October 17 –

We left cold and windy Dayton, backtracking to Waitsburg...again...then The Voice unexpectedly led us to 124, providing some new scenery; silos, barns, farmhouses and grain elevators. Okay, so maybe not that new. The yellow and brown rolling hills of the Palouse were soon replaced with grapevines and trees laden with apples. We rejoined the highway, which lead to another...and another...and another.

We eventually crossed a bridge near Pasco and then were routed back over yet another bridge to Kennewick, from where we could see the first bridge we crossed. Either The Voice was confused, or the roads were; we then crossed a third bridge, re-entering Oregon, finding it just as we’d left it, soggy.

The drive became prettier and prettier as we drove through the gorge alongside the Columbia River. We stopped at The Dalles to poke around a bit and check out the dam, which set Bill’s engineering bits all atwitter.

Some four hours after leaving Dayton, we were in Hood River, The Voice doing an admirable job of leading us right to the door of our third Air BnB of the trip, a section of a barn behind the owner’s home that had been converted into a rather cozy studio.

We’d heard that the wine in Hood River paled in comparison to that of the Willamette Valley and Walla Walla, so we hadn’t planned on visiting any wineries. But the owner of our accommodation highly recommended Marchesi, which was just down the road, and happened to offer charcuterie, and we were hungry. So, off we went, not realizing we’d while away most of the rainy afternoon here with the cellar door cats and a like-minded couple from Colorado. This winery was what we had in mind when we planned this trip; a laid back country vineyard experience – sipping a glass (or two) on the patio overlooking the vines, enjoying a bit of a nosh.

It was certainly no Fred Meyer, but dinner was another self-catered affair, this time from Safeway. Unfortunately, Bill got hold of something bad (we suspect the roast beef as I didn’t have any) and spent the night in the loo, praying to the white porcelain god.

Northwestmale--LOL at Yakima and the name;)

Melnq8--Well, it is still soggy here;) Love the comment about the dam and engineering. DH is an engineer and DS is just about to graduate with his engineering degree, so I definitely understand. You are lucky you were in Hood River recently as the city, like many others, is trying to ban short term rentals. Hope your DH wasn't too sick!

<<Dayton was even endorsed not long ago as a great getaway location by one of the local-to-Seattle magazines...>>

We obviously missed something. Or a lot of somethings. Would love to know specifically what.

I'm not surprised Hood River is trying to ban short term rentals - I recently read an article about how local residents are only able to get nine month leases, due to owners wanting to rake in the money with short term rentals over the summer.

Would the ban affect all short term rentals? The place we stayed in was obviously set up for short term vacancy - it's on the owner's property and I can't imagine someone wanting to live there full time.

Northwestmale -

Our interest in Yakima has to do with wine, but I think you've all talked me out of a visit. Maybe the local bottle shop would be a better option for Yakima wine?

Hopefully you <i>missed</i> <b>Yakima</b>

(perhaps in favor of <I>Union Gap</i>... or <b>Gleed</b>... or <I>Wapato</i>... or <b>Mabton</b>... or <I>Zillah</i>)


That's it - maybe Ali should have faced Smokin' Joe that last time in Zillah

Yeah, it was more the experience than the wine that convinced us to join Marchesi's wine club years ago, and I still think it's one of the best around.

I heard on yesterday's news that we'd had measurable rain in Portland on 21 of the first 24 days of October. Unusual, but welcome to fall in Oregon! (insert umbrella emoticon here) Hope you give us another chance sometime.

Well, I'm not especially inclined to jump to Dayton's defense. Given your priorities Walla Walla would definitely have been preferable. Apart from being in glorious countryside (mainly in the spring) the town's benefits are few - a couple of okay hotels, a good restaurant at Patit Creek (sorry you missed it) and some cute architecture. But the Palouse isn't everyone's cuppa, so chalk it up to experience I guess.

While the Yakima Valley produces some good wines, I don't fall into the camp that praises it as a tourist destination. I regard it as a place to get through, albeit perhaps with a stop for some of the best Mexican food in the PNW. The Yakama tribal center no longer offers buffalo burgers on frybread, more's the pity.

But at least you now know where not to visit again. I was just in the Washington DC area earlier this week, and was struck at how many wineries there are in Loudoun County (Leesburg area). It brought home how widespread the vineyard business is in the US; seems like every state now has its vineyards and wine routes. Not a bad thing.

Melnq8--A good friend of ours in Hood River rents a room in their house, but on a year long lease. For them it works because their tenant is willing to watch their dogs when they are away:)

Northwestmale--LOL!!!!!! At least Union Gap as Miner's Burgers;) I remember being a new driver at 16 and often driving between Toppenish and Yakima, and around the reservation you had to be very watchful for drunk pedestrians walking home from the reservation after having a snootful. When I am in that area, that is still the first thing I watch for. Sad but true

Sounds like a good arrangement mms.

Interesting thing about Yakima - they sent me a very impressive and glossy brochure when I was researching this trip. They seem to be trying very hard to overcome their designation as a 'pit'.
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Oct 18 –

It rained all night. Bill was feeling better, but Safeway’s deli had made a lasting impression. We drove into town for caffeine and ham and cheese croissants at Dog River; our first taste of Stumptown coffee – popular place, good coffee, good food, nice atmosphere.

We explored downtown for a bit and stumbled upon the Hood River Stairs, which I’d read about prior to our visit; supposedly the third longest outdoor stairway in the nation. We didn’t have much time left on our parking meter, so decided to leave the stairs for another day.

Bill had mapped out a driving loop around Mt Hood, so we set out on south 35. En route we tried to find Panorama Point – the signage was pitiful – we drove in circles – but finally found it on the third attempt; unfortunately Mt Hood was completely socked in, so no views for us.

We continued on 35 and very briefly got a partial glimpse of snow-covered Mt Hood, but it would be our last. We drove past orchards, fruit and cider stands – the leaves were turning and gorgeous. It’d sure be nice to live so close to all of this fresh fruit and veg. Soon we were back in the trees.

As we drove past the trailhead for Tamanawas Falls, we realized it was the trail mentioned the previous day by a woman we met at Marchesi. So, we turned around and spent the next two hours hiking the four mile (return) track – lovely indeed, and no rain!

Back on the road we actually needed our sunglasses for a few minutes (!), but it didn’t last - soon we were driving through thick fog and then the skies opened in earnest. We were in thick forest, and I could smell the trees even with the car windows rolled up. Love that smell.

On a whim, we detoured up to Timberline Lodge, hoping it would be open for lunch. Visibility was lousy, it felt as if we were in a white bag. The rain turned to slush, and then snow, and when we arrived at the top, we stepped out into a windy, wet winter wonderland. We were at 6,000 feet, the highest we’d been this trip.

I’d never heard of Timberline Lodge, so was very surprised to learn that not only is it a National Historic Landmark, but it’s one of Oregon’s most popular tourist attractions. So of course it was open for lunch! The parking lot was full, and there were even some snowboarders, although the lifts weren’t yet open.

Lunch was at the Ram’s Head Bar, at a table which would normally have a view, but not today. We had a drink and shared an order of their ‘Apres ski Fondue’. Swiss fondue it wasn’t, but it did the trick. Service here was a bit surly, a first on this trip.

We drove back down to the highway, snow turning to torrential rain, detoured to Government Camp for a look, and then began our trek back via Lo Lo Pass, amazed at the sheer number and size of the power lines.

We turned onto National Forest Road #18, which was the width of a bike path in some spots, but man the leaves back here were gorgeous. We detoured to Lost Lake, finding nothing but a lowered barrier, so backtracked and worked our way back to Hood River. It’d been a long day in the car with only one glimpse of the elusive Mt Hood.

Dinner found us at Full Sail Brewery – popular spot, good libations, average food.

Oct 19 -

Gloomy, but dry!

We popped into town for lattes and breakfast at Doppio. Two thumps up. I particularly enjoyed my bagel with cream cheese, tomatoes, fresh basil, salt and pepper, a combination I’d never considered, will have to try that at home.

Then it was off Hood River’s Stairmaster for a bit of exercise – 418 steps up, 418 steps down. My calves were unhappy for days afterwards; I admire the residents who jog up and down repeatedly on a regular basis.

It was time to explore the much revered Columbia Gorge, so we set out on west 84 towards Portland. We poked around the Cascade Locks riverfront for a bit, me trying to take advantage of the few slivers of sunshine to take some photographs.

Our next stop, the Bonneville Lock and Dam, was completely unexpected, and another treat for the engineer. We explored the grounds, drove across the dam, and spent quite some time in the Bradford Island Visitor’s Center – very interesting. Bill would have loved a tour of the powerhouse, but having not known the dam even existed, we’d failed to arrange one.

The guard at the gate told us that we couldn’t leave without popping in to see Herman, the 70 year old, 10 foot long, 450 lb sturgeon, so we made a bee line to the fish hatchery. Now that’s a fish! This unplanned stop was an educational and fun surprise.

Back on 84 we took exit 35, following a map of the Historic Columbia Gorge I’d found online, but not sure exactly what to expect. We were now on US Route 30.

Within minutes we understood what all the fuss is about – this area is stunning - even when grey and wet.

Over the next few hours we walked to the top of Horsetail Falls, to the top of Multnomah Falls (this stop was a bit of a zoo – the parking lot bursting at the seams, people everywhere, cameras galore), and we walked the undulating, 90 minute loop at Latourell Falls, a very nice little hike, where we only saw two other people on the track.

It was getting late, the gloom worsening, but we worked our way up to the Vista House. The wind was fierce, and it was spitting rain, but Oh My God. The views from up here must be spectacular ‘on a clear day’, which incidentally, was the phrase we’d read and heard repeatedly throughout our two week trip.

Half starved, we drove back to Hood River for dinner at 6th Street Bistro – Bill thoroughly enjoyed his Phad Thai, but my grilled chicken sandwich was a bit like shoe leather. Maybe that’s what they mean by free range:) The Atlas Cider on tap pacified me though.

<i>...but we worked our way up to the Vista House. The wind was fierce, and it was spitting rain, but Oh My God. The views from up here must be spectacular ‘on a clear day’...</i>

Actually, the best views are from the Portland Women's Forum viewpoint, around a mile to the west, because from there you can see Vista House in its context - http://gardyloo.us/20100509_5a.JPG

Gardyloo beat me to it, the PWF views are stunning!

You just missed being able to get to Lost Lake. They close in mid October, so you probably missed it by days.

Yes, last week was a soaker here! As you saw though, the rain doesn't keep us indoors at all:)

Good to know about the PWF, for next time.

We liked Brian's Pour House, on the other side of 6th Street in HR, also for next time.

Oct 20 –

Surprise! More gloom.

Off to the Riverside restaurant in the Best Western – our plan was twofold – breakfast and a parking spot for the river walk. We circled the parking lot several times before snagging a spot. Busy place this.

Parking in Hood River seems to be an issue – particularly in residential neighborhoods close to town - the previous day we’d seen a small house with NINE cars parked in the front yard.

Breakfast was really good, a biscuit and gravy with a side of fantastic bacon for me, Country Biscuit Benedict for you-know-who, tasty cold brew lattes for both, excellent service, nice Columbia River views. One of the better meals we’d had in Hood River.

We spent the next ~90 minutes walking the four mile Riverfront Trail, a mostly paved path that was interesting enough, and probably quite pretty ‘on a clear day’. On the return, we took a break at Stoked, for one last Oregon cuppa.

Back on 84, we bid adieu to Hood River and worked our way to the Portland Airport in the midst of a serious turd floater - truck traffic was heavy, visibility was poor, water coursed across the highway and Bill cursed its lack of grooves as we inched our way towards Portland.

A bit rattled from the drive, we completely forgot to top up the gas tank (oops) before locating the Hertz drop-off, which was unexpectedly at the airport’s doorstep. One glimpse at our two suitcases (one filled with wine) and two boxes (more wine) and a very helpful Hertz employee offered to drive us up to Departures, bless him. We’d clocked 2,077 miles in two weeks.

We checked in, signed away our rights to making a claim if United lost or damaged our precious wine, and with gobs of time before our flight, we settled into a landside bar for a pre-flight beverage (ironically, a lovely NZ Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc for moi).

We zipped through security, and still with plenty of time to goof, we walked to a different concourse to purchase some Stumptown coffee to take home. As we returned to our concourse via a long hallway that connected the concourses airside, a security gate came down, effectively stranding us, mere steps from our gate. Uh-oh.

We quietly waited and wondered. Another couple turned up and began banging on the gate and shouting. Is that really necessary? Other frantic passengers arrived. TSA employees gathered on the opposite side of the gate, not seeming to know what to do (or as Bill put it ‘stood around with their thumbs up their butts’). A man who obviously worked in the airport arrived on our side and began making radio calls to other airport employees, he was stuck too. A TSA employee on the opposite side of the gate said something about a security issue. The man with the radio told us ‘they’ were aware of the problem and were working on it. Hmmm.

Having little faith that they’d open the gate before our flight departed, yet still having loads of time, we backtracked a couple of miles, went through security again, and made it to our gate about 30 minutes before boarding. No worries.

Our flight left on time, and arrived earlier than scheduled, making United very proud. I was just happy that we took off and landed, and that the flight was turbulence free. And that our wine survived. Yea!

Back in Denver, we caught a hotel shuttle, collected our car from the hotel near the airport where we’d left it, drove to another hotel, checked in and went to bed.

The next day, we opened the drapes to SUNSHINE!

We’re home, and our state is in desperate need of rain

Final impressions:

Loved the wine of the Willamette Valley, but if we return it’s doubtful we’ll stay in Newberg and we’ll do a bit more research regarding specific wineries.

Enjoyed Cannon Beach, but probably won’t return unless we just happen to be close or have a sudden craving for gingerbread waffles.

Loved Bend, full stop. We will probably be back.

Loved the wine of the Walla Walla region, but unlikely we’ll go out of our way to return.

We enjoyed our stay in Hood River – not the town, but the area. The town wasn’t particularly peaceful with the highway and its overwhelming truck traffic and trains - parts of it overly industrial. Hood River felt like a victim of its own success, new houses going up in every conceivable space, bizarre meandering traffic patterns with a proliferation of dead end and one way streets and stop signs – very confusing for visitors and probably a nightmare in the high season.

But, we loved the region and all that it offers in the way of outdoor activities, fabulous waterfalls and spectacular scenery. We will probably be back.

What surprised us about Oregon?

The fabulous (but expensive) Pinot Noir and some mighty fine dry Reisling. The pump jockeys. The high cost of gas and accommodation. The incredible friendliness we encountered almost everywhere we went. The overall busyness. And all those wonderful trees.

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Thank you for all your help Fodorites!

Just here catching up on your trip report! Glad you had a good time!

I agree with everything Nwmale said about Yakima. Family members of mine refer to it as the armpit of Washington, and that's saying a lot as none of us are all that fond of Tri-Cities.

I think Dayton's slogan is (or used to be) gateway to the blue mountains, which is where I learned to ski- although I think the slopes are no longer in business. Anyway, other than a burgeoning food/drink culture, Dayton's usually the closest place to most of the outdoor recreation for food, gas, etc. I've seen magazines recommend it to tourists which is fairly baffling- I don't know what they imagine tourists actually DO in Dayton. Eat, gas up....and drive somewhere else, I guess.

Shame your visit coincided with the Stampede. (And you have bad luck, really- this is the first year they've tried to move the festivities back to a local park. Everyone was so excited- so that weekend was a huge let down for the locals). The irony is that they moved it to October for better weather!

<i>"Interesting thing about Yakima - they sent me a very impressive and glossy brochure when I was researching this trip. They seem to be trying very hard to overcome their designation as a 'pit'."</i>

<b>TO Yakima's credit</b>, they did many years ago get rid of the squalid <b>Yakima Hotel</b>... the existence of which aided Yakima once having been labeled <I>the small town drug capital of America</i>.

(They put up an <I>Olive Garden</i> instead)


I spend a night in Yakima in the summer of 2015, and drove around the whole town while remembering the days of old, and comparing... I even went to <I>the <b>nice</b> part of Yakima</i> for a RARE-for-me visit... and while I saw signs of evolution and progress, much of the area was still <I>stuck in its past</i>.

I mean, I wish I could just <I>slap</i> the place, like you might a toaster, and see if the town might <I>work better</i> after that.

The Yakima Mall, in the middle of town... it was often a barren wasteland, which eventually bombed as a mall... but <I>what the heck is it now?</i>

It had SOME redeeming qualities... a McDonalds, at least, but it never seemed to justify its existence as a mall. In <I>normal</i> cities, the business core suffers because people want to do their shopping at suburban malls... but what in the heck do you have for <I>suburbs</i> of Yakima (see my above post, and/or the end of this one).

I guess there is the Valley Mall, and the <I>Miner's Burgers</i> area... but that doesn't really have a serious <I>geographic edge</i> over the center of Yakima (as would be the case in many cities, with the mall near major freeway interchanges).

<b>IF ONLY Yakima would stop being <I>Yakima</i> and reinvent itself...</b>

(and reinvent Zillah, and Mabton, and Moxee City, and Ahtanum, and Buena along with)

Now <I>Selah</i>... Selah seems to maintain some decency despite Yakima so nearby, and Yakima's best kept <I>secret</i> is perhaps the <b>Canyon Road</b> to Ellensburg... which beats the heck out of that barren trip through the hills (in daylight hours, anyway - the viewpoints nearer to Ellensburg are grand for stargazing).


In closing, I must also give credit to Yakima for having eradicated <b>The Blue Banjo</b>... which rates a (commandeered) Fodors thread of its own.

The city seems to be <I>trying</i> (during alternate decades, I think)...

I knew you guys would want to read about <I>The Blue Banjo</i>.


Google gives you this little ditty right <u>as the first hit</u>:


http://articles.latimes.com/1989-10-...7_1_corner-bar

Oh yeah, and one more item about the boring freeway between Ellensburg and Yakima:


The only exit of note along the <b>bulk</b> of the 30-ish mile stretch of it is to <u>a <i>military firing range</i></u>!


(surely to <I>insulate</i> much of the surrounding <I>promise</i> from <b>Yakima</b> itself)

Hey, don't underestimate the power of Olive Garden. That is practically a tourist attraction there. I don't think my family would ever get off the freeway in Yakima otherwise! (The last time I got off that freeway, I wanted a coke at McDonald's and then was promptly reminded why I always pass over Yakima in favor of Ellensburg Canyon rd. The lesson to be gained is to never assume that places on exit signs are anywhere near the exit).




And now I must ask for a link the blue banjo Fodor's thread:) I mean, that's a real jewel from the LA times, which I think was the same paper that did an article about the serial killer bar in Bellingham. Maybe it's a series like "slices of life in the northwest's diviest of dive bars"...