard the Great Southern Railroad, who would take advantage of the hotel’s hospitality and early adoption of hot water, steam heat and electricity.

Under the proprietorship of Claire Sierra and Josiah Dean, the hotel enjoys new life. The couple stepped in three years ago with the intent of offering a rejuvenating destination and retreat center away from modern life. “It’s close to Portland, the Tri-Cities, Bend and Boise,” says Sierra, an art therapist and life coach as well as a licensed esthetician and Reiki healer who offers a complete “Bliss at the Balch” spa experience, “but is far enough to be a getaway.”

Indeed. The Edwardian-style building — whose front faces a refreshing vista of farmland and Mount Hood — features a welcoming lobby, formal parlor and dining room/restaurant that seats 40. The second and third floors offer an array of 20 cozy, antique-appointed bedrooms, and shared baths, plus Sierra’s spa room. And there’s not a television in the place.

Owners Josiah Dean and Claire Sierra, opposite bottom, have created a rejuvenating retreat at The Balch Hotel, which features 20 antique-appointed rooms, a spa room, and a restaurant that seats 40. The hotel is on the National Register of Historic Places.

From June to October, the hotel, which is on the National Register of Historic Places, thrums with tourists, wedding events, all manner of reunions, retreats and gatherings, all intermixed with Sierra’s personal growth workshops.

Other events throughout the year include festive Thanksgiving and Christmas weekend stays, and other creatively themed offerings that include plein air painting, geology, ghost town tours, and winemaker dinners.

Before finding the hotel, the pair found each other in Grants Pass, Ore. Dean has been involved with the hospitality industry for many years, including several locations within the National Parks system. Sierra, a Boston native, had built a career as an author and well-versed body-mind-spirit therapist, offering an array of rejuvenating services.

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The duo had planned to stay in southern Oregon for only a short while after economically driven career changes were thrust upon them, as they genuinely harbored a shared dream to own their own hotel and retreat. During an interim stint as a contract trainer, flying all over the country doing one-day training sessions, Dean found himself with time off.

“Claire called my bluff,” says Dean. “She said let’s go out and see what we can find. So we started the process. ”After an exhaustive search of some dozen properties gleaned from various real-estate listings, The Balch, says Dean, “was the only one that met our needs and wishes as a viable hotel.”

The operation was basically turnkey, thanks to arduous restoration work done by a previous owner in the mid-‘80s, Portland contractor Howard Green, who took it on as a personal project.

That, combined with the couple’s singular vision, put the deal over the top. They’ve evolved and expanded, including the restaurant’s offerings, which feature wraps, salads, salmon cakes and other goodies, including soup and weekend dinner specials. Local beer and wines are featured regularly. Even the locals are discovering the hotel’s delectable dining and making reservations.

Judy Bair

www.cgcc.edu

THE GORGE MAGAZINE : FALL 2018

33

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Breakfast is included in your night’s stay, and features locally roasted coffees from The Dalles’ Post Canyon Coffee and tea from Hood River’s Good Medicine Tea, and a buffet that dishes up homemade muffins and granola, mini-frittatas, hard-boiled eggs, fruit and yogurt. Do yourself a favor and request a champagne mimosa.

To-go breakfasts and box lunches are also available.

The grounds around the hotel are naturally yet elegantly appointed and manicured, including a rock patio and blooming gardens. It’s not hard to imagine an evening wedding or other gathering here.

Even away from the hotel, there are sights to see and things to do. Dufur is a quiet, well-kept town. Despite its few empty storefronts, a walk from The Balch into town proper requires a visit to the charming Dufur Historical Society’s Living History Museum for a look at pioneer life, a stop at the old-school Kramer’s Market in the Johnsons’ Building (which, rumor has it, was built from the same bricks used at The Balch Hotel, manufactured at Charles Balch’s ranch), and a quick peek inside some of the old storefronts.

There’s plenty to do outside of town, including a range of hiking, cycling and other outdoor activities, and even a jaunt to The Dalles is only 14 miles away. In the winter Billy Bob Sno-Park offers access to cross-country skiing and snowshoeing.

The hotel recently received a high honor — a 2018 No. 7 ranking in Oregon Business magazine’s “Best Fan-Favorite Destinations in Oregon.” Not hard to see why. “We were thrilled and surprised,” says Dean. And while the hotel requires constant work to drive its continued success, it’s blossoming as word continues to spread about the placating effect it has on the soul.

These divisive, often vitriolic and certainly enervating times require a strong tonic, which you can find out in the high desert — a place to sit, ponder, and let the mayhem carry on without you. The Balch awaits.

“It is,” offers Sierra, “what people need right now.”

For more information, including upcoming retreats and events at The Balch, go to balchhotel.com.

Don Campbell is a writer and musician. He lives in Mosier and Portland and is a frequent contributor to The Gorge Magazine.

34 FALL 2018 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

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OUR GORGE : WINE SPOTLIGHT

Hawkins Cellars

Underwood winery’s offerings showcase the diversity of Washington winegrowing regions

STORY BY VIKI EIERDAM • PHOTOS BY AUBRIE LEGAULT

John Christenson

W

ith its stunning views of Mount Hood and the expansive Columbia River Gorge, the setting of the Underwood tasting room of Hawkins Cellars could be straight out of movie. An apropos analogy when considering the professional background of winemaker, Thane Hawkins.

Twenty-five years ago, Hawkins saw Jurassic Park and the profound effect that movie had on him put a green screen behind ideas bubbling up in his creative mind. Already enrolled in Vancouver Film School in British Columbia, Hawkins 36 FALL 2018 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

turned his attention to visual effects and animation. His trajectory catapulted him straight into Hollywood history when he had the opportunity to work with Pixar Animation Studios on the second and third all-computer-animated feature films ever created: Antz and Shrek.

But the glitzy stories of La-La Land can sometimes be a façade. In fact, Hawkins spent most of his time behind a computer screen, and his longing to breathe fresh air and immerse himself in a profession that was equally creative but far more active soon won him to the wine world.

His introduction to wine began slowly, and Hawkins refers to it as “fate-based.” During a slow period in his animation career, he decided to work a harvest in Oregon. Over the next year and a half, he had a lot of down time, which allowed him to learn more about the winemaking process through Chemeketa Community College in Salem. This newfound knowledge was the leg up he needed to secure a position as assistant winemaker for Methven Family Vineyards, nestled in the Eola-Amity Hills AVA.

Winemaker Thane Hawkins and his partner, Debra Michelson, opposite middle, check the vines at their Cloud Cap Vineyard in Underwood, Hawkins Cellars’ estate vineyard. The winery’s Underwood tasting room offers visitors expansive views of the Hood River Valley and Mount Hood.

“I feel none of that could’ve happened if I’d been ensconced in my job as an animator,” Hawkins said. “The timing was such that it allowed me to pursue that where, in another set of circumstances, I might still be working full time in animation.”

His first bottlings were a couple of cases of pinot noir and syrah, after which he returned full-time to the animation world. He kept his passion going over the next several years by self-distributing cases to a handful of wholesale accounts around the Portland area. In 2011, Hawkins seized the opportunity for a short-term lease in Dundee, Ore., and opened his first tasting room. Juggling two full-time jobs, he finally cut bait and dedicated himself solely to his new dream.

“I hired a good tasting room manager with no experience and a lot of enthusiasm,” he said. “We felt our way through that and signed up a bunch of wine club members and were off and running.”

Washington’s Underwood Mountain wasn’t on Hawkins’ radar but the Gorge was a recreation destination that drew him back time and time again. He met Debra Michelson on one of those outings. During subsequent dates, she introduced him to the area’s wineries and they watched as vineyard acreage increased on Underwood, where Michelson happened to own some property.

Although the permitting process for a tasting room on Underwood was a difficult task given the National Scenic Area requirements, they

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OUR GORGE : WINE SPOTLIGHT

Visitors are encouraged to stroll the grounds at Hawkins Cellars, where a large lawn meets the vineyard, planted in 2013 in pinot noir. Tables and seating areas around the property all come with a view.

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•

eventually prevailed and opened the Hawkins Cellars Underwood Tasting Room last year.

Hawkins sees wine making and animation intersect in the areas of creativity, problem solving and science. His personality leans strongly to aesthetics but he finds that being a vintner requires not just the aforementioned traits but a sixth sense about where the wine is at any given time and what it needs.

“It’s not like beer where, if you get a bad batch, you start over. There’s only one shot and then you have to focus on the next harvest,” Hawkins said.

Viognier, syrah, cabernet sauvignon, mourvèdre, and grenache dominate the tasting line-up and Hawkins takes great pride in sourcing from the fruit basket of the growing regions he has available to him. As a négociant winemaker, he believes the variety that Hawkins Cellars offers consumers is their most compelling feature. He currently works with vineyards from Yakima Valley and Red Mountain, and hopes to develop relationships with Rattlesnake Hills as well.

His wine profile is specifically targeted to showcase the geographic diversity of Washington as a wine-growing region and he looks forward to unveiling Cloud Cap Vineyard Estate Pinot Noir when the yield and fruit quality are at their peak.

“I like working with a variety of grapes,” Hawkins said. “There are plenty of sites in Washington growing a crazy amount of varieties but I don’t think

WA Tasting Room Magazine

Winemaker Thane Hawkins divides his time between his Underwood and Dundee tasting rooms. Both showcase Hawkins’ award-winning wines made from Willamette Valley and Columbia Valley fruit.

they’re all being grown in the best sites. I love Alsatian Riesling. The benefit of not having a (large) estate is that I can choose what I think are the best sites for those varietals and buy fruit from there. It can take a little more work and effort but the results are worth it.”

With the opening of the Underwood location, Hawkins Cellars has added an elegant tasting room with breathtaking patio views to the Columbia Gorge wine scene. Visitors not content to simply sip a crisp pinot gris, layered rosé or aromatic viognier can partake in a game of bocce ball or croquet on the inviting lawn and are encouraged to bring a picnic to linger longer.

In addition to Thursday through Sunday tasting hours, club events, wine dinners, summer soirées and other irresistible shindigs only add to a day of hiking or windsurfing along this outdoor adventure-loving corridor.

For more information, including upcoming special events, go to hawkinscellars.com.

Finely crafted, award-winning wines made in limited quantities for the highest quality.

Lasting memories await at our vista tasting room, overlooking the Columbia River & Mt. Hood.

Viki Eierdam is a freelance writer and frequent contributor to The Gorge Magazine.

Viki Eierdam

jacobwilliamswinery.com

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541-645-0462

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THE GORGE MAGAZINE : FALL 2018

39

OUR GORGE : WINE SPOTLIGHT

Wine Tasting Tips CONFIRM HOURS

Gorge wineries and tasting rooms vary in their hours and days of operation.

Call ahead if you’re planning to visit with a large group.

DRESS FOR THE WEATHER Bigstock.com

Dress appropriately, especially if you plan a vineyard picnic or tour.

DON’T WEAR FRAGRANCES

Perfume and cologne can interfere with the subtle aromas in wine.

ASK ABOUT FEES

Some wineries charge a fee for tastings. Some will waive fees with a purchase.

TASTING TIPS

Generally, white wines are tasted first, followed by red wines and then dessert wines. It’s okay to skip any of the wines on a tasting list by politely declining. If you’re genuinely interested in purchasing a particular wine, it’s okay to ask for a second taste.

WHAT TO DO

Swirling the wine in your glass helps aerate the wine’s many aromas. When tasting, hold the glass by the stem rather than the bowl as holding it by the bowl can disturb the temperature of the wine. Inhale before taking a sip

to appreciate the wine’s aromas. Likewise, swirl the wine around in your mouth once you sip to coat all the surfaces.

HIP TO SPIT

You don’t have to drink all the wine in your glass. Toss the unwanted wine into the dump bucket provided for this purpose.

PACE YOURSELF

Don’t try to visit too many wineries in one day. Know your limit and stop when you reach it.

HAVE A DESIGNATED DRIVER

This will ensure your wine tasting adventure is fun and safe for you and others.

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FALL 2018 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

OUR GORGE : WINE SPOTLIGHT

Fall Wine Events

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November in Gorge Wine Country November is a big month at wineries in the Gorge. The second annual Gorge Wine Weekend is Nov. 9-11, a 3-day celebration of the completion of harvest. Join Gorge winemakers, winegrowers, local chefs, and fellow wine lovers for special events at wineries and other venues throughout the Gorge.

The annual Thanksgiving Wine Weekend is Nov. 23-25, when more than 30 tasting rooms throughout the Gorge celebrate the holiday with special tastings, unique activities and donation opportunities to benefit local charities.

For details and scheduled activities, along with a wine tasting visitors guide, visit the Columbia Gorge Winegrowers at columbiagorgewine.com.

Fall Events at Maryhill Winery Maryhill Winery hosts two fun-filled weekends celebrating this year’s harvest, Oct. 6-7 and Oct. 13-14, featuring new wine releases, live music and grape stomping. The bocce ball courts will be in full swing, as well as a hot dog and marshmallow roast. There will be live music on the Tuscan-style terrace from 1 to 5 p.m. each day.

Maryhill’s Wine Release Weekend is Nov. 3-4, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day. Visitors can be among the first to enjoy newly released wines, and talk directly with staff about the new vintage. Many of the wines can only be found by visiting the winery. maryhillwinery.com

Jürgen Hess PHOTOGRAPHY

LANDSCAPE/NATURE • WILDFIRE ENVIRONMENTAL/CONSERVATION ISSUES PHOTOJOURNALISM

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FALL 2018 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

Visit our

Tasting Room

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THE GORGE MAGAZINE : FALL 2018

43

From

Devastation

A low-intensity burn of ground fuels during the 2013 Blackburn Fire near The Dalles, left, and elderberry re-sprouting after the 2012 Cascade Creek Fire on Mount Adams.

44 FALL 2018 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

To

Rejuvenation STORY BY JANET COOK • PHOTOS BY MICHAEL PETERSON

One year after the Eagle One Creek Fire tore thethe Gorge, a former Forest Service year after the Eagle Creekthrough Fire tore through Gorge, a former Forest Service takes an — and the role of fire in the life of fire managerfire takes manager an in-depth look at its aftermath in-depth look at its aftermath our forests — and the role of fire in the life of our forests

By Jurgen Hess

STORY AND PHOTOS BY JURGEN HESS

In July, as I got ready to hike into some of the areas burned in last year’s Eagle Creek Fire, my mind flashed to the ridges with charred tree skeletons we’ve all seen from I-84. I’d be walking the Pacific Crest Trail south of Cascade Locks where, on the third day of the fire that started on September 2 last year, I’d photographed a giant Chinook helicopter dumping 2,000 gallons of water per drop with a two-minute turnaround dipping from the Columbia River.

What would I find up close on the trail? The U.S. Forest Service’s PCT trailhead sign stated: “Warning, Entering Burned Area, Potential Hazards Include: Falling Trees and Limbs, Flash Flooding…Portions of Trail Blocked with Debris.” I wondered, was this hype, reality or were they covering themselves legally?

Changing wildfire policy

As I hiked into the burned area, my mind drifted to my employer of 34 years, the U.S. Forest Service, and how that agency’s fire-fighting legacy was partly to blame for the conflagrations we are now having — including the Eagle Creek Fire. During my early years with the agency, it was under the mandate that all fires had to put out by 10 a.m. the day after discovery.

It was a policy that had been implemented decades earlier. In 1910, fires in the northern Rocky Mountains burned 3 million acres and killed 86 people. The “Big Blowup,” as it was called, and resulting political pressure, pushed the Forest Service to develop policies that considered fire the enemy. Henry Graves, chief of the U.S. Forest Service in 1920, believed fire protection was 90 percent of American forestry. Pressure came from the timber industry, municipal water interests and Congress that national forests must be protected from fire. Thus ensued a federal agency culture where, for almost 100 years, first priority was to put out all fires.

This policy resulted in a buildup of forest fuels that, had nature prevailed, would have been burned periodically by naturally occurring fires. The Forest Service and other federal agencies now admit that the policy of putting out all fires didn’t work; since the 1980s, fires have been getting larger and more frequent. Author Stephen J. Pyne, a scientist and professor at Arizona State University who studies fire and its history, says fire should be seen as a “natural disturbance that has shaped plant communities for as long as vegetation and lightning have existed.” He’s been an advocate of changing fire policies, especially with the buildup of unnaturally high levels of fuels and the advent of global warming.

THE GORGE MAGAZINE : FALL 2018

45

Fire history in the Columbia Gorge

The first photos of the Gorge taken in 1867 show predominantly burned forests, with slopes covered with skeleton-like dead trees. Fires were primarily started by embers from wood-burning sternwheelers, railroad engines and steam donkey logging engines. As the means of transportation and logging techniques evolved, there were fewer human caused fires; forests grew back in profusion, especially in the western Gorge with its high rainfall. Photos taken in the 1930s at Nesmith Point in the central Gorge, where a fire lookout was then located, show a young forest growing on Gorge slopes.

On the eastern flank of Mount Hood, Bluegrass Ridge is a prominent landform attracting frequent lightning. Prior to the era of putting out all fires, this area burned regularly and, as a result, was mostly open grassland. By the time of the 2008 Gnarl Ridge Fire on Mount Hood, there was heavy fuel loading and very flammable small trees covered Blue Grass Ridge.

An 1867 photo, left, taken near Stevenson, shows fire-killed trees on the Oregon side of the Gorge. Forest burned in the Eagle Creek Fire, middle, shows the mosaic pattern of varying fire intensities. At right is a high severity burn area from the 2013 Blackburn Fire near The Dalles.

Opposite, a Douglas fir partially burned in the Eagle Creek Fire is predicted to live because of its thick bark.

Similarly on Mount Adams, decades of putting out all fires resulted in dense, stressed forests inviting insect attacks. Large fires started by lightning in 2008, 2012 and 2015 on the south and southwest sides of the mountain burned more than 81,000 acres, with 400 acres overlapping and burned by all three fires.

According to Dr. Jerry Franklin, University of Washington forestry professor, dry east side forests on average burn every 10 to 20 years while wet west side forests burn every 200 to 400 years. These patterns existed even prior to the advent of human caused fires. The Eagle Creek Fire burned in fast growing west side forests; Cascade Locks receives over 80 inches of rain annually.

After the fire Burned areas are classified as to fire severity — high, moderate or low. Fire severity is an indication of soil’s ability to regenerate vegetation. Indicators of severity are vegetation loss, soil’s ability to absorb moisture and tree mortality. A mosaic of burn severity results in an irregular pattern typical of most forest fires. The Eagle Creek Fire’s 48,861 acres had a severity rating of 15 percent high, 30 percent moderate and 55 percent low or unburned. The irregular pattern creates an edge effect with different tree heights and is beneficial for wildlife as hiding cover.

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The steep slopes and ridge tops of the Gorge suffered mostly high severity burn. A fire creates up-slope winds, which accelerate during the day and burn very hot, getting into the crowns of trees. These high severity burn areas are readily visible from I-84, with charred tree skeletons on ridge tops.

Fire on the forest floor burns organic material including litter, needles and small plants. Cara Farr, Eagle Creek Fire Burned Area Emergency Response (BAER) soil scientist, stated, “In high burn severity areas the glue in the form of moss and small roots that hold soil particles together can be lost.” But for three to five years after a fire, soil nitrogen is increased, resulting in a flush of new growth — especially low growing plants. In fact, low vegetation along the PCT where I hiked was so dense, trail maintenance crews had to weed-whack a corridor in order for people to find the trail.

The ability of trees to withstand fire is dependent on bark thickness, fire temperature and duration at the base of trees, and the height and intensity of burn up the trunk. Large old growth trees, especially Douglas fir, tend to show scars from fires, however the trees can be very healthy and have a vigorously growing crown of branches.

Trees such as aspen, maples and oaks, and shrubs including mock orange, California hazel and Oregon grape, re-sprout at the base even if top growth has been completely burned.

Re-sprouting can occur within weeks after the fire is out. While aspen trees readily burn as they have thin bark, they re-sprout after a fire providing succulent new shoots for browsing animals like elk. Wild turkeys eat new tender grass and herbaceous plants. Lodgepole pine needs fire to open

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Vegetation returns quickly after a fire. At left, penstemon re-sprouts from its roots on Trail 400 at the west end of the Gorge after the Eagle Creek Fire. At right, Fireweed grows in after the Cascade Creek Fire on Mount Adams.

its cones, letting seeds spread. An increase in small flowering plants such as Penstamon, fireweed and aster after a fire provide habitat for pollinating insects.

As for the many creeks and waterways affected by the Eagle Creek Fire, BAER team fish biologist, J.D. Jones said, “Short term, there could be sedimentation in streams impacting fish habitat. But long term the fire will be beneficial because burned trees fall into streams providing habitat.” The fallen trees create small pools for fish and invertebrates.

“This fire has let natural cycles play out,” said Allen Lebovitz, an aquatic habitat restoration specialist with the Washington State Department of Natural Resources. “It’s an opportunity to explain those processes to the public.” National Scenic Area/Forest Service and Oregon State Parks staff have done just that in preparing a beautiful handout, Eagle Creek Fire: Looking Beyond the Ashes that explains the returning forest. It’s available at their offices and also shows which trails are open.

Some negative effects of the fire include weed establishment, direct loss of vegetation and an increase in insects. At a White Salmon public presentation I did on the Eagle Creek Fire, an audience member was critical of fires and said, “The problem is that insects build up after a fire.”

That is very true, but a very natural phenomenon.

There are insects that sense a burning forest and come in immediately after the flames are waning.

The black fire beetle uses infrared radiation to locate heat given off by fire. It lays its eggs under the bark of burned trees. Honing in on this insect activity is the black-backed woodpecker. These birds can hear insect larvae boring into trees, and peck into the tree to locate and eat the larvae.

The woodpeckers are a sooty black color to blend with burned trees. According to Patty Walcott, a wildlife biologist with the Mt. Hood National Forest, a certain percent of large forested landscapes should always be in a recently burned condition to provide habitat for this woodpecker.

The long view In recent major fires, including the Dollar Lake Fire on Mount Hood in 2011, the Eagle

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FALL 2018 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

Columbia Gorge Inn

MOUNTAIN VIEW / WALK TO THE RIVER HIKING/SAILING/BIKING/FISHING

An old growth Douglas fir with fire scars in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest, left. At right, a tree on the Pacific Crest Trail in the Eagle Creek Fire burn area with woodpecker holes, likely made by the black-backed woodpecker seeking insects that come in after fire.

Great Affordable Value Creek Fire and the summer 2018 Substation Fire on the Deschutes River, there was a public outcry that burned areas were ravaged and would never be the same. Writing about the Substation Fire, The Oregonian outdoor writer Bill Monroe said, “…fire ravages lower Deschutes...the devastation is nearly complete…grandeur was a charred memory.”

At a public meeting in the Dollar Lake Fire aftermath, I explained to the late environmentalist and Mount Hood advocate Kate McCarthy that the forest would regrow and renew itself. She responded, “Yes, but not in my lifetime.” Good point. As humans we see and understand forests in terms of our own lifetimes — much shorter than an old-growth Douglas fir’s lifespan of 200 to 400 years. McCarthy was correct; in her lifetime the forest would not be the same. She died in 2015, her 98 years a human milestone, but the new forest in the Dollar Lake Fire area at 7 years old today is still a toddler.

Into the forest In my visits to burned areas on Mount Hood, Mount Adams and in the Gorge, I note what plants come in after a fire. I study regrowth, looking for new inhabitants such as woodpeckers. I never know what to expect and try to go into the areas with an open mind.

In July, I hiked three trails the Eagle Creek Fire burned: the Pacific Crest Trail, Herman Creek Trail and Wyeth/Trail 400. The PCT at Cascade Locks was full of hikers — including parents with children — and dogs. I heard a rat-a-tat-tat of a woodpecker and saw the black and white flash of the black-backed bird. It was busy looking for insects. Plant regrowth is readily visible in this low severity burn area.

There were fewer people on the Herman Creek Trail. As the trail crossed the BPA power lines, results of the fire crew’s burn-out were evident with low and moderate severity burns. The low severity areas have many low plants re-sprouting. After two miles in, two hikers coming down the trail said they saw a young black bear up the trail. Not wanting to disturb it or cross paths with its mother, I turned around.

Wyeth/Trail 400 had a very low burn severity. After the first quarter mile of unburned area there were no other hikers — they all seemingly went to the Gorton Creek pool to cool off on this 100-degree day. The few burned areas on Trail 400 were of low severity — tree canopies for the most part were unburned. New growth of Oregon grape, thimbleberry and penstamon was abundant.

My overall feeling after hiking the three areas is that nature is rapidly healing the forest. The Eagle Creek Fire cleaned out low growing brush and small trees, rejuvenating the area with new vegetation.

It has created a more open forest setting.

As soon as the Deschutes River Trail is open, I will hike in and make my own evaluation of the effects of the Substation Fire on that area, both short-term and predicted long-term. In five years, I’d like to take Bill Monroe, The Oregonian writer, up the trail and show him how nature changes “devastation” to rejuvenation.

Jurgen Hess had a 34-year career with the U.S. Forest Service, including serving in the Rogue River National Forest and the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. He’s been a resource advisor on numerous wildfires and served on post-fire restoration teams. He’s an award-winning photographer, specializing in wildfire, landscapes and conservation.

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2/14/17 10:26 AM

Preserving the

Wonder

FRIENDS OF THE COLUMBIA GORGE COMPLETES A CAMPAIGN TO PROTECT 470 ACRES ON EIGHT DIVERSE PROPERTIES IN WASHINGTON 50

FALL 2018 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

STORY BY JANET COOK PHOTOS COURTESY OF FRIENDS OF THE COLUMBIA GORGE

W

Duncan Creek

hat do a turtle pond, an oak savannah and a forest of Douglas fir all have in common? They are three of eight different properties — totaling 470 acres of land — that have recently been purchased for permanent protection

by Friends of the Columbia Gorge. The properties are all on the Washington side of the Gorge, and span from Steigerwald Shores at the western mouth of the Gorge to Lyle Peak, east of Lyle, Wash.

The properties were purchased with funds raised during a campaign called Preserve the Wonder, publicly launched in 2017 but in the works for more than a decade. The campaign raised $5.6 million from more than 1,600 donors in 23 states and the District of Columbia, with gifts ranging from $5 to $1 million.

“I’m awestruck by the response to this campaign,” said Kevin Gorman, executive director of Friends of the Columbia Gorge. “One of the most impressive aspects of the Columbia Gorge is its uncanny ability to bring together so many people in a united effort to conserve and protect one of our nation’s natural wonders.”

Several of the properties had been on Friends’ “wish list” for years. The conservation group had even begun talking with one of the landowners as far back as 2000. Then, about three years ago, Friends found out that property it had long eyed adjacent to Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge had been put up for sale on Craig’s List. Friends wanted to secure the property, with its mile of river frontage, in order to expand the refuge and restore vital fish habitat, as well as prevent development.

“We knew we were going to pursue that,” Gorman said. The process of working with that landowner jump-started what became the Preserve the Wonder campaign. “As that was happening, we had this confluence of other properties popping up,” Gorman said. “The question was, how big do we go and how do we do this.”

Friends ended up with seven properties it sought to purchase. In the end, an eighth property was donated as a result of the campaign. Gorman calls Preserve the Wonder the most significant campaign in Friends’ history. “About 13 years ago, we did a campaign for properties at Cape Horn,” he said. “That was about $4.5 million, with less than 300 donors. This went a lot broader.”

Gorman is particularly excited about the variety of properties acquired.

“What’s really nice is that one property is 10 acres, one is 160, one is really just about turtles, another would be a really good trail connector, another we really wanted to make sure development didn’t occur,” he said. “It’s a wide variety of reasons and purposes.”

Now that the properties have been secured, Gorman says the organization will work on stewardship plans. Some properties will eventually be turned over to agencies to manage — including Turtle Haven, a 64-acre parcel that will be donated to the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife as early as this fall. But Gorman, who has led Friends for 20 years, is seasoned in land acquisitions. “In the past, we’ve had a couple of properties we’ve bought with specific things in mind, but after you own them for a while, there are attributes that will unfold that you didn’t know of,” he said. “So I think we have some patience, let ourselves work our way into these properties and see what the best uses are.”

Properties acquired during Preserve the Wonder for permanent protection

MJ Horodyski

Steigerwald Shores — 160 acres

lists it as priority habitat to be protected. More than 200 vertebrate and an abundance of invertebrate species live within these woodlands.

Adjacent to the Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge, this property provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to expand the refuge and pursue the largest salmon habitat restoration project in the Columbia Gorge in modern history. The property will eventually be converted from farmland back to wetland and reconnect more than 900 acres of land to the Columbia River.

Upland Oaks — 55 acres This woodland property on the hillside above Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge provides oak habitat for many migratory birds. The Oregon white oak has been in decline, and the State of Washington

Cape Horn Vista — 58 acres This property near the popular Cape Horn Trail sits on the side of a bluff and offers a magnificent view of the Gorge. The property’s acquisition will allow Friends of the Columbia Gorge to extend the Cape Horn Trail along the scenic bluff. This parcel abuts a property on which Friends holds a life estate contract (at the owner’s death, Friends will purchase the land with secured funds).

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These two properties total more than 90 acres and will complete Friends’ founder Nancy Russell’s legacy of creating Cape Horn Park.

Duncan Creek — 50 acres This woodland of Douglas fir sits between two large swaths of public land. It provides a critical trail connection between the two public land holdings, and makes a 17-mile trail from Cape Horn to Beacon Rock possible. Friends of the Columbia Gorge had been in talks with the landowner for more than 15 years, knowing the land was susceptible to logging. (Pictured on the opening spread.)

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Encompassing a large pond, this property adjacent to Dog Mountain provides critical habitat for the western pond turtle. Once plentiful from Canada to Baja, this turtle is now listed as extinct in Canada and is in peril throughout Washington and Oregon.

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Coyote Meadow — 10 acres This small parcel is wooded with white oak and has stunning views of the Mosier Plateau and Lyle Peak to the east. It is surrounded by the publicly managed lands of Coyote Wall and Catherine Creek, an area renowned for its hiking, mountain biking and spring wildflowers. Adding the meadow to the large swath of surrounding public land will increase public access and recreation opportunities and allow for continuity in land stewardship and habitat protection.

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Lyle Peak — 25 acres This oak-covered land sits high above Friends’ 550acre Cherry Orchard property (originally purchased

by Friends’ founder, Nancy Russell) and near state land managed for the protection of the western gray squirrel. The Oregon white oaks that cover Lyle Peak are a keystone species that provides feeding, resting

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and breeding habitat for many other species of wildlife. The property will allow for extension of the Cherry Orchard trail, offering views from one of the highest points in the Gorge.

Good’s Woods — 50 acres

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Late in the Preserve the Wonder campaign, the 50 acres of woodlands near the Duncan Creek campaign property were donated by a member of the Good family, owners of the Duncan Creek land. The daughter of the original owners, Vern and Virginia Good, initially discussed selling this additional parcel. But she was so inspired by the campaign as she learned more about it that she later contacted Friends and said she wanted to donate the additional property in honor of her parents. Her sole requests were that the land never be logged and that it be named Good’s Woods.

Adding to the significance of the property, Friends’ board member Mia Prickett’s family also has a connection to the land around Good’s Woods.

She is the great-great-granddaughter of Chief Tulmuth, the leader of the Watlala band of the Cascade Indians. The chief ’s daughter was Indian Mary, who tenaciously refused to leave her homeland despite efforts to forcibly remove her. The creek just to the west of Duncan Creek is named Indian Mary Creek.

For more detailed information, including videos about each property, go to gorgefriends.org.

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OUTSIDE

Palisade Point

Sweeping vistas reward hikers on this Badger Creek Wilderness trail STORY AND PHOTOS BY BEN MITCHELL

I

t’s been a year since the Eagle Creek Fire torched 50,000 acres of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, putting many of the region’s favorite hikes out of commission.

And while trail crews have been logging long hours and enduring arduous days to get the trails rehabbed and opened, as of this writing, there are still a significant number of trails closed to the public.

The silver lining in that dark cloud is that the closure of Gorge trails has forced me and other hikers to look elsewhere and explore new areas where they might not otherwise have gone before.

As the Gorge continued to smolder last fall, I found myself looking for new hikes by clicking around on geotagged photos using Google Maps’ “photo sphere” feature. I’ve found dragging and dropping Google Maps’ little orange humanoid into random areas on a map and seeing what photos come up is actually a good way to find hikes that you might not otherwise have known about.

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That’s how I stumbled upon an area in the Mount Hood National Forest called Palisade Point — named for the group of palisades (rocky cliffs) it sits upon. I tend to (but not always) gravitate toward hikes that offer big rewards for little to moderate investment in both time and energy, and Palisade Point delivers that. Hikers will encounter old growth, mountain lakes and streams, some light scrambling, a smidgen of colorful foliage in the fall, huckleberry bushes, and incredible views during the out-and-back hike that is just under five miles round-trip.

Palisade Point is accessed via the Fret Creek Trailhead in the Badger Creek Wilderness of the Mount Hood National Forest, located less than an hour’s drive from Hood River. The trailhead is a few miles off Forest Road 44 (colloquially referred to as the 44 Road), which features a cornucopia of other

The Palisade Point trail climbs through thick forest, opposite middle, until it reaches Oval Lake, right. After that, the trail emerges from the forest and by the time it reaches the palisades, the views are stunning.

hiking and mountain biking trails. Check the Mount Hood National Forest website entry on Fret Creek, or type in “Fifteen Mile Campground” in Google Maps to find directions to the trailhead (the trailhead is less than a quarter-mile east of the campground; look for a pullout on the left/ north side of the road).

The U.S. Forest Service (USFS) labels the hike as moderate, and it entails about 1,000 feet of elevation gain in 2.5 miles. The hike is definitely steep in parts, but hikers will be spelled frequently by flat sections; it’s not a trail where you feel like you’re relentlessly climbing.

Cross the road from the pullout and head south up Fret Creek Trail and past the Badger Creek Wilderness sign. The hike weaves through thick, mostly coniferous forest, as well as huckleberry bushes (those more botanically minded than myself will undoubtedly be able to more specifically identify the flora of Fret Creek). The trail crisscrosses the quietly babbling Fret Creek via wooden footbridges and manageable stream crossings.

The trail climbs for two miles until it reaches the aptly named Oval Lake — a green-tinged shallow body of water that is rife with insect life in both summer and fall. The rocky crags of the palisades poke just above the trees encircling Oval Lake, giving hikers a view of their end destination.

Just a few minutes up from Oval Lake is the Divide Trail; swing a left/east here to begin the final ascent to Palisade Point. Here, the trail finally pops out of the forest; Mount Adams, the Fret Creek drainage, and the high desert to the east come into view. The trail continues up a switchback until cresting the palisade ridge and offers hikers jaw-dropping vistas of Mount Jefferson, Broken Top, and a glimpse of Mount Hood. Also visible far below is Oval Lake, giving hikers a feeling of accomplishment to see how far they’ve climbed in a relatively short distance.

Hikers can walk/scramble along the ridge and explore the different outcroppings of Palisade Point, but be careful — the cliffs are sheer in many places and a fall here could be dangerous or even fatal, so explore at your own risk. If you have kids or dogs, keep a close eye on them, or leave them at home if you’re especially concerned. In addition to breathtaking views, the palisades also provide a nice venue for lunch or a snack before heading back down the trail.

Extend the hike

For those feeling more adventurous, the Divide Trail that runs along Palisade Point also accesses two other areas of interest. The popular Lookout Mountain, which features nearly uninterrupted 360-degree views, including a stellar vantage point of Mount Hood’s eastern face, is located about 1.5 miles west of Palisade Point.

Approximately two miles to the east of Palisade Point is Flag Point Lookout (take the Divide Trail east, then a very brief left/east onto Badger Creek Cutoff Trail and then right/southeast onto Flag Point Lookout Road until you reach the lookout tower). Operated by the USFS, Flag Point, which sits at an elevation of 5,650 feet, was originally built in 1924. The current structure was built in 1973, and still features a real live Forest Service fire lookout person in the summer. It used to be available for rent in the winter, but repeated vandalism caused the Barlow Ranger District to remove it from the USFS rental program in 2016.

Ben Mitchell is a writer and filmmaker who lives in Hood River. He is a frequent contributor to The Gorge Magazine.

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ARTS + CULTURE

These Are Not Your Grandma’s Quilts

A group of fiber artists takes quilting to the next level STORY BY PEGGY DILLS KELTER • PHOTOS BY RENATA KOSINA

A

“block” can refer to a child’s toy, the length of a sidewalk, or the method for staging a theatrical performance. But in the parlance of quilt making, it refers to pieces of fabric sewn together to form units, which are then sewn together into the quilt’s top. Traditional quilt makers build a quilt much like bricklayers build a wall.

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Six years ago, a group of Gorge quilters, hailing from Goldendale to Stevenson, Hood River to The Dalles, decided they were ready to take a creative leap and go “beyond the block,” challenging themselves as artists and redefining the word “quilt” itself. They were all members of the Columbia Gorge Quilt Guild when they formed their spin-off, Beyond the Block, and they continue to belong to that parent group as well. Their criteria for what makes something a quilt? Three layers sewn together.

These quilt artists’ creations are nothing like the bed spreads your grandma made you when you were born. In their art quilts, you’re likely to encounter zippers, unusual color combinations, metal embellishments, and non-rectangular dimensions. “I once made a piece where I knitted wire to make a dress that stood off the quilt’s surface,” says member Marbe Cook.

The members enjoy coming up with artistic challenges for the group. Recently, they all responded

Members of Beyond the Block quilters, opposite, share ideas and inspiration at their monthly meeting.

The group’s latest artistic challenge is creating three-dimensional quilted umbrellas. The last challenge they completed was making quilts depicting scenes from around the Gorge, bottom left and above.

to the phrase “Impressions of the Gorge,” creating breathtaking quilts depicting last year’s fires, the area’s flora and fauna, abstractions of the basalt cliffs, and more. Judi Timmons writes, “I live in The Dalles and often traverse west to Portland. This challenge made me ‘study’ the Gorge in a way I hadn’t before.

Obvious impressions seemed trite. I made several drives on both sides of the Columbia River. My objective was to see with my heart and not with my eyes. I have a new relationship with this geographical area because of the challenge.”

The group’s newest challenge — creating three-dimensional quilted umbrellas — is by far the most difficult they’ve attempted. Each art quilter has been given a plain white umbrella-shaped armature on which they will construct their unique creations. The artists have also received some bright fabric called “red violet” that they are supposed to incorporate into their designs. Those are the only rules.

Most of the members haven’t worked much with three dimensions. At their monthly meetings they share tips and techniques, and brainstorm how they are going to hang the umbrellas as an installation at the Guild’s quilt show in October (October 19 and 20 at the Hood River Armory). The project is as much about engineering as it is about sewing. How to get the quilt to attach to the umbrella frame? One member uses ponytail elastics. And what about the point at the top? Suggestions range from covering the point with a handmade flower to spray painting the tip black. At a recent meeting, someone chimed in, “We have to get out our power tools, ladies!” Vicki Van Koten adds, “I think the construction part is as interesting as the piecing.”

She continues, to laughter from the group, “My backside is beautiful!”

When asked how they got involved with quilt making, many members share stories of their youthful pursuits in the arts. “I started learning the creative arts as a little girl with cross-stitching and knitting,” says Linda

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THE GORGE MAGAZINE : FALL 2018

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Group members discuss various aspects of the quilt umbrellas they’re creating, including how to hang them as an installation at the Columbia Gorge Quilt Guild’s annual show in October.

Reichenbach. “I did not progress to sewing until after I was married, when my mother-in-law taught me how to use an old Singer machine and I fell in love.”

Debbie Rogers writes, “My sisters and I grew up sewing our own clothes and the summer before college I made my first quilt, a crazy quilt made out of scraps — cotton, corduroy, wool, polyester — from all the clothes we made over the years.” It was 20 years before she made her next quilt. “About five years ago I started making art quilts — improvisational pieced quilts and quilts based on something I’ve seen in my travels.”

For Kathleen Roulet, it was about being artistic. “For as long as I can remember, I’ve wanted to be an artist,” she says. “Quilting, sewing and handwork were always as much a part of life in my family as eating and sleeping.”

Doris Nyholm, whom many group members credit with helping them experiment

with materials, says, “I have been interested in art forever. I’m sort of a technique junkie, and love to try everything I can afford. I didn’t love quilting until I discovered art quilting and realized you could quilt without rules.

Matching corners is not my thing. And I can make something out of other people’s throwaways.”

Though their solutions to the challenges are always unique, their feelings for the Beyond the Block group are universal. Every member uses words like “support” and “trust” to describe their group. When they get together to share their projects-in-progress, they offer each other encouragement and helpful solutions.

“I like to say ‘What if?’” says Kay Skov, “and the helpful suggestions flow.”

Kathleen Roulet concurs. “From the first meeting, these talented women have given me the motivation and courage to seek my creative voice and stretch my skills in technique, design and color,” she says. “I’ve learned so much from them and with them.” Judi Timmons adds, “These women are actively pursuing ways in which to push themselves beyond basic quilting.

Their ‘challenges’ have caused me to use my creative juices. The completed projects are as varied and wonderful as the artists themselves.”

Elizabeth Garber laughs as she sums up her experience with Beyond the Block. “This group,” she says, “is my reward for all the other groups I’ve ever been in.”

New members are welcome to join Beyond the Block, which meets once a month at the Hood River fire station. The only requirement is that they also join the Columbia River Gorge Quilters Guild at gorgequiltersguild.org.

Peggy Dills Kelter is an artist and writer who lives in Hood River. She’s a frequent contributor to The Gorge Magazine.

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WELLNESS

Reaching for the Blue Zone A health initiative in The Dalles aims to help residents live longer, better STORY BY JANET COOK • PHOTOS COURTESY OF BLUE ZONES PROJECT

T

he Dalles may have little in common with Ikaria, Greece, or Okinawa, Japan, but a project is underway that aims to edge the Columbia Gorge community closer to those places in one important regard: its residents living longer, better lives.

The Dalles is one of four communities in Oregon designated as a demonstration community for the Blue Zones Project, a health and wellness initiative aimed at creating lasting changes in communities that make it easier for residents to make healthy choices — thereby living longer, healthier lives.

The project was born out of a study by longevity researchers who, in 2000, identified a region on the Italian island of Sardinia with the highest concentration of male centenarians in the world. The researchers focused on a cluster of villages on the island. On a map, they drew a line in blue ink around them and referred to the area inside the line as the “blue zone.”

Over the next few years, several other places around the world were identified where people live measurably longer, healthier lives than everyone else: Okinawa, Japan; Costa Rica’s Nicoya Peninsula; Ikaria, Greece; and Loma Linda, Calif.

National Geographic Fellow and writer Dan Immense Imagery 62

FALL 2018 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

One goal of the Blue Zones Project is to help people get more exercise. Walking “moais,” opposite bottom, are organized group walks and hikes that take place regularly. Promoting fruits and vegetables, above, is another Blue Zones goal.

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Buettner, who was involved in the research and began writing extensively on the subject, eventually started a consulting firm with the aim of taking what he and fellow researchers were learning about these “pockets of longevity” and applying it to American communities.

In 2015, Blue Zones Project Oregon launched, with the aim of working with communities to make healthy choices for residents easier through permanent changes to a city’s environment, policy and social networks. The goals include lower health care costs, reduced chronic illness, and increased civic engagement. Klamath Falls became the first demonstration community for Blue Zones Project Oregon. Last year, The Dalles was accepted as one of three more demonstration communities in the state, along with Grants Pass and Roseburg.

“A lot of people helped make the case that The Dalles was ready to make some changes,” said Leticia Valle, community program manager for The Dalles Blue Zones Project. Valle is one of four team members hired to work on the three-year initiative. “This is something that’s generating a lot of pride,” she added.

Of the $2.5 million-per-year cost of the program, Blue Zones Project Oregon (whose main funder is Cambia Health Foundation) pays 80 percent.

A coalition of local sponsors — along with individual donors — raised the remaining funds to get the project off the ground. The Dalles was the first demonstration community in the country to use crowdfunding to help meet the local contribution.

After an initial period of information gathering and analysis of the state of wellness in The Dalles last year, organizers created a “blueprint” of proposed opportunities to improve well-being in The Dalles. Each of the opportunities falls into one of several categories based on the original blue zones around the world. The longevity researchers found that residents in each of the longevity pockets had several things in common that seem to contribute to their long, healthy lives: physical activity, a sense of purpose, eating wisely, and a sense of belonging.

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Participating with others in activities and community projects helps improve health and well-being. Walking groups, above left, and an Earth Day clean-up at Thompson Park, middle, are some of the activities spearheaded by The Dalles Blue Zones Project. Increasing healthy food options at Grocery Outlet, right, is another initiative being implemented in The Dalles.

In The Dalles, organizers have been working on several initiatives over the past year. Grocery Outlet has created a Blue Zones Project Checkout Lane, where healthy snacks have replaced candy and junk food. Several restaurants have made changes to provide healthy menu options — including The Riv Café, Atrium Falls and Water’s Edge Bistro, which have implemented changes that have earned them status as Blue Zones Project-approved eateries.

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Components of the designation include offering entrees that meet Blue Zones Healthy Dish Guidelines, sourcing fruits and vegetables from local farms, growing some of their own produce, and not offering free refills on sugar-sweetened beverages.

Project organizers also have put together “moais,” (pronounced mow-eye), where people are encouraged to gather regularly (they’re asked for a 10week commitment) to share a specific activity. Walking moais, for example, have brought people together for weekly walks. “The idea is, if people are forced to spend 10 weeks together, 60 percent of them will remain friends,” Valle said. Gathering every week for a group activity, like walking or a potluck, helps people feel a sense of belonging and form new — often lasting — friendships.

Other Blue Zones initiatives include helping businesses become healthier places for employees. One Community Health, Wasco County and Meadow Outdoor have all achieved designation as Blue Zones Project-approved worksites by incorporating things into the workplace like a community garden and standing desks, organized walk breaks, and installing bike racks to encourage employees to bike to work.

Another initiative is Walk to School Wednesdays. Organizers are looking for chaperones who can walk with groups of kids from pre-set meeting places to the various schools in The Dalles. They hope to make it a weekly event starting in October.

A couple of larger infrastructure initiatives are also slated as part of The Dalles Blue Zones Project. One is creating a safer traffic flow around Dry Hollow Elementary School, and the other involves working with Friends of Mill Creek Greenway to create the Mill Creek Trail, which will make walking and biking between downtown and the west side of town easier and safer.

But many of the initiatives are purposely small in scale. “It’s making small changes to how we live,” Valle said. “It’s ensuring that when people want to go out to eat, they have healthier options.” It’s also creating more opportunities for physical activity and personal connections, she said, adding that the goal over the three years is to make the changes in the community self-sustaining.

“I tell people, we’re trying to work ourselves out of a job,” Valle said.

And if they do, she and the Blue Zones team will happily draw a blue line around The Dalles.

For more information, go to oregon.bluezonesproject.com, or find The Dalles Blue Zones Project on Facebook.

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Home Health SERVICES at Klickitat Valley Health

509.773.0380

Serving LoremKlickitat ipsum County with in-home skilled nursing and therapy services after illness, injury or surgery.

THE GORGE MAGAZINE : FALL 2018

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WELLNESS

The Dalles Blue Zones Project The Dalles Blue Zones Project is working to enhance the well-being of its residents by implementing changes that make it easy for residents to make healthy choices in their community. The goals include:

RESTAURANTS

BUILT ENVIRONMENT

GROCERY STORES

Enhance the built environment for all residents and visitors of The Dalles to promote natural movement, social connectedness, and overall well-being through equitable transportation and land-use policies and action.

Increase the number of healthy menu options that are offered and consumed while improving participating restaurants’ bottom lines.

Increase consumption of and interest in healthy foods by residents of The Dalles.

WORKSITES

FOOD POLICY Create a resilient food environment within The Dalles where healthy and local foods are available , accessible and embraced by all.

Create a workplace culture and environment that supports well-being, resulting in decreased costs and improved productivity.

FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS

TOBACCO POLICY Create tobacco- and smoke-free public environments by decreasing access to and making tobacco and smoke products less desirable.

Improve fellowship and well-being by promoting Blue Zones Project activities, increasing awareness of the Power 9 (common characteristics that lead to longer, healthier lives), and inspiring health and wellness changes in organizations.

SCHOOLS

INDIVIDUAL ENGAGEMENT

Create an optimal environment to promote learning and well-being for all students and staff.

Improve the well-being of individuals living in The Dalles, resulting in better health and increased quality of life and longevity.

Back to School Virginia Thomas Certified Power Pilates Methods ACE Certified Personal Trainer

Rehabilitative Exercises • Core Stability Strength • Stamina

Schedule Your Back-to-School Exam Today Dr. Rebecca Chown, OD FAAO Dr. Audrey Lukey, OD 541-386-1700

www.icfec.com // find us on Facebook 1700 12th Street, Suite A, Hood River, OR

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FALL 2018 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

2002 12th St. • Hood River • OR 97031

541-490-0660 hoodriverpilates.com

Nichols Landing Gorge Mag 8.75x11.25 AUG NEW.qxp_Layout 1 8/3/18 8:24 AM Page 1

MCMC Specialty Clinics Now Accepting New Patients!

MCMC OUTPATIENT THERAPY AT NICHOLS LANDING, formerly Hood River Therapy, has

MCMC ORTHOPEDICS AND SPORTS MEDICINE offering comprehensive orthopedic

GORGE UROLOGY has relocated to Nichols

MCMC DERMATOLOGY has relocated its

relocated to Nichols Landing. Their highly skilled therapists will be providing physical, occupational, and speech therapies, in a large open gym space with upgraded exercise equipment. Call 541.386.2441 to make an appointment.

Landing from their previous Hood River location, and look forward to continuing to provide the highest quality of urology care for the western Gorge community. Call 541.386.6988 to make an appointment.

MCMC CARDIOLOGY delivers compassionate

heart care. Cardiology patients can expect open, honest communication with specialists who work alongside patients to educate them about their condition and treatment options. Currently offering echocardiograms (echo) and treadmill stress tests.

Call 541.506.6530 to make an appointment.

Nichols Landing overlooks the Columbia River and is right off of I-84 (exit 63) next to the Hampton Inn in Hood River

care, sports injury treatment and prevention.

The department offers a vast array of resources to patients suffering from sports, bone or musclerelated health issues. Call 541.506.6500 to make an appointment.

Hood River clinic to Nichols Landing. The expanded office will mean more Hood River patients will have access to specialized expert care. Call 541.506.6930 to make an appointment.

MCMC PODIATRY for personalized treatment of bunions, plantar fasciitis, ankle sprains, fractures, ingrown toenails, foot and ankle injuries.

Call 541.506.6500 to make an appointment.

NL AT

ichols anding

33 Nichols Pkwy, Hood River mcmc.net

OUR GORGE : PARTAKE

Roasted Potato & Cauliflower Burrito RECIPE AND PHOTOS BY KACIE McMACKIN

I spent about six months last year testing nearly every recipe for my friend Ashley Rodriguez’s new cookbook, Let’s Stay In, which is officially released in October (but is available for pre-order from all major booksellers). Ashley is a Seattle-based food blogger whose focus on modern comfort food syncs perfectly with the way I love to cook and eat. Of the dozens of recipes I tested for her, this one for Roasted Potato & Cauliflower Burritos is one of my favorites — we’ve made it half a dozen times at least! It’s packed with flavor, healthy, and nearly vegetarian (if you omit the fish sauce, it’s completely vegetarian). This is Ashley’s second cookbook, and since my copy of her first one, Date Night In, is one of my more well-worn cookbooks, I can’t wait to break this new one in.

Burrito Filling: • 2 large potatoes, cut into roughly halfinch pieces • 1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets • 4 garlic cloves, roughly chopped • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar • 2 teaspoons cumin seeds • 2 1/2 teaspoons sea salt • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper • 1 tablespoon fish sauce

Burrito Sauce: • 1/2 cup sour cream • 2 tablespoons mayonnaise • 1/2 teaspoon chipotle powder (use less if you don’t like heat) • 1 garlic clove, minced • 1/2 teaspoon fish sauce • 1 tablespoon lime juice • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard • 1 teaspoon ground cumin

Corn and Herb Salsa: • 2 cups corn kernels (thaw completely if using frozen) • 1 jalapeño, finely diced • 4 scallions, white and green parts sliced • 1 tablespoon olive oil • Zest of 1 lime • 1 tablespoon lime juice • 1/2 cup cilantro • 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Preheat the oven to 425°F. Combine the potatoes and cauliflower in a large bowl. Then add the olive oil, cider vinegar, cumin seeds, salt, pepper and fish sauce. Toss everything to combine well. Roast on a large sheet pan for about 45 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and deeply colored.

In a small bowl combine the sour cream, mayonnaise, chipotle powder, garlic, fish sauce, lime juice, salt, Dijon, and cumin. Stir well to combine. This sauce will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week.

In a medium bowl combine the corn, jalapeño, scallions, olive oil, lime zest and juice, cilantro, and sea salt.

To Serve: 1 can drained and rinsed black beans • 6 to 8 large flour tortillas Assemble: Slather a couple of tablespoons of the burrito sauce on the tortilla then top with the roasted vegetables, a small scoop of black beans and the corn salsa.

Roll it up then serve with extra burrito sauce.

Serves 6 to 8

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FALL 2018 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

Kacie McMackin is a food blogger, writer and photographer at gorgeinthegorge.com. She is a frequent contributor to The Gorge Magazine.

THE GORGE MAGAZINE : FALL 2018

69

EAT + DRINK

BACKWOODS BREWING COMPANY 509-427-3412 • backwoodsbrewingcompany.com 1162 Wind River Hwy • Carson

541-386-1880 • bettesplace.com 416 Oak Street • Hood River

Pizzeria • drafthouse theater • arcade • frozen yogurt It’s the pizza -over 25 years of authentic East Coast thin-crust pizza

Backwoods Brewing is family owned and located in Carson, WA. Established in 2012, we offer delicious beers, hand-made pizzas, outdoor seating, and welcome all ages.

The “Friendliest Restaurant in Town” and a Hood River landmark since 1975. From French toast and omelets to specialty burgers and homemade soups, we’ve got you covered. Satisfy your sweet tooth with our legendary cinnamon rolls or prize-winning pies. We also offer special menus for children. Take-out menus available.

541-386-1448 • AndrewsPizza.com 107 Oak Street • Hood River

On-line ordering • Eat in • Take out • Delivery

Open daily: 11:30am-9pm

BRIAN’S POURHOUSE

BRIDGESIDE

Open Daily 5:30am to 3pm

BRODER ØST

541-387-4344 • brianspourhouse.com 606 Oak Street • Hood River

541-374-8477 • bridgesidedining.com Exit 44 off I-84, Cascade Locks

541-436-3444 • brodereast.com 102 Oak St. Suite 100 • Hood River

Located in the heart of historic downtown Hood River, we blend nature’s finest ingredients with impeccably friendly service to offer an unforgettable dining experience.

Stunning views next to the Bridge of the Gods – Bridgeside (formerly Charburger) still serves tasty char-broiled burgers plus an extensive menu of breakfast items, chowders, fish & chips, fresh salad bar, sandwiches, and desserts. New name, new management, but historic charm and western artifacts remain. Serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

Offering Nordic inspired breakfast and lunch to the gorge. Something new and exciting for the whole family to enjoy. Come try traditional recipes such as aebleskiver (danish pancakes), swedish meatballs, norwegian lefse (potato crepes) and lots more!

Gift shop • Special event room & terrace

#broderost

Reserve our outdoor patio for private parties, groups, and rehearsal dinners.

Call us for catering at your location, too!

CASA EL MIRADOR FAMILY MEXICAN RESTAURANT 541-298-7388 • casaelmirador.com 1424 West 2nd Street • The Dalles

Quality Mexican food prepared with the freshest and finest ingredients. Warm, friendly service and a lively atmosphere. Indulge in generous portions of flavorful sizzling fajitas, fish tacos, savory enchilada dishes and daily specials.

Drink specials & Happy Hour menu from 4-7pm, Mon-Fri. Full service bar, take-out menu, gift certificates and catering services. Open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week.

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BETTE’S PLACE

THE ANDREW’S EXPERIENCE

FALL 2018 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

CELILO RESTAURANT & BAR

We look forward to serving you!

CLOCK TOWER ALES

541-386-5710 • celilorestaurant.com 16 Oak Street • Downtown Hood River

541-705-3590 • clocktowerales.com 311 Union Street • Downtown The Dalles

Celilo began with a desire to honor the bounty of this region and a commitment to a healthy and sustainable future. Our ever-changing menu reflects the seasonal highlights of the region’s growers and foragers. We offer the most innovative in fresh, local cuisine as well as an award-winning wine list, full bar, small plate menu, and happy hour daily from 5-6pm.

Located in historic downtown The Dalles. Clock Tower Ales is the family friendly place to be! Extensive outdoor seating on our deck, live music on the weekends, upscale pub style lunches, chef inspired dinners, handcrafted cocktails, local wines, and over 30 craft beers on tap! Enjoy a bit of history, sit back and relax, it’s always a good time at the tower!

Dinner daily from 5pm • Lunch Fri-Sun 11:30-3pm

Open Daily: 11am-close

EAT + DRINK

COLUMBIA GORGE BAKERY A GLUTEN FREE FACILITY

CROOKED TREE TAVERN & GRILL

DOG RIVER COFFEE

541-352-6692 • cooperspur.com 10755 Cooper Spur Road • Mt Hood/Parkdale

541-386-4502 • dogrivercoffee.net 411 Oak Street • Downtown Hood River

A scratch-made Northwest kitchen hidden up in the woods at the historic Cooper Spur Mountain Resort. Sourcing local and bringing freshness to the table, from the handmade burgers with house baked buns to the hand-cut steaks. Open for lunch & dinner 7 days a week with daily specials. Happy Hour Monday thru Friday 3-6pm.

Named one of ‘America’s top 10 coffeehouses’ by USA Today

DOPPIO COFFEE

EL PUERTO DE ANGELES III

EVERYBODY’S BREWING

Relax on our patio, right in the heart of downtown…enjoy a hand-crafted espresso drink made with locally roasted, fair trade and organic coffee. Serving breakfast and lunch all day: panini, salads, smoothies, and fresh baked goods (vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free options). Local beers on tap, and local wines by the glass or bottle. Free Wi-fi and our patio is dog-friendly. Open daily at 7 am.

Authentic Jalisco Cuisine. We provide a great dining experience and freshly prepared platters delivered to your table with Mexican hospitality by our friendly staff. Enjoy good food, good folks and good times. Offering daily lunch and dinner specials served all day. Happy Hour Mon-Fri 2-5pm.

Enjoy our outdoor patio (open weather permitting).

See for yourself why Everybody’s Brewing is a locals’ favorite for the past 10 years! We brew 15 different styles of beer plus seasonal selections onsite. The menu is filled with affordable food choices made with high-quality local ingredients. The atmosphere is warm and family-friendly with a beautiful view of Mt. Hood. Live acoustic music most Friday evenings. Open 11:30am to close 7 days a week.

541-645-0570 • columbiagorgeglutenfree.com 740 East Steuben Street • Bingen

We use locally sourced, seasonal ingredients in all of our fresh baked breads, treats and savory hand pies. We are committed to bringing you the most delicious baked goods available, anywhere. Call ahead for catering, wedding cakes, events or just stop by the drive-thru for coffee and a gluten free, dairy free or paleo treat!

541-386-3000 • doppiohoodriver.com 310 Oak Street • Downtown Hood River

541-308-0005 1306 12th Street • Hood River, on the Heights

Sun-Thu 10am-9pm, Fri & Sat 10am-10pm

Full service espresso bar featuring Stumptown coffee Breakfast burritos, pastries and more Caffeinating your adventures since 2004 Open: Mon-Fri, 6am-6pm & Sat-Sun, 7am-6pm

509.637.2774 • everybodysbrewing.com 177 E. Jewett Boulevard • White Salmon

Photos by Michael Peterson

FULL SAIL BREW PUB

541-386-2247 • fullsailbrewing.com 506 Columbia Street • Downtown Hood River If there is one thing a brewer loves more than great beer– it’s great food and great beer! Our northwest-inspired menu complements our award-winning brews and features seasonal, local ingredients. Swing by for a pint, grab a bite, tour the brewery or just soak up the view. Open daily at 11am serving lunch and dinner. Free guided brewery tours. Check our website for the current schedule.

GRACE SU’S CHINA GORGE RESTAURANT & TIGER LOUNGE

INDIAN CREEK GOLF COURSE & DIVOTS CLUBHOUSE RESTAURANT

While visiting the Gorge…take a trip to China.

Great Szechuan-Hunan taste.

No airfare. Free Parking. Very happy family.

Located in the heart of the Hood River Valley just minutes from downtown. Breathtaking views of Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams from our covered patio. Full service bar and fabulous northwest cuisine at a reasonable price.

Your everyday vacation spot! Open to the public.

541-386-5331 • chinagorge.com 2680 Old Columbia River Drive • Hood River (Located off I-84 and the base of Hwy 35)

Great plates for more than 40 years.

541-308-0304 • indiancreekgolf.com 3605 Brookside Drive • Hood River

Open Daily for Lunch & Dinner. Happy Hour 3-6pm.

THE GORGE MAGAZINE : FALL 2018

71

EAT + DRINK

KICKSTAND COFFEE & KITCHEN

PFRIEM FAMILY BREWERS

503-669-8610 • mcmenamins.com 2126 SW Halsey Street • Troutdale (off Exit 16)

541-321-0490 • pfriembeer.com 707 Portway Avenue, Suite 101 • Hood River Waterfront

Locally sourced ingredients. Unique world flavors.

Full breakfast, lunch and dinner menus. Donuts made fresh daily. House-roasted coffee. Healthy salads, burgers and entrees. Beer, wine & house - infused cocktails at “The Handlebar”.

With fall comes the fall harvest. The Black Rabbit Restaurant kitchen uses seasonal ingredients from Edgefield’s own gardens, grown using organic methods – herbs, vegetables, fruits and flowers that flourish throughout the property’s 74 acres. Stop by for a fresh taste.

Open daily 7am-10pm. Outdoor patio. Fire pit.

SMORES. Kid-friendly.

Ales, wines and spirits are crafted onsite.

pFriem artisanal beers are symphonies of flavor and balance, influenced by the great brewers of Belgium, but unmistakably true to our homegrown roots in the Pacific Northwest. Although they are served humbly, each glass is overflowing with pride and a relentless aspiration to brew the best beer in the world. We’ll let you decide.

PIETRO’S PIZZA

Open Daily: 11:30am-9pm

541-386-1606 • pietrosrestaurants.com 107 2nd Street • Hood River

541-716-4020 • remedyjuice-cafe.com 112 Third Street • Downtown Hood River

REMEDY CAFÉ

RIVERSIDE & CEBU LOUNGE

Pietro’s is proud to serve the same famous original thin pizza crust and pizza sauce that has made us a Northwest favorite over the years. We use only the freshest and finest cheese and toppings. Proud to be locally owned and operated with four locations: Hood River, Milwaukie, Beaverton and Salem. Dine in, take out, online or delivery.

Recharge at Remedy Café with organic and satisfying breakfast or lunch bowls, burritos, curry, smoothies, juices, or hot drinks. Vegan and paleo options, created from scratch from the best quality organic and local ingredients.

Kombucha on tap. Locally roasted, organic espresso.

Free WiFi. Open Mon-Fri 7am-5pm Sat & Sun 8am-5pm.

Dine-in or take out. Order ahead online or call us!

Diners seek out newly remodeled Riverside for some of the best food and views in the Gorge, and Cebu for great bar food and drinks. Fresh menus change seasonally—plus an award-winning wine list. Enjoy indoors, on the deck, or in our popular Cebu Lounge.

Open Daily 11am-10pm

gorge in the gorge

A local guide to the best food, drinks, farms, and markets! gorgeinthegorge.com

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McMENAMINS EDGEFIELD

541-436-0016 • kickstandcoffee.net 1235 State Street • Hood River

FALL 2018 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

541-386-4410 • riversidehoodriver.com Exit 64 off I-84 • Waterfront Hood River

Cebu Lounge Happy Hours: Mon-Fri 4-6pm

EAT + DRINK

RIVERTAP PUB & RESTAURANT

SOLSTICE WOOD FIRE PIZZA 541-436-0800 • solsticewoodfirecafe.com 501 Portway Avenue • Hood River Waterfront

541-386-3940 • stonehedgeweddings.com 3405 West Cascade Avenue • Hood River

Happy Hour daily, 3-6pm

One of a kind specialty pizzas, housemade fresh pastas, seasonal small plates & salads, & sublime s’mores.

Inspired cocktails, craft beers, wine, & ciders on tap.

Family dining & kids play area. Vegan & gluten-free options.

Patio seating & waterfront views, across from the park!

Wood-fired & Gorge-inspired!

“The best outdoor dining in the Gorge.” –NW Best Places We are a favorite among locals and visitors. Our cuisine is a classic, European blend that utilizes fresh, local ingredients and pairs well with our select wines. Our gardens are the perfect setting for weddings. Full-service catering available.

“Romantic setting and the best meal I had in town.”

–The Los Angeles Times

SUSHI OKALANI

TAD’S CHICKEN ‘N DUMPLINS

THUNDER ISLAND BREWING CO

Come find us in the basement of the Yasui Building, the local’s favorite spot for fresh fish, Pan-Asian Cuisine, and a rockin’ atmosphere! Lots of rotating specials, creative rolls, and a large sake selection means you’re always trying something new! Private rooms are available for groups up to 20 people. Take-out menu available online. Open for dinner nightly at 5:00, closing hours change seasonally.

We are nestled on the banks of the Sandy River in Troutdale, OR–the gateway to the Columbia River Gorge. We are located halfway between Portland and Multnomah Falls.

Serving exquisite American cuisine since the 1930s. The menu includes: Seafood specialties as well as traditional steak, chicken, and pasta dishes; a full bar, and our famous home-style chicken ‘n dumplins. Open every night for dinner.

Thunder Island Brewing Co is an adventure-based brewery that is handcrafting creative and innovative beers in the Pacific Northwest since 2013. Thunder Island Brewing makes crushable beers inspired by a love of outdoor adventures, with a nod to local history and with a respect for all that the scenic Columbia River Gorge has to offer.

Late Night Happy Hour Friday & Saturday, 10-close Live Music every Friday, Saturday and Sunday We Cater

541-386-7423 • sushiokalani@gorge.net 109 First Street • Downtown Hood River

CAFÉ & GRILL WET PLANET CAFÉ & GRILL

503-666-5337 • tadschicdump.com 1325 East Historic Columbia River Hwy • Troutdale

STONEHEDGE GARDENS

971-231-4599 • thunderislandbrewing.com 515 NW Portage Road • Cascade Locks

A subscription to the area’s premier lifestyle publication FALL 2018 thegorgemagazine.com

541-296-7870 • rivertap.com 701 East 2nd Street • Downtown The Dalles (I-84, Exit 85)

LIVING AND EXPLORING IN THE COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE

509-493-8989 • wetplanetwhitewater.com 860 Highway 141 • White Salmon (Husum)

Off the beaten track, outside and delicious. From a perfect espresso in the morning with a fresh pastry, to one of the best burgers in the Gorge! Farm-to-Table menu, including freshly caught Salmon. Enjoy great food paired with local brews, cider and wines on our outdoor patio, while watching the rafters and kayakers have fun on the White Salmon River.

Open daily 8-6.30 PM, Memorial weekend - End of Sept

Mount Adams The “forgotten” peak takes center stage in a new book

Blue Zones Project Aiming for better health and well-being in The Dalles

Mountain Valley Meat A Hood River butcher serves a vital role in the Gorge food system

Subscribe now for only $19.99 (4 issues) or $29.99 (8 issues) 541.399.6333 thegorgemagazine.com for more information The Gorge Magazine is published quarterly, new subscribers will receive the next available issue. If the post office alerts you that your magazine is undeliverable we have no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within one year.

THE GORGE MAGAZINE : FALL 2018

73

OUR GORGE : EPILOGUE

Nesmith Point, high above Warrendale in the central Columbia Gorge, 1933. (Photo courtesy of U.S. Forest Service, Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area)

74 FALL 2018 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

THINKING OF YOUR NEXT HOME IN THE GORGE?

THINK LOCAL!

JEFF SACRE

STEVE WOLF

NMLS - 140302, MLO - 140302

NMLS - 114305, MLO - 114305

Sr. Mortgage Specialist

Sr. Mortgage Specialist

102 3RD STREET | HOOD RIVER, OR 97031 Looking to Purchase or Refinance?

CALL US TODAY!

541.436.2662 directorsmortgage.net

This is not a commitment to lend. Information deemed reliable but subject to change without notice. Subject to credit approval. Restrictions may apply. Call for Details. Consumer Loan License NMLS-3240, CL-3240.

We’ve got BREAKFAST, LUNCH & DINNER covered!

Egg River Cafe “BREAKFAST of CHAMPIONS”

&

New York Times, 2014

Mesquitery Steakhouse The only steakhouse in the Gorge... a locals favorite since 1988

{ Open Daily 6am-2pm } Breakfast & Lunch

{ Open 4:30pm-9pm } RESTAURANT { Open 4:30pm-11pm } THE SHED BAR

Extensive Breakfast

We grill everything over

& Lunch Menus

100% Mesquite Wood

Organic Eggs • Omelets

Steaks, Ribeyes, Prime Rib

Pancakes • Waffles

Ribs, Poultry

Crepes • Skillets

Seafood, Pastas

Organic Coffee

Great Side Dishes

Espressos & Lattes

Homemade Desserts

Soups • Salads

Beer & Wine Selection

Sandwiches • Hamburgers

Cocktails

Family Friendly

Summer Patio

Easy Parking

Adjoining The Shed Bar

541-386-1127 1313 Oak Street, Hood River eggrivercafe.com

10% OFF

YOUR TOTAL BILL with this coupon

Not valid on holidays or with any other offer.

Expires 12/7/2018

541-386-1127

541-386-2002 • 541-387-4002 1219 12th St., Hood River thebestinhoodriver.com

10% OFF

YOUR TOTAL BILL with this coupon

Not valid Fridays, holidays or with any other offer.

Expires 12/7/2018

541-386-2002