This morning started with some excellent Stumptown coffee brewed with a French press on Wendel's nifty little gas range. We planned to go into Hood River for breakfast but I was itching to try out all of the VW Gadgetry, so we brewed coffee and tea before we left. Naturally, it worked like a charm. I'm definitely in love.
From there we moseyed our way over to Pine Street Bakery for a bacon sandwich, a banana chocolate muffin, and some good ol' Oregon chai. Based on the clientelle at the bakery, Hood River is definitely the kite-boarding capital. It was like seeing Jackson but with wind surf-bums substituted in for ski-bums. While we ate, we planned out the logistics for the Fruit Loop - a route through 30 or so Vineyards, cideries, fruit stands, flower fields, etc. dedicated to fresh, preserved, fermented, and distilled fruit in the glorious Hood River valley. Gleefully, we sampled the local fruit (and veg!) in all of its various forms.
The Apple Valley County Store supplied us with sweet onion mustard, marrionberry jam, and a huckleberry shake all in the most charming little country house, with plenty of quilts on the wall.
Next up was the Marchesi Vineyards. Pulling up prompted some Italian deja Vu as a golden Villa sprawled over the lot closest to the road. They had some surprisingly good wine-including some nibbiolo, SANGIOVESE, and Barbera, a varietal I'd never tried before which we sampled amid soaring Italian opera. After we tasted each of their wines while swinging on their most excellent porch (and purchasing two for Wendel's wine cellar 😉), we wandered out amoungst the grapes. Stu and I have been to several vineyards over the years, but I have never gotten to see vines with full bunches of grapes hanging seductively off the trellis. I went a little nuts with the photos and even sampled a few. Tart, but delicious.
From there we checked out some hard cider at The Gorge White House, and nabbed some fresh peaches at the Draper Girls Farm. All day we kept getting glimpses of Mt Hood over trees and around hills, which culminated in a spectacular view while we ate fall-off-the-bone ribs and local beer in Parkdale. We got a little sunburnt because we sat outside just admiring the lone peak jutting up over the treetops.
As late afternoon settled into the valley, we trudged Wendell uphill to Whatum Campground - a set of 5 campsites at a bend in a single-track Forest Service road overlooking a brilliant blue mountain lake.
We took the switchbacks down and hiked around the lake until we lost the trail amidst the trees, then turned around and picked our way home--up some stairs that gave us Peru flashbacks!!
As darkness descended, we played host to a newly retired father and his daughter who were a day away from finishing their 150 mile backpacking journey down the Pacific Crest Trail. We traded wine and M&Ms for stories, and I think both sides went away grateful.
Stu is trying to convince me into a morning dip into the Whatum Lake tomorrow... We'll see how stupid I feel in 12 hours time.
Love from Whatum.
Stu and Chelsea
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