Celebrate local food, wine and beer with Gorge in the Gorge. This website promotes locally grown agricultural products and celebrates the region’s culinary arts and world class wines and micro-brews. #crgorge
Geocache Oregon promotes the variety of outdoor experiences that make Oregon an exciting and fun place to live and explore through the wildly popular, high-tech treasure-hunting game of geocaching.
On April 2, The Sierra Club and allies announced their plan to sue the coal industry and the railroads for allowing coal dust to blow off their cars and leak out the bottom. They identified several places in the Gorge including Horse Thief Lake and Dallesport where the coal dust was several inches deep next… Read more »
The Gorge Magazine is the authority on the people, places, activities, and issues that define the beautiful Columbia River Gorge region. Each quarter, this lifestyle publication entertains, informs, and explores so that its loyal readers can enjoy the very best the region has to offer. Click to see the latest digital edition!
Columbia Gorge 541.991.8091 www.mentor4success.org A community nonprofit that provides caring adult volunteer mentors to area teens who are in foster care or otherwise in need of an adult friend, role-model, and supporter.
List your business for free! Submit your information below:
PO Box 918, Hood River, OR. 541.386.7440 www.gorgeguide.com The Gorge Guide is the official visitor guide to the Columbia River Gorge. We love everything about this area from the scenery, to the people to the recreation. Come visit! But be careful, you might want to live here too!
Whenever we have friends or family coming to town it always gets me thinking about the things we could and should do. My wife has always been the planner; if it weren’t for my constant, unwavering aversion to the practice, she’d probably have everything all wrapped-up and taken care of for when our friends arrive tomorrow. Alas, I’ve dragged my feet and somehow managed to keep Saturday and Sunday wide open and free. I love that feeling. Some days I get the adventure or adrenaline bug and I can’t be stopped from tramping off into the woods, but then there are those long, slow casual weekends when I just want to read a book, listen to the breeze work its way through the large pines in our front yard and sip slowly at a cocktail beaded with condensation from the warm outside air…read more
300 East Port Marina Drive, Hood River, OR. 541.386.6772 co.hood-river.or.us/museum Celebrate the Paste * Preserve the Future Explore the true “treasures” of Hood River County.
198 SW 2nd Street, Stevenson, WA. 509.427.8444 http://www.facebook.com/pages/Skamania-County-Pioneer/106997649336776
Six months ago I wrote the rather sarcastically titled column Print is Dead. It welcomed responses from the community and beyond, most of which agreed that print and print media may actually be more alive than ever. Things have certainly changed for writers, readers and the publishing industry, but change doesn’t have to be a bad thing. In this case particularly—the era of e-readers, online news and electronic entertainment—there are advances and improvements to be embraced, not feared. Shortly after that column, we at the magazine began the work and study it takes to move our magazine into the online domain. I couldn’t be happier or more excited to announce that each upcoming issue of Columbia Gorge Magazine will be available, in its entirety, online.
We’re not changing a thing about the way we print and distribute the magazine; we’re simply adding another useful, easy-to-access version of the magazine in electronic format. Now you can use the internet or your e-readers and tablets like the iPad or Galaxy to access Columbia Gorge Magazine from anywhere in the world.
Hegewald Center, Stevenson, WA. 509.427.3980 www.columbiagorgebluegrass.net Located in the scenic Columbia Gorge, only 45 minutes from Portland, Oregon, this premier event features a long list of talented performers, contests, the jammer’s jamboree, a raffle and dancing. Camping is available with hot showers, and an unforgettable vista.
Hegewald Center, Stevenson, WA. 509.427.3979 www.skamaniacountyfair.com The Skamania County Fair and Timber Carnival is a tradition of people sharing their knowledge and skills for the preservation and promotion of what’s best in America. People of all ages demonstrate their talents and hard work to educate and inspire us about what we can achieve. Whether it’s… Read more »
PO Box 150, Cascade Locks, OR. 541.374.7996 www.nwp.usace.army.mil/op/rec/home.asp Take exit 40 off I-84. In addition to views of migrating fish moving through underwater fishways, visitors will find a five-level facility with an observation deck, air conditioned interior with exhibits, restrooms, a large theater, and all-glass exterior walls which allow a panoramic view of the Columbia… Read more »
I spent the last few months of winter booking guests for the all new season of Localite with Jon Compton, which starts May 2, and I can’t tell you how excited I am to share the stories of our neighbors. The variety, diversity and “it” factor of so many of the people that make the Columbia Gorge their home never ceases to inspire me, and getting to tell their story—whether in print or on the screen—is both a joy and an honor. People from all over the world and all over the country have reasons to take pride in their home and community, but there really is something special about this place.
Localite started with the vision and passion of Jon Compton, the host and executive producer, and the focus and intent of the show is both incredibly enjoyable and vital. There’s a sense of place I’ve written about in an editor’s letter for the magazine and a previous column, and that very phrase: sense of place, came back to me in a recent interview with an upcoming Localite guest. The idea is that not only are the people of the Gorge bonded by their location and proximity, but also by something more, something deeper…
CGN-7 | Tonight’s Schedule (replayed 8PM – 11PM) Scroll your mouse over the shows below for more information 5:00PM 5:30PM 6:00PM 6:30PM 7:00PM 7:30PM MON 12/19 Off Air Off Air Off Air Off Air Off Air Off Air TUE 12/20 Off Air Off Air Off Air Off Air Off Air Off Air WED 12/21 Off… Read more »
by jamie hartford
photo by stephen a. miller
Plenty of people have paintings or photos of Mount Hood and the Columbia Gorge in their homes, but few can actually see the real thing from their living room. The Ruber family can. Walk through the front door of their Underwood, Washington home, and there’s the mountain, perfectly framed in the picture window ahead…
by don campbell
Katmandu, that ancient, mystical and mile-high capitol city of Nepal—heralded in song and myth as an ultimate destination—may bear little resemblance at first glance to Mosier, Oregon, and the surrounding Columbia Gorge. But for world citizen Arlene Burns, the two are sisters, inextricably linked…
by jamie hartford
photo by carl warren
The Columbia Gorge is famous for offering world-class kiteboarding and snowboarding. But what’s a board sports enthusiast to do when the wind isn’t blowing and it’s not a perfect powder day? Grab a skateboard and hit the concrete. Over the past 15 years, several of the small communities lining the banks of the Columbia River have built public concrete parks to accommodate a growing skateboarding scene…
by greg donaldson
photo by michael peterson
Jerry Seinfeld once said, “A bookstore is one of the only pieces of evidence we have that people are still thinking.” I live and shop for books in Portland, and while there is evidence of what Seinfeld was talking about inside some of Portland’s bookstores, many of them are populated by people who are more concerned with using free Wi-Fi or drinking gourmet coffee than they are with searching for a new book…
The end of February has once again provided me with the rude reminder that sometimes I’m looking too far ahead. It’s the nature of the job—I’ve spent the last few days setting up the stories that we’ll feature in our Summer Issue and booking guests for a show that will launch in May—but there’s got to be a better balance. I’ve always been a “no regrets” kind of guy, and I don’t want that to change, but as I find myself reaching out further into the future, I see myself letting a few moments or hours slip by. I guess recognizing the problem is the obvious first step in solving it, and I love every little bit of both what I do for a living and how I spend my free time, so it’s not like there are major changes to make, but how does recognizing that a few moments pass me by each day—moments I can re-embrace—make my day better? It just doesn’t help; it feels like something vital is lost…
www.cgaie.com Spring is on it’s way and that means, blue skies, daffodils and The Bite of the Gorge! Celebrate the coming of sunny days and a community proud to support arts in the schools at The Bite, Saturday, April 9th, 6 -9pm at WAAAM, Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum, in Hood River. Spend the… Read more »
A not-so-funny thing seems to have happened almost across the board in the entertainment industry. All of a sudden, everything is either an ad or it’s self-promotion. When was the last time a late night talk show booked its guests simply because they’re interesting people and not because they had a movie, book or show coming out? Too many lifestyles and feature magazines seem to be heading down the same road; covers are given to actors with a movie coming out and the stories center around whatever an artist, actress or businessperson is selling, promoting or releasing.
At Columbia Gorge Magazine and CGN-7 we truly believe in telling interesting, relevant stories strictly for their entertainment value. The entire tone of both the magazine and station is to promote the region we find so magnificent, and we do that by providing the best possible enlightenment, entertainment, history or insight…
I think it was the sun that finally woke me up. A snow-softened stillness was wrapped around the tent and Ann lay next to me not making a sound. Our breaths, heavy and warm, were frozen to the roof of the tent. “Better frozen than dripping back down on us,” I thought to myself as I wiggled my way down into the sleeping bag; my water bottle was somewhere by my feet where it would stay unfrozen. “You awake?” I whispered. A few moments passed with no answer. Through the zipper slats the light came in brighter, and for a second it almost seemed warm. The small instant boiler leaned against the edge of the canvas to my right. Coffee and oatmeal, coffee and oatmeal, I could think of nothing else.
We’d climbed most of the day and on into the late afternoon hours before growling stomachs, aching backs and heavy eyes forced us to set up camp. There wasn’t much entertainment—not like in the other seasons. We had no firewood and with a few feet of snow around us the whole thing seemed…
by don campbell
Guitarist Rick Hulett flashes a little smile from the bandstand at The Pines Tasting Room in downtown Hood River. He’s seated among a loose group of at least eight musicians—maybe nine, maybe 10, it’s easy to lose count—who are, for the most part, regulars at The Pines’ popular Thursday night jam.
My feet crunched on the powdery snow as it packed under each of my heavy steps while I scraped the ice from my car. I don’t like that sound. There’s plenty about the stillness, the beauty and the calm of a few days of snow that I find enchanting. It brings me back to my childhood spent in Cleveland. It reminds me of snow days sipping hot chocolate at home instead of sitting in a crowded classroom full of coughing, cabin-fever-infested kids. But that crunchy, squeaky sound, that one I don’t like.
My parents came to visit my wife and me for Thanksgiving this year and they were happy to see the snow for a bit while they escaped Arizona, their home. The weather didn’t disappoint. Every day for a week the forecast called for a slight warm-up and some rain and every morning we woke to a bit more powder and slightly lower temperatures. By the Friday after the holiday we’d had enough of football and old movies and the four of us bundled up and piled into the two-door Wrangler looking for something beyond the walls of the living room.
by hoot ramsey
If you have ever spent time along the banks of the Columbia River, you’ve likely picked-up the barely audible hum of an engine and the deep, low sound of a marine horn as a tugboat and its cargo slowly crawl through the swift waters. You may have even wondered how anything that moves so slowly can possibly be economically feasible. But feasible it is, and efficient, touted as perhaps the cleanest, safest and most environmentally friendly mode of commercial transportation in the modern world.
by jamie hartford
Home is where the heart is, as the old saying goes. But for Chuck and Lana Moore, it also needs to be a place where the whole family can fit. The couple, married 20 years, has a brood that includes 16 grandchildren. They also care for Lana’s 84-year-old mother for half the year. Needless to say, they often have a full house.
by lyn craig
Maupin is a steady hour’s drive south from the Columbia River on US. Route 197, making this Deschutes River-side community easily accessible from the Columbia Gorge area for a small-town dining and dancing experience.
Taking one’s time to meander leisurely, however, offers a weekend excursion full of opportunities for exploring rolling hills, deep river canyons and high plains vistas, and perhaps chatting with a few locals along the way.
It’s hard to tell it’s October. I sit in my home with a pumpkin muffin, a hot cup of coffee and a view of the neighbor’s reddening tree through my living room window, but it’s at least 75 degrees outside and expected to climb throughout the day. Fall has always made me reflective. I can never remember who it was that said “fall is the most contemplative of seasons,” but he or she was right.
As the apples ripen on the trees back in the Hood River Valley and the snow begins, once again, to pile-up on our bordering volcanic peaks, my mind begins to wander. Only weeks ago summer was a reality; now it already caries the cloudy, mystic fog of a memory.
It’s harvest season throughout the Columbia Gorge and men and women have gone to work plucking the fruits of spring and summer’s labor. Much of it is devoured in the coming weeks, while to the contrary, the hops and grapes are brewed, fermented, stored; their ripeness will be enjoyed later…
Gorge Fruit & Craft Fair, Hood River County Fairgrounds 541.354.2865 www.hoodriverfair.com Find the best of the entire four counties of the Columbia Gorge: Arts & crafts, gourmet food products, fresh fruit & produce, food & wine tasting, special attactions, live music and so much more! Over 90 vendors and Garden Club Flower Show.
Travelling along the asphalt highways and byways that crisscross the fertile Columbia Gorge, one need only to glance in either direction to view myriad shades of green, covering soil that is black as asphalt and rich as gold in its suitability for cultivating crops. At the many nurseries throughout the area, environmentally conscious tree and native flower growers are making it possible for individuals and landscaping companies to responsibly incorporate native species in every aspect of yard and garden design.
As your tires crunch down the gravel of the unassuming private drive off of the Historic Columbia River Highway, it’s easy to think you’ve made a wrong turn. The shady tunnel of trees belies the stunning vista awaiting at the house ahead, and the drive’s length—perhaps designed to build anticipation—is enough to make you momentarily question your GPS.
On a high, open prairie above the Klickitat River valley, a large herd of dark, chocolate-colored bison graze on steep slopes facing spectacular views of Mount Hood and the Columbia Gorge. Just as nature intended, these magnificent, herbivorous animals—the largest reaching upwards of 12 feet in length and nearly a ton in weight—roam freely through nutrient-rich grasses under windswept skies.The more than 50 bison of the Klickitat Bison Company graze year-round, with the eldest always keeping a watchful eye over the close-knit clan.
When Ben Stenn, chef and managing partner at Celilo Restaurant and Bar in Hood River, gets hold of local figs, he’s very careful with them. A prime example of food best eaten where it’s grown, fresh figs are extremely delicate and don’t travel well, he shares. Even refrigerating or moving them too much can affect the fruit’s exterior.
It’s seems like only moments ago I was writing a column on the early summer and late spring months that give us locals a last chance at significant peace, quiet and contemplation before the much needed influx of tourists, day-trippers and wind dancers. And then all of a sudden summer has blown by and the clouds have begun to roll in every morning. There’s already a cool fall chill to the air, and we’ve just now reached September.
It was in that column just a few months ago that I wrote about taking the time to learn something new or to do something all over again that you haven’t done in a while. I myself chose kiteboarding and fly fishing this summer. My fiancé and I took to kite surfing like a fish to water, and fly fishing is so perfectly the opposite in terms of the sustained rush and the adrenaline fix (though a fish on that fly will get the blood flowing) that I found myself in perfect balance this summer. I made headway with both, and I can’t wait to pick up where I left off with kiteboarding as the spring and early summer…
One of the great perks of my job is finding my way into situations that I would normally never experience. In an effort to keep things original, interesting and fresh for the readers of Columbia Gorge Magazine, I’m constantly reading everything I can get my eyes on and taking notes. You never know when a story will emerge or when you’ll stumble upon the perfect interview subject. Just a few weeks ago I had the opportunity to conduct an interview that has had me thinking—a lot—ever since. It’s rare, when you read all day everyday, write in your spare time and take great pride in knowing what’s going on in your community and beyond, that you stumble upon something you’ve overlooked or forgotten about.
A few Wednesday’s ago I had a chance to enter into a world that—because of my age and my life experience—I had never entered. I volunteered with the Gorge Heroes Club in their efforts to assemble, pack and ship care packages to soldiers from the Columbia Gorge that are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan…
Just a week ago I had the chance to venture a little over half-way across the country to a family wedding in Southeastern Ohio. I wish I could say that the red-eye flights don’t bother me, or that I never complain about the opportunity to see my family and some old friends, but alas, it simply isn’t true—or at least not the whole truth. I was bitter. I was tired. And to make matters worse, Ohio in June is a sweltering, humid, down-right muggy environment. As my fiancé and I exited the small jet into the Port of Columbus International Airport a deep, dank stench of heavy moisture on old carpet greeted us.
I was nearly sleepless after flying out of PDX at 11 p.m. the previous night because of connecting flights and the fact that I stand at about 6 feet 4 inches—the typical airline seat hits me right about mid-shoulder blade and my head bobs around every few seconds waking me up. My knees were sore from pressing into the seat in front of me and my eyes were bloodshot—a true red-eye…
by erika rench
John Maher, a fine arts photographer, walks around to the side of his house at Rowena Dell, Oregon, and points to his newest artwork. There, standing among pine trees, on a bed of needles, is a ladder painted the color of a sunflower. The 18-foot fruit picker’s ladder is out of place here in the wooden glen, so just imagine what 100 of them will look like perched on the hills along Interstate 84.
by don campbell
Krista Thie’s eyes light up when she talks about wild oats. Thie, an ethnobotanist who lives just outside of White Salmon, explains that if you take its seed and add a drop of water, it will open up and begin a slow and magical spiral of its own accord. Were it on a patch of dirt it would begin to work itself in, destined to find purchase in the vital earth.
by jamie hartford
It used to be that the only place to get a drink in the tiny town of Mosier, Oregon, was at its namesake tavern, where females were forbidden. It stood within eyeshot of the local YWCA, where the townswomen supervised wholesome activities like tap dancing and bingo as the men were free to raise hell in the bar. The Mosier Tavern burned to the ground in 1930s. According to legend, the women of Mosier started the blaze.
by david sword
Agriculture has been a leading industry in the Columbia Gorge for generations. The weather, soil and plentiful water of the Cascade Mountains provide key ingredients for successful farming. In an area long known for growing some of the best apples, pears and cherries in the world, vineyard managers and winemakers have recently been receiving greater exposure and acclaim.
I grew up in a small town in Northeast Ohio. I’ve come to love the Columbia Gorge and to call it my home, but I can’t consider myself a native. I’m not exactly old yet, but my memories of my youth are limited to a few shining moments, some showing more brightly than others. After the announcement in late May that Hood River County would be closing three libraries, thoughts of the early days of my life began to come back to me.
I was raised by two loving and ever-attentive parents who knew that in order to maintain sanity and foster their relationship for decades, they’d need a date night. Friday nights were a time for them to leave the day-to-day parenting troubles for awhile and to just be together, alone, away from everything. Luckily, my grandmother lived just around the corner…
It’s beginning to look a lot like summer. It didn’t happen overnight this time. The winter, though mild, had its claws in deep, and while spring is finally blooming all around the Columbia Gorge, the Cascade Mountain passes are still getting more than their fair share of snow. For a few long weeks, it seemed as though spring might not make it, and then all at once, the fruit trees bloomed just in time for the annual Blossom Festival, and the green shoots of this year’s leaves are starting to dot the branches of our deciduous neighbors. For some, it couldn’t have happened a second too soon, and for others, there’s an apprehension that comes with spring and summer in this area.
Our local business owners need that influx of spring, summer and early fall tourism more than usual this year…
I had the pleasure—and at times the pain—of taking a trip down through California and across the desert to Scottsdale, Arizona, just a week ago. It had been a few years since my last great excursion and I was nearly giddy with anticipation of the open road. My fiancé and I packed the car in the waning evening hours as we prepared to drive through the night. We did so quietly, our minds already drifting toward that moment when the sun would come up over the southern California hills and engulf us in its spring glow. Route 5 was not the preferred choice, but we had a family wedding to attend and we couldn’t waste the hours along the coastline this time.
I truly embrace the environment that I’m blessed to live in, but there are times when the mind and the spirit need the respite that a long trip away from home can provide…
by monica wheeler
For longer than 18 years, Collyn Roberts dreamt of owning a pub and grill. Hounded by time and the inability to fulfill her dreams, Roberts—with a stroke of fortune and a matured vision—was finally able to realize her dream and make it a reality in June 2009. The Barred Rock, the now named dream of Roberts, has yet to see a slow day since its opening.
by jacob denbrook
The highway itself functions as an allegory for the disparate faces of California; along its winding path you’ll find all the rugged, wild coastland available to soothe your indomitable free spirit, after which you’ll journey into the belly of one of the west coast’s fiercest symbols of extravagance and big business, Hearst Castle.
by don campbell
The groove is the thing. Paul Lestock strums fat chords on his round-hole Arrow acoustic, a guitar he handcrafted in his Rowena Dell shop from fine woods and a deep sense of what a guitar should not only sound like, but what a guitar should be. He instructs the string bassist on how to set the beat with simple notes. A young boy who plays an Arrow tenor guitar cops a simple but effective melody.
The weather report the night before was bleak to say the least. Clouds rolling in overnight and a morning filled with rain. We didn’t care. It was the last weekend in February and neither of us had been on a decent hike since Mount Hood had torn me up in late July. The winter had taken its toll on both of us, though neither one of us knew the extent until we were halfway along the trail the next day.
We woke early and packed quietly while the coffee brewed in the corner of the kitchen. Rain jackets, extra liner layers to keep the moisture off our skin, hats and back-up hats, sunglasses (we were still hopeful), gloves, two granola bars and three liters of water. I made eggs and potatoes—a breakfast fit for a hike—while Ann packed odds and ends into her bag. The camera, a pocket tool and a small roll of Tums were coming with us…
I awake some mornings thinking spring has already come. It’s the nature of the magazine business that keeps me constantly looking forward, and I have to remind myself to live in the moment. I often erase or delete the dates I just wrote when I realize I’m living a month or two ahead of myself. Here we are in February and we’re getting ready to print the Spring Issue. All the while I’m lining up the stories and photographs for the Summer Issue. From where I sit in the office, Mount Adams remains enveloped in winter clouds, the river is as still as can be and temps haven’t topped 50 in a few days, but my mind is on wildflowers, spring showers and the quickly building buzz of many residents returning home from their winter escapes while visitors show up for their summer adventures. While the sound of studded tires on cold, bare pavement still echoes around me, my thoughts already have me heading up Dog Mountain to take in this year’s new blanket of wild, colorful flora…
Benefiting Heart of Hospice Foundation. 541.490.1320 www.heartofhospicefoundation.org
Amid the snow and ice and endlessly threatening conditions of this late December, a new year rolled in. I love the idea of a new start or a fresh beginning as much as most, maybe even more than most. I find comfort and hope in the deeper meaning of New Year’s Day. There is a reason this holiday exists, and I believe it penetrates much further into the human spirit than we realize.
As a kid, I remember thinking about how cool it would be to stop time, or to go back and fix the mistakes of days past. As an adult I find that notion more suitable for prime-time television shows and dreaming children, but I do find the idea of a fresh start at the turn of a new year invigorating. It’s the adult version of that dream I’m sure so many kids have had and still have.
by hoot ramsey
The Hood River Valley is a patchwork of orchards, vineyards, farms and centuries-old agricultural lands. It stands to reason, that when there is such an abundance of fertile landscape, there will be farming, and where there are farmers, there is community.
Old-timers in the upper valley of Hood River County will tell you that community was the backbone of existence during the turn to the 20th century.
by jennifer strange
The first promise every bride and groom should make to one another—after saying “yes” to the engagement—is to not go broke for the sake of a wedding. “Debt is no way to start a marriage. Do not have a wedding that you cannot afford—period,” Leith Gaines, owner of I Do Events in Hood River, counsels. “This is a celebration of love and it can come in any form that works for the bride and groom or families involved.”
by david sword
Rather than moving to warmer climes or becoming reclusive during the winter season, many Columbia Gorge residents simply hang up one set of gear and take down another. Skiing or snowboarding are as popular an activity as cycling and sailing. When the calendar pages are turned from the fruit bearing months, snow sport enthusiasts wax up the bases, bundle up the core and head to the big hill looming to the south.
by lyn craig
Every Thursday morning in a large hall at the Oregon Veterans’ Home in The Dalles there is a gathering of former World War II bomber pilots, decorated Korean War flight heroes and other distinguished resident veterans—as well as a few area supporters who come just to hear their stories.
As I drove through Troutdale, the fog sat low over the highway obscuring all but the half-mile or so in front of me. It looked like snow for a moment—a sort of grainy, light snow just floating over the area. When I approached the bottom of the exit ramp on my way to the gas station a man carrying a sign came into view. He wore a stocking cap of black or navy-blue pulled down so that it almost covered his eyes. Underneath his hooded sweatshirt—he wore no coat—he had a zip-up collar that he’d pulled over most of his jaw. Around the bottom of the cardboard sign his hands barely poked out of the sleeves of his sweatshirt. He wore no gloves. His jeans were tattered, and just looking at him as he shivered in the 40-degree morning brought a chill to my body. I am not the hyper-sensitive type. I do what I can to help those that haven’t had the good fortune I have, but it’s not easy for anybody right now…
There is an odd calm that falls over much of the Columbia Gorge in these early winter months. Later in the season we’ll all forget the hustle and bustle that summer brings, but for now the contrast in seasons is clear. The river has calmed, kites and sails have been stored for a few months, the fishing boats are seldom seen. There are probably two ways to take this change: we could pine for the busy and dry summer months, or we can enjoy the quiet streets, trails and parks. To some extent, I find great comfort in the change of seasons, and winter is no exception to that rule. We are lucky to have a little bit of everything both indoors and out. Why squander the next few months waiting for a summer that will surely sail by too fast…
Heimrich Street, Dufur, OR.
The Hood River County Gala Fashion Show is a Fashion Show Extraordinaire. The Gala continues to be a huge success! For all ages. The proceeds are donated to The Hood River County Christmas Project. (Winter and Holiday assistance for low income families and seniors) Visit the link below for more details. http://www.hoodrivercountychristmasproject.com
After a summer that seemed to sputter at the start and finish with a fury of sun and heat, the fall has arrived all at once. Pear and heirloom apple seasons are in full swing. Grapes are being plucked from the vine and bottled up for winter, and pumpkins are approaching their full size. The jet stream held cooler temperatures and wetter weather north of the Pacific Northwest for a few extra days, which kept the Columbia Gorge warm and sunny for almost all of September. Then in just a day it all seems to have turned…
Lorena Lowell felt there was something amiss in many early childhood programs she had administered. She believed there was a need for greater diversity and an atmosphere where children and families could share in the joy of creating, celebrating, loving, living and learning. In September 2008 she took matters into her own hands and opened Bambinos International Learning Center in Hood River, a facility that takes a unique approach to early childhood learning experiences.
The Northern Wasco County Parks and Recreation District, based in The Dalles, has ramped up its emphasis on recreation recently, creating a number of programs that cater to youth, including Excellent Adventures. The program lives up to its name, providing exhilarating excursions for pre-teens and teens on many school holidays and periodically throughout the summer.
For a quick view of how the Columbia Gorge can be in summer, drop by Multnomah Falls on a weekend afternoon. It’s hard to believe a parking lot that big can be full nearly all day long. You’ll find few other places where so many people cram onto a single trail to see a real Oregon landmark.
Hot springs abound in the Pacific Northwest. A trifecta of soakers flow in the Columbia Gorge, and several more are within striking distance for an easy day or weekend getaway. A rejuvenating and relaxing dip can be as easy on the pocketbook as it can be on the muscles, especially if the economy is keeping you close to home.
It seems we far too often see only the finished product. It’s something we don’t tend to consider frequently enough—the work that went into creating a finished painting, sculpture, photograph or story. How many hours does it take to complete a true work of art? How many times did a photographer return to the same place, battling the seemingly unending disappointments of poor weather, bad lighting or any other number of factors, and then one day it’s just there, right before them, waiting to be captured and shared? How many readers sit down to enjoy a magazine or a book and forget the number of drafts, revisions and rewrites that went into creating that story? The more I see of the process the more I appreciate the final product.
Hope to see you Downtown soon! Camas, WA. 360.817.1562 x 4269 www.downtowncamas.com
Hood River, OR. 541.386.1423 www.brianswindsurfing.com bws@gorge.net
Hood River, OR. 541.386.1423 www.brianswindsurfing.com bws@gorge.net
The Dalles, OR. 541.296.9778 www.nwp.usace.army.mil/op/d/thedalles.asp dimsupport@nwpoi.usace.army.mil
The Dalles Campus (541) 506-6047 Hood River Center (541) 386-3510 400 East Scenic Drive The Dalles, OR. www.cgcc.cc.or.us/ Columbia Gorge is your community college. Our goal is to help you be successful in whatever educational program or activity you choose. At Columbia Gorge Community College (CGCC) you can complete your first two years of… Read more »
Goldendale Website: www.ci.goldendale.wa.us
The Dalles Website: www.ci.the-dalles.or.us
Skamania County Website: www.portofskamania.org
Hood River Website: www.portofhoodriver.com
The Dalles Website: www.portofthedalles.com
Cascade Locks Website: www.portofcascadelocks.org/
Klickitat County Website: www.portofklickitat.com
Skamania County Website: www.skamania.org
Hood River County Website: www.co.hood-river.or.us
Columbia Gorge Website: www.cgeda.com/about/wemap.shtml
Columbia Gorge Website: www.tripcheck.com/Pages/RCMap.asp?mainNav=RoadCond
Portland, OR. www.koinlocal6.com
2965 Eliot Drive, Hood River, OR. 541-490-0451 www.botgkitefest.com
PO Box 245, Troutdale, OR. 503-491-8407 www.troutdalebiteandbluegrass.com
General Information www.hob.com/venues/concerts/gorge/
General Information www.hob.com/venues/concerts/gorge/
Cascade Square, The Dalles, OR. 541.399.3686 www.dutchbros.com nkasper@dutchbros.com
166 JewettAve., White Salmon, WA. 509.493.1340 www.groundespressobarandcafe.com greg.ground@gorge.net
510 Oak Street, Suite 100, Hood River, OR 541.387.3113 www.hrvacations.com info@hrvacations.com
27132 E. Marion Road Rhododendron, OR 503.622.1572 www.laughingbearlogcabins.com stockli@pacifier.com
matt werbach It is hard to have missed the turn American food culture has taken in the last few years. Whether it’s the escalating gas prices of the last couple summers or the popularity of books like The Omnivore’s Dilemma and Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, many in the country have taken a more responsible role in… Read more »
The Columbia Gorge has many fascinating sites and recreational opportunities. A series of geographical evolutions produced glaciated peaks, rocky outcrops and the hydro-carved chasm that centers us all. Of the seemingly endless potential for adventure that awaits, hiking, peak bagging and climbing offer more than just a blip on the adventurer’s radar screen.
The Oregon of February 14, 1859, was a vast wilderness, slowly taking on a patchwork of farms and small settlements. Pioneers coming west from more settled parts of the continent formed a government that embodied their aspirations and ambitions for the new land they would call home. It reflected what they had experienced before embarking on the arduous physical and emotional journey across a continent rife with peril and lacking pity.
The bowling ball flies down the lane, crashing into the pins at the end, toppling all but one. Chris Cook cheers, eliciting a “nice job,” from his friend Mike Kilkenny.
The county is home to more than 31,000 acres of forestland, managed by the Hood River County Forestry Department primarily for timber production. The vast majority of this land doubles as an intricate web of multi-use trails crisscrossing timberlands, bordering communities and providing some breathtaking views.
This heretofore unorganized system of recreational trails has been in use by motorized and non-motorized vehicles and equestrians for decades. Over the years, trails have been user-created without proper design features for safety, sustainability, stream habitat protection or erosion control. People have come from far and near for recreation, independently developing parking and staging areas, ramps, jumps and other man-made technical features.
6385 Dee Hwy., Mt. Hood/Parkdale, OR. 541-352-7925 www.goodfortunefarmsalpacas.com
www.a2zgorge.info/community/towns/roosevelt.htm
Hood River, OR. www.crgva.org
