Erin V Pollard broker or/wa 541-705-7798 erin@copperwest.com
Chelsea Finson broker, or/wa 503-705-7025 chelsea@copperwest.com
Courtesy of Hood River Distillers
Courtesy of Vital Reset
Courtesy of Brad Johnson
Michael Peterson
JEWELRY + HOME
HOME + JEWELRY
HOME + JEWELRY
HOME + JEWELRY
HOME + JEWELRY
HIGHLIGHTING LOCAL ARTISTS
SINCE 1994
SINCE 1994
SINCE 1994
SINCE 1994
SINCE 1994
305 OAK STREET DOWNTOWN HOOD RIVER
305 OAK STREET DOWNTOWN HOOD RIVER
305 OAK STREET DOWNTOWN HOOD RIVER
305 OAK STREET DOWNTOWN HOOD RIVER
305 OAK STREET DOWNTOWN HOOD RIVER 541-386-6188
STEVENSON, WA $1,200,000: Lovely 2 acre parcel in the woods of Stevenson! Large 4290 sqft custom home in a private setting. 9 ft ceilings and engineered hardwood flooring throughout, 4 BRs, 3.5 BAs, gourmet kitchen, pantry, quartz island/eating bar, formal dining room, guest quarters, two additional bonus rooms for whatever you need, wooden deck and concrete patio, hottub. Private, quiet location just minutes from charming Stevenson. RMLS 24218974
HOOD RIVER $995,000: Wow what a view of the Columbia River from your windows to the north! 4 bdrms and bonus dorm type room above the garage w/ separate entrance. 2 primary bedroom/ baths on the upper floor, 1 with a balcony/deck for a view of the city and river. The third bath is on the main floor with 2 bedrooms. Great room w/ two-story high ceiling, gas fireplace and lots of windows. View, view, view of the city & river. RMLS 24154038
A little more than a year ago, I got a text from Leith Gaines. Leith has been active in the Hood River community for many years, having served as executive director of Columbia Center for the Arts and as director of Arts in Education of the Gorge, as well as being an events producer with a knack for creative collaboration. She wanted to meet to talk about a new project she was involved in. Rarely is Leith involved in a project I’m not interested in, so we made a plan to grab coffee.
When we met a couple of days later, she had brought along someone else from the new project, Alan Hickenbottom, a veteran of the renewable energy industry who has long been involved in environmental and arts organizations. It turned out that Leith and Alan planned to launch a film festival in Hood River. A third partner who was unable to meet that day was Sean O’Connor, a filmmaker himself and the founder of Story Gorge, a visual storytelling and education studio.
Sometimes, the right combination of people come up with the right idea at the right time, and I knew this to be true before I finished my coffee that day. The Gorge Impact Film Festival (GIFF) sold out for its inaugural run last November, and has expanded this year to two days, with approximately 30 films that will screen at two Hood River venues on November 9 and 10. GIFF features multi-length films that explore how humanity can go forward with joy, hope and optimism on a changed planet. You can read Ben Mitchell’s piece on GIFF, its founders and its mission beginning on page 42. Tickets for the event will be on sale starting in mid-September.
Speaking of joy, renowned Gorge artists Mary Rollins and Peggy Ohlson join for an exhibition at The Dalles Art Center beginning in October entitled Pursuing Joy (page 22). The two have been creating joy through their art for decades — in watercolor for Rollins, oil for Ohlson — and this show brings their work under the same roof for the first time in years. It kicks off with an opening night reception on October 3.
The next time you’re flying out of PDX and marveling at the newly remodeled main terminal, be sure to check out the huge video walls that feature work by three regional artists, including Trout Lake visual storyteller Brad Johnson. His four, 7-minute videos entitled Terra Cascadia sweep travelers through landscapes of the Gorge, from glacier-topped volcanoes and lush forests to tumbling waterfalls and the dramatic carved canyons above the Columbia River. Read our story by Ruth Berkowitz (page 10) for a behind-the-scenes look at how he created the videos.
with a gas fireplace, dining area and country kitchen. Beautifully landscaped with 1 acre of irrigation. RMLS 24436973
There’s lots more in this issue, including a feature on pickleball (page 34), a profile of Caitlin Bartlemay, master distiller at Hood River Distillers (page 28) and a look into the world of a young Hood River pear-farming couple (page 18). Enjoy, and have a wonderful fall!
About the Cover
— Janet Cook, Editor
Writer and photographer MOLLY ALLEN
took our cover image of farmer Parker Sherrell moving a bin of Bartlett pears in his family’s orchard at the beginning harvest in August. The Sherrells grow seven varieties of pears on their 100-plus acre farm in the Hood River Valley. mollyallenmedia.com
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.
EDITOR
Janet Cook
CREATIVE DIRECTOR & GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Renata Kosina
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
Jody Thompson
ADVERTISING SALES
Kim Horton, Chelsea Marr
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Molly Allen, Ruth Berkowitz, Don Campbell, Kacie McMackin, Ben Mitchell, Jana Shepherd
COVER PHOTOGRAPHER
Molly Allen
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Molly Allen, Petar Marshall, Kacie McMackin, Michael Peterson, Jana Shepherd
VISIT US ON SOCIAL MEDIA @thegorgemagazine on Instagram
THE GORGE MAGAZINE 1812 Belmont Ave. Hood River, OR 97031
We appreciate your feedback. Please email comments to: jcook@thegorgemagazine.com
Michael Peterson
Ohlson
Dalles
Artwork by Peggy Ohlson
PDX Next Wows Travelers
PORTLAND’S AIRPORT REMODEL FEATURES EXTRAORDINARY VIDEOS BY TROUT LAKE ARTIST BRAD JOHNSON
WITH FIVE THOUSAND PLANTS, A STUNNING WOOD-LATTICE
CEILING
and massive skylights, the newly renovated main terminal at Portland International Airport is designed to evoke a walk in the forest. As you check in for your flight, drop your bags and pass through security, two enormous LED screens showcase short films of natural landscapes. The screens are shrouded in vertical wooden louvers intended both for protection from foot traffic and to elicit a forest effect.
“Everything in the interior space is about putting you in nature,” said Allison Ferré, spokesperson from the Port of Portland, during an August preview visit of the $2.15 billion project, called PDX Next.
The Port worked with the digital agency Dot Dot Dash to commission three visual artists whose work would be showcased. One of the artists chosen was Gorge resident Brad Johnson of Trout Lake, Wash., who has spent decades cultivating his passion for using innovative technology to create memorable experiences.
Johnson’s talent for digital storytelling dates to 1994 when he co-founded Second Story, a renowned interactive media studio that has created award-winning projects in almost every digital medium for many notable organizations — including National Geographic, the Library of Congress and New York’s Museum of Modern Art.
story by RUTH BERKOWITZ • photos courtesy of BRAD JOHNSON
Brad Johnson at Beacon Rock, below left, and previewing his work at Portland International Airport.
Creating large-scale videos for the airport’s gigantic screens enabled Johnson to merge his talents as a digital storyteller and photographer, including utilizing images taken over 30 years of documenting Washington and Oregon’s natural beauty. Johnson’s four videos (7.5 minutes each) which he calls Terra Cascadia, depict 60 di erent natural wonders in the Northwest. He used more than 10,000 photographs to tell his story.
Last October, when Johnson received a request to submit ideas for the project, he sat in his studio and pondered. He knew there would be two enormous screens, and the Port of Portland wanted to create an airport terminal like no other. Johnson thought about departing passengers eager to know which side of the airplane their seats were on. Would they be able to see Mount Hood or Mount Adams? How about Mount St. Helens and its famous crater? He thumbed through his numerous books about mountains and took particular interest in one by Nan Shepherd called e Living Mountain.
He read Shepherd’s poetic description about mountains having an inside and not just an exterior and thought about his iconic surroundings in the Gorge, including Mount Adams, Sleeping Beauty, Beacon Rock and all the worlds “inside” Mount Hood. He wondered how he could capture the inside of a mountain and not just its exterior.
He opened another, much older book, published in 1912, by John Williams, titled, Guardians of the Columbia: Mount Hood, Mount Adams and Mount St. Helens. “ e book is divided into three sections: the rivers, the mountains and the forests, and that helped give me a framework. It structured my curation of locations,” Johnson said as we discussed the project in his studio, lled with images of mountains, four computer screens and a stellar view of the real Pahto, the Native American name for Mount Adams.
to his photographs.
us, the concept for Terra Cascadia took shape. He would merge mountain images with other landforms, enabling him to share his “awe and appreciation of the natural world” with travelers passing through the bustling airport. rough his videos, he would try to illustrate what Oregon writer Barry Lopez meant when he said, “All landscapes are on their way to becoming something else, with incremental slowness and terrifying speed.”
Choosing sites in Washington and Oregon, Johnson picked places that would work well on the 128-foot-wide screen: glaciers, waterfalls and basalt formations. He used drones, an iPhone and a full-frame camera to capture images. He twice chartered a Cessna, including one cold October day when his wife, Julie Beeler, shivered in the back of the plane every time he opened the window to capture a bird’s-eye view of a mountain.
WHERE THE GORGE GETS
Brad Johnson, opposite, at the new terminal at PDX where his videos play on massive “video walls” above the security checkpoints. Above, a 3D image of Eagle Creek that illustrates the “world inside” e ect he created with innovative software technology applied
person of interest
After hours outdoors capturing images, Johnson returned to his studio and applied an innovative software technology created by colleague omas Wester, who had worked on many of the Second Story projects.
Johnson rst used photogrammetry software to convert his two-dimensional images into “point clouds” containing millions of colored points which become a 3D space for him to examine the landform from all angles. He then worked with Wester to modify the
Images from Brad Johnson’s videos include Dalton Falls, top, and Crown Point. Using photogrammetry technology, Johnson created 3D images that illustrate geographic features “in ways you can’t see otherwise,” he said.
software to accommodate the airport’s massive screens. Wester’s software animates the 3D world with virtual cameras, thereby enabling Johnson to obtain viewpoints impossible to see with the naked eye.
“ e geologic landforms are the most captivating to me — they
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are the ruins and remnants of stories of how this place came to be,” Johnson says. “I am in awe of the software because it provides me with a tool to examine things I might not have seen while out in the eld.”
Demonstrating the software, Johnson shows me the ephemeral Dalton Falls near Multnomah Falls. He pans the camera from Dalton Falls to Mist Falls, illustrating how the two waterfalls connect to each other. Moving through mesmerizing green moss and then rising higher, the screen reveals eroded channels, providing a glimpse into the waterfall’s path. e point cloud evokes a moving, mist-like texture that creates the feeling of being near a waterfall. “ e technology helps articulate the sculptural aspects in ways you can’t see otherwise,” he said.
We next examine images of Vista House, high up on Crown Point near the gateway to the Gorge. At rst, I couldn’t see the historical structure, yet as the scene unfolds revealing the basalt cli s and its insides, the image slowly comes into focus. I recognize the iconic Vista House rst from the underneath and then as if I am a bird ying over the octagonal structure. It feels magical and unreal. Because two of his lms will show on the north screen and two on the south screen, Johnson meticulously synced his images taken on the Washington side with the ones in Oregon so that they visually parallel each other. For instance, if the north panorama shows the top of Mount Adams, the southside lm will show the top of Mount Hood. e scenes gradually move through space matching the elevation and ecosystems from the alpine through the diverse forests to the Columbia River. If you have the time to sit at one of the tables on the second oor of the airport where the restaurants and bars are located, you will be able to see both lms unfold simultaneously.
e result is extraordinary, ethereal and meditative. e images move slowly, and sometimes landforms disrobe like an x-ray, urging the viewer to contemplate the essence of the form and its dimensional qualities. Trees and mountains twist and sometimes evaporate. As a viewer, you become transxed by the geomorphology, wondering how Mount St. Helens erupted or what caused the chisels in the basalt cli s.
Re ecting on the process, Johnson says, “To experience and observe a place that means a great deal to you, then capture what is most remarkable about it with technology that helps reveal the inherent beauty of a place, then share it with millions of people that are passing through here with this amazing, seductive display has been a dream come true.” e massive screens are just one of the many treasures of the new PDX. “When we surveyed Oregonians on what they wanted from the airport years ago, they didn’t want us to change anything,” Ferré explains. “But we needed to upgrade for seismic and capacity reasons, so we kept the iconic carpet and doubled down on everything local. We want it to wow the passengers and have the area feel like a walk in the forest.”
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To help bring the forest inside, the Port installed thousands of live plants, including a 2,700-pound Ficus. Sophisticated sensors provide data on soil, water and light requirements. Grow lights provide supplemental light on gray Oregon days.
You’ll notice the curved shapes on the ooring and beams, which Ferré says is designed to reduce stress and calm passengers. “Curves are calming,” she tells me, pointing to the round stands where travelers can gather their suitcases after passing through security.
Johnson’s lms will be shown exclusively throughout the month of October. Starting in January 2025, they will be interspersed with the work of the two other artists, Ivan McClellan and Rebecca Mendez.
Next time you’re traveling from PDX, you might want to arrive early to check out PDX Next, including Johnson’s Terra Cascadia lms with their stunning take on some of our familiar Gorge landscapes. To learn more, go to bradjohnson.com.
Ruth Berkowitz is a mediator and writer living in Hood River. She is a frequent contributor to The
Brad Johnson’s videos play simultaneously on north and south screens, so he meticulously synced images from Washington and Oregon to visually parallel each other, including these of Mount Adams, top, and Mount Hood.
of the Gorge
Hood River Hops Fest
1
Hood River Hops Fest returns for its 20th year on October 5 at a new venue, the Hood River Event Site. Festivities run from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m., and more than 30 breweries from around the region will showcase their fresh-hopped beer at this beloved celebration of beer’s bitter friend, freshly harvested hops. e familyfriendly event includes food vendors, live music and a collectible tasting glass. hoodriverhopsfest.com
Hood River Bridge
Centennial Celebration
2
e Port of Hood River and the Hood River History Museum are throwing a 100th birthday party for the Hood River Bridge on October 6. e party starts at 9 a.m., with music and food vendors on the marina green. Beginning at 10 a.m. the bridge will be closed to tra c, with pedestrians allowed to walk on the bridge and take in stunning views of the Gorge (RSVP for the bridge walk on the Port’s website). Visit the museum between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. to see an exhibit of historic bridge photos. Birthday cake will be served at the museum at noon. portofhoodriver.com
Alfresco Nights at the Balch Hotel 3
e Historic Balch Hotel’s popular outdoor concert series continues into October with late-summer and fall evenings under the big skies of Oregon’s wheat country. e performances bring a blend of genres, from folk and indie to Americana and blues while guests enjoy an idyllic setting for alfresco dining as well as curated beer and wines. e Balch’s on-site restaurant, Bistro 1907 — a charter member of the East Gorge Food Trail — o ers a seasonal menu rooted in local agriculture. Shows are free for all patrons dining, lodging or imbibing at the inn. Patio dining is by reservation only. Lawn seating is open and welcome on the garden grounds. balchhotel.com
Courtesy of the History Museum of Hood River County
Courtesy of Hood River Hops Fest
Courtesy of the Balch Hotel
From Blossom to Bin
A HOOD RIVER COUPLE FOLLOWS THEIR DREAM INTO THE PEAR ORCHARD
BITING INTO A FRESH, JUICY PEAR grown in the Hood River Valley is unmatched, and it’s an experience fruit lovers get to enjoy internationally thanks to the hard work of our local pear farmers. With 88 percent of the fresh pear crop grown in the U.S. coming
from Oregon and Washington, it’s safe to say there’s something special about this region, which provides the ideal conditions for growing this late-summer to mid-autumn fruit. And while many pear farmers are born into the family business, Sarah and Parker Sherrell achieved their dream of becoming pear farmers in a di erent way. It was all thanks to a whole lot of persistence and a little bit of luck.
e Sherrells met in 2013 while they were both working cherry harvest at the Hood River Cherry Company. Parker was born and raised in Hood River, and Sarah, who is originally from Eugene, spent her summers working cherry harvest and had just nished college. After completing their degrees and working in the industry, the two both landed at Mount Adams Fruit, where Sarah worked as the director of operations and Parker as a eldman.
story by MOLLY ALLEN • photos by MOLLY ALLEN and PETAR MARSHALL
Molly Allen
Molly Allen
“We love the industry and love being a part of agriculture,” Sarah says. “We always knew we wanted to farm, so we strategically planned our careers for what we wanted.”
Along the way, the couple learned the ins and outs of running an orchard, developing hands-on experience and knowledge of what it takes. e problem? ey needed land of their own to do it.
Finding orchard property in the Hood River Valley isn’t as simple as checking listings on Zillow. Part of it is who you know — and who you get in touch with. “We set out and identi ed properties we liked, and those that had a home on the property,” says Parker. “We decided to write letters and see if we would hear back from anybody interested in selling.”
ey wrote a letter to the owners of one property that seemed ideal, but they never got a response. A year and a half later, they still had that particular property on their mind and decided to give it one more try. “We thought, if we could get an opportunity, this is the one we’d want to take a stab at,” says Parker. “We wrote a letter again, and two weeks later we got a phone call.” e property owners had been discussing the potential of selling but had lost the Sherrells’ initial letter. eir persistence paid o , and the timing was right.
In March 2020, the couple purchased their orchard and started farming 100-plus acres on their own as rst-generation pear farmers. On the menu? Seven varieties of pears including green bartletts, bosc, green anjous, comice and star crimson.
e Sherrells took over just as the growing season — or crop year — was dormant and pruning was taking place. As the temperatures start to warm up and the pear trees wake up in spring, the buds swell and uids run through the tree. Parker says it’s a slow progression from February to April, but once it hits, it’s all about bloom and the stunning pear blossoms that put on a show every year. During that time, bees are brought into the orchard and get to work, pollinating the owers on the tree.
While spring is a photo-worthy time for a drive around the Hood River Valley, it’s also the most critical for pear farmers. “Each
Parker and Sarah Sherrell and their two daughters, opposite top, with freshly-picked Bartlett pears from their orchard. Opposite bottom, Parker moves a bin of pears. Above, foreman Roque Macias Salazar empties a bag of pears into a bin.
Molly Allen
blossom is basically an open wound for the tree,” Parker says. “During bloom, we have wet weather and high humidity, and we have to protect from disease.” During this time farmers are also battling frost, with the potential for cold mornings from the time of bloom until Memorial Day. Farmers need to be up early to turn on the fans that provide air movement and prevent frost.
“We had all these assumptions of what would be the hardest parts, and we learned our assumptions aren’t always correct,” says Sarah. One of the challenges of being rst-generation farmers is that they don't have experienced family members to call and ask if they've seen something before. “It is a challenging industry with a lot of obstacles, some we can control
and a lot we can’t. With snow, heat and smoke, there are so many things we have to prepare for and deal with,” adds Parker. Luckily, they’ve formed bonds with others in the industry, neighbors near and far, who have become great mentors to them along the way.
As the weather starts to warm up, the pears begin to grow larger and trees are thinned as needed. Starch conversation occurs in the pears toward the later part of the summer, and the pears begin to build size at the beginning of August. A pressure test indicates the maturity of the pears and their harvest window. As the pressure goes down, the size goes up. e pressure number is an indicator of how long the pears can be stored, which dictates when they’re harvested and sent to the packing house. In general, it takes 120 days from bloom to picking for bartlett pears, with anjous following 21 days after that.
“It’s no more than 24 hours from picking to the packing house,” Parker says. “They get them in and cooled o .” at cooling process helps to preserve the pear’s freshness. Pears are picked once they’ve properly matured and are at the desired pressure — but they’re not ripe. e cooling process prevents them from ripening, which allows the consumer to later decide just when they want to bite into a juicy, ripe pear. Pears are picked by hand into what’s called a belly bag. ose bags are emptied into bins, which can hold 1,100 pounds of pears. As the bins are lled, they’re sent to the packing house to be washed, sorted and packed.
e packed pears are kept in cold storage until they’re sent to a grocery store. And that’s the part of the process the Sherrells nd most ful lling. “Putting fruit in a bin, it looks good and you did things right, that is a good feeling,” says Parker. “We’re proud of it.”
Despite all the hard work, the Sherrells love playing a role in putting food on people’s tables. “ ere’s always something new and we’re always learning,” Sarah says. “We’re always having to grow and adapt. It’s not an easy job, but there’s something really special about getting to grow food.”
Owning their own orchard was a long-held dream of the Sherrells, who grow seven varieties of pears on 100-plus acres.
Molly Allen is a food, beverage and travel writer who lives in Hood River.
Petar Marshall, both images
2885 Sherman Ave | Hood River, OR
|
OUR GORGE create
Chasing Joy in Watercolor and Oil
A SHOW AT THE DALLES ART CENTER BRINGS TOGETHER TWO CELEBRATED GORGE ARTISTS
GORGE ARTISTS MARY ROLLINS AND PEGGY OHLSON have been pursuing joy in their work, and providing it to art lovers, for decades. So it’s fitting that the artist duo will join together for a show that brings some of that joy under one roof for a few weeks.
The Dalles Art Center hosts an exhibition by the artists, aptly titled Pursuing Joy, from October 3 through November 7, with an opening reception on October 3 and an artist’s talk on October 10.
Rollins, who lives in The Dalles, and Ohlson, who lives in Underwood, Wash., have known each other for many years. Their mutual respect for one another’s work goes back at least to the early 1990s, and a friendship blossomed from that.
“I remember distinctly a piece Mary did of a deer, way back when the Columbia Center for the Arts was brand new,” Ohlson says during a round-table interview.
“You have a tendency to be very aware of the premier artists in your area,” Rollins replies. “It’s great fun because we use very different materials to work with, but I feel we both capture luminosity and color and all the things that make paints rock.”
Ohlson replies, “We have a mutual admiration society going here,” and they both laugh.
Admiration, mutual and otherwise, for these life-long artists is well-deserved. Rollins, who grew up on a farm in Minnesota, attributes her artistic path to her upbringing close to nature and animals. She has a vivid memory of being about five or six and picking up a leaf.
“I recall looking at it and just being amazed by the structure and the whirl design,” she says. “I just knew that this created world around me, I wanted to in some way reflect its beauty back.” She spent untold hours on the banks of their farm creek, and her connection with water continues to inform her work, with streams and riparian wildlife being frequent subjects of her paintings. Growing up, Rollins had a strong urge to draw and paint the animals on
their farm, too, and her interest in depicting animals continues.
“That’s why I kind of go back and forth between doing flowers and cows,” she says. “Some artists are known as the painter of mountains or whatever. I’m all over the map. My heart leads me if I get excited about something, and I’ll have rivers, birds, horses and cows.”
story by JANET COOK • photos by JANET COOK , JANE OHLSON & provided
Janet Cook
Rollins pursued a ne arts major at Southern Oregon University, but it wasn’t until after college that she discovered watercolor. “I took workshops and was highly frustrated for about 10 years,” she says. “It can be a squirrely medium.” But she loved the luminosity of watercolor and stuck with it. Her mastery of the medium has resulted in numerous awards over the years, including a Platinum Merit Award from the Watercolor Society of Oregon.
Earlier this year, a painting she entered in the International Watercolour Masters competition was one of 10 winners out of nearly 2,800 entries from 105 countries. Rollins and her husband traveled to Shropshire, England, in May where her painting was on exhibit
with the other winners. “I entered this competition because I love England, but I never imagined one of my paintings would be juried into the award circle and be part of this prestigious exhibition,” Rollins says. “I was gobsmacked when I received the news.”
Like Rollins, Ohlson had a love for artistic expression from an early age growing
Peggy Ohlson and Mary Rollins, opposite, team up for a show. Rollins, above, often depicts riparian wildlife and other animals in her watercolors, left and opposite bottom
Carolyn Crystal Melanie Thompson Will Richards
up in White Salmon. Her mother was a painter and Ohlson took up a brush early on. “I grew up looking out the window and just loving it and trying to express the beauty of this area,” she says. As an art student at the University of Washington, she explored a variety of mediums and studied in Vienna, Austria, as well as in Mexico.
“I tried everything,” she says, even focusing for a time on sculpture. She eventually landed on oil painting — which she has described as “sculpting with oils.” She’s been creating mostly landscape scenes in oil for many years. “I love the exibility of oil, where I can make a mistake and paint over it.”
Just as when she was a child, much of her work continues to celebrate the beauty of the Gorge. “Sometimes I throw in something from the coast, and I de nitely love eastern Oregon and Washington,” she says. “But it’s like being a kid in a candy store around here. e color and lighting, the seasons, the variation in the landscape — it’s so diverse. It’s such an inspiring place to live.”
Rollins agrees. “One of my favorite places to get inspiration is hiking along our streams,” she says. She particularly loves Herman Creek and Eagle Creek, but nds beauty and inspiration near water all around the Gorge.
Ohlson chimes in. “It’s hard to do water,” she says. “I think you and I are pretty good at water. We love our water.”
“It’s such a source of life and there are always things going on,” Rollins says. “When the light hits the water — that luminosity, it’s such a fun thing to bring to your art.” When you’re sitting near water, she adds, “it’s musical.”
“One of the nicest compliments someone can give me about a painting is, ‘I can hear the water running,’” she says.
Rollins and Ohlson are thrilled to team up for the upcoming show. ey’ve been included in the same shows at various galleries over the years, and even had a show together in 2016.
“We love working together,” Rollins says.
“It’s so nice to have someone to do it with, especially Mary,” Ohlson adds. ey both spent the summer months creating new works for the show, which will ll the main gallery at e Dalles Art Center.
“Between the two of us, I may have more smaller pieces, and Peggy will have some big home-run spectacles,” Rollins says.
Given the caliber of these artists, there are sure be home-run spectacles all around. To learn more, go to thedallesartcenter.org
Peggy Ohlson, above, paints oil landscapes of scenes in and around the Gorge, often on large canvases. A former sculptor, she has described oil painting as “sculpting with oils.”
Jane Ohlson
Schreiner Farms
EXPERIENCE A MINI SAFARI WITHOUT LEAVING THE GORGE
AS GORGE RESIDENTS AND VISITORS KNOW, THERE’S NO SHORTAGE of things to do around here. From wind, water and snow sports to world-class hiking and mountain biking, along with U-pick farms, museums and art galleries — there’s lots to do in every season.
What you may not know is that just east of Lyle, Wash., along Highway 14, lies one of the best-kept secrets in the Gorge — the Klickitat County “zoo” known as Schreiner Farms. The ranch consists of more than 12,000 acres, extending over The Dalles Mountain Range up to more than 3,000 feet in elevation, and into the area known as High Prairie.
Schreiner Farms raises up to eighteen species of exotic animals and offers free admission to the public. On any given day you will spy a myriad of the farm’s exotic creatures, including giraffes and a herd of zebras sharing a communal space, grazing together against the backdrop of Mount Hood. There are llamas and camels, yaks and buffalo, gazelles, antelope and elusive emus.
Expect the unexpected when you take a drive through Schreiner Farms, where you’re likely to see giraffes, buffalo and llamas among the exotic animals.
story & photos by JANA SHEPHERD
When visiting Schreiner Farms, please observe the following rules:
- As you drive through to view the animals, you must stay in your car
- Stay on the main road
- Adhere to the speed limit
- Yield to all farm traffic — quads, tractors and pick-up trucks
- Do not throw anything out of your vehicle or attempt to feed the animals
- No smoking
- Turn around at the giraffe barn
- The ranch is open to the public every day from 9 a.m. until dusk
To learn more, go to schreinerfarms.com
Jana Shepherd is a writer and recent transplant to the Gorge. She lives in Lyle.
The animals are not enclosed in pens, but roam freely in spacious, wide-open meadows and across grassy hillsides. The animals drink from fresh-water springs on the property and are cared for by local veterinarians with whom the ranch has had a working relationship for decades. Most of the animals are available for sale. In addition to the wild animals, Schreiner Farms is an operating cattle ranch, with four full-time employees who live and work on the ranch. Expect the duration of your visit to last only five to ten minutes, and the animals you see will vary depending on the time of day. If you live in the vicinity and can visit frequently, you will notice how different your experience is each time. From farther afield, it’s worth the drive for the breathtaking scenery alone. Bonus points for the opportunity to see these extraordinary animals at close range.
Zebras and camels can often be spotted, but the animals you see on any given day vary as they roam freely on large expanses of the 12,000-acre ranch.
story by JANET COOK • photos courtesy of HOOD RIVER DISTILLERS
A Spirited Rise to Master Distiller
CAITLIN BARTLEMAY BRINGS A PENCHANT FOR HARD WORK AND A FASCINATION WITH FERMENTATION TO HER ROLE AT HOOD RIVER DISTILLERS
THE ROAD FROM AN EASTERN OREGON WHEAT RANCH TO MASTER distiller at Hood River Distillers wasn’t exactly direct, but for Caitlin Bartlemay, the destination seemed preordained.
Bartlemay was recently named master distiller at HRD, which is marking its 90th anniversary as the Pacific Northwest’s largest and oldest distillery. She joins a small but growing cadre of women master distillers in the region and beyond. At 36, she’s one of the youngest. But for Bartlemay, it feels like a natural progression.
“If I zoom out, it’s like, ‘Holy crap, I’m a master distiller,’” she says, adding that the title not only means overseeing the “liquid assets” the distillery produces but carrying out a whole range of other work, from speaking engagements and educational seminars to bar trainings and consumer events. “It’s easy to get overwhelmed, but when it comes to the dayto-day, I just focus on our small brand and our small company.” That includes supporting her small distillery team which oversees operations when she’s not there.
Growing up on her family’s century wheat ranch outside Arlington was, in many ways, the perfect preparation for her career. It was hard work, and she had to do a bit of everything. She began riding on a tractor with her dad at age two, sitting on a five-gallon bucket next to him and occasionally napping as he worked the fields. When her legs were long
Caitlin Bartlemay with a selection of HRD’s single malt whiskey, right, and signature pear brandy, top.
enough to reach the pedals of a four-wheeler, she was deemed old enough to be sent out for field work. By the time she was 12, she was driving the combine.
“I started working with my dad at a super young age. Doing everything,” she says, summing up her childhood. Her parents both had full-time jobs away from the ranch, so Bartlemay and her sister were tasked with helping to keep the farm going. A work ethic borne of necessity carried through to her school days in Arlington, where she graduated from Arlington High in 2006 as valedictorian, president of the honor society, proprietor of two schoolrelated businesses, and sports announcer for the school’s home basketball games.
In order to shore up the ranch finances, Bartlemay’s dad had planted grapes and started a winery when she was in middle school. “He started fermenting things in the basement as dads are wont to do, so I was down there in the basement with stained hands,” she said. It was the beginning of a fascination with fermentation that carried her to the food science and technology program at Oregon State University, where she focused her studies in the general fermentation program.
“I took an intro to beer, wine and spirits class and was impressed by how little I knew about where spirits come from,” she recalls. She took it as a personal challenge, and the more she learned, the more she liked it. As
Caitlin Bartlemay and distiller Everett Rubin repair bourbon barrels before filling them. Barrels are used over and over, so regular maintenance is an ongoing task.
graduation loomed in the spring of 2010, Bartlemay sent her resume to every distillery in the Paci c Northwest — which, at the time, totaled 12. (Today, there are more than 200.)
One of them was Portland’s Clear Creek Distillery, founded in 1985 by Steve McCarthy whose family had owned orchards in the Hood River Valley for generations. After coming across pear brandy during a business trip to Europe, McCarthy set out to make his own pear brandy using fruit from his family’s pear orchard. He also pioneered American single malt whiskey and became known as one of the godfathers of American craft distilling.
“I kept calling Clear Creek, and they never told me to stop calling,” Bartlemay says. “I was respectful in my persistence,” she adds, but persistent she was. McCarthy hired her the day after she took her last nal. She started on the packaging line but took every opportunity to learn other parts of the business. Within a few months she was “spending time with the stills,” as she puts it, and she volunteered to work in the tasting room on Saturdays. She eventually became the distillery’s logistics coordinator, and then distiller and barrel room coordinator. Hood River Distillers bought Clear Creek Distillery in 2014, returning the storied HRD to its roots. Founded in 1934 by three
Photographs from the HRD archives show the company’s first vodka shipment in 1955, left, and longtime president and CEO Ron Dodge in 1984, four years after joining the business.
businessmen who began making fruit wine and brandies from apples and pears grown in the Hood River Valley, HRD eventually became solely a blending house, importer and distributor beginning during World War II when most alcohol went to the war e ort. With the purchase of Clear Creek, HRD became once again a distiller of fruit brandies.
Clear Creek remained in Portland until 2018 when HRD moved the distilling facility to Hood River, creating a full-circle moment. With the addition of several products to its distilling line, including Timberline Vodka made with spring-fed water from Mount Hood, Hood River Distillers now produces more than 20 di erent spirits in Hood River.
During HRD’s 90th anniversary, Bartlemay has been using her platform to promote not only the distillery’s products but its unique story. “One of the things that’s been a joy to talk about is that we have been this really awesome family-owned business here in the Gorge for 90 years,” she says. “And the portfolio is so vast at this point that a cocktail bar could put nothing but HRD products on the shelves and maybe only have to buy four or ve things to have a complete set.”
She likes spreading the gospel of HRD and Clear Creek, and the science of fermenting in general. But she always savors returning to the distillery, to the sounds of the boiler and the steam lines and, this time of year, the smell of fermenting fruit
Expressive wines with distinctive depth and character from the heart of the Columbia River Gorge. Visit one of our charming tasting rooms for an exceptional tasting experience of our award-winning wines.
Master Distiller Caitlin Bartlemay uses a whiskey thief to extract a small sample of aging apple brandy from a barrel to check its progress.
“I love the variety,” she says. “I like that it’s not coming in and making donuts every day. It’s always something a little bit di erent.” Over the course of a week in July, she helped crush 41,000 cherries followed by 500 pounds of marionberries. Meanwhile, the Timberline Vodka stills churned and Bartlemay was getting ready to go to New Orleans to lead a seminar on American single malts. (In preparation, she painted her nails to hide the cherry stains.)
She’s also come to enjoy the ebb and ow of the seasons, which
connect her and the distillery to the local growing community. “ e smell of the rst truckload of pears, the heat of the day in the middle of cherry season — those have a feeling and an aroma,” she says. In the early spring, Bartlemay and her crew head into designated areas of the Mt. Hood National Forest where they have a foraging permit to pick spring buds from Douglas r trees for Clear Creek’s Doug Fir Eau de Vie. at, too, brings with it a heady aroma that invokes a certain feeling.
“I love that connection to the seasons and the community, and that growers will text me when the schedule changes,” she says.
One of the distillery’s drivers, who recently retired, was always asking Bartlemay questions about her work. “It’s a little bit of a candy land of stu going on here, and he was always just curious, asking about what was going on and what was going to happen the next week,” she says. “One day after our usual conversation, he looked at me for a hard second and said, ‘You know, you have a weird job.’” Bartlemay laughs at the memory.
“I absolutely do have a weird job,” she says. “I love the people who I work with, I’m very proud to work with the brands that I do and to be a representative of HRD’s 90 years of being part of this community — not only of the Hood River community but the Paci c Northwest community. It’s awesome. And yeah, I have a weird job.”
It’s a weird job that feels perfectly normal to Caitlin Bartlemay. To learn more, go to hrdspirits.com
Caitlin Bartlemay and distillers Garrett Trotter-Ramos, left, and Everett Rubin, right, smell barrel samples while they work on the next blend of McCarthy’s Single Malt.
OF DINKS, DROP SHOTS
STORY BY DON CAMPBELL
PHOTOS BY MICHAEL PETERSON
Perhaps unwittingly, pickleball likely has pervaded your consciousness. Television’s E-Trade babies aside — “It’s basically tennis for babies,” says one during the ad’s Super Bowl airing, with the pithy retort from the other athletically clad toddler, “It should be called wiffle tennis” — the sport is seemingly everywhere these days.
Looking like some athletic amalgam of tennis, badminton and ping pong, with an object ball that is indeed full of perforations, pickleball is a compact game that requires quick strokes, deft feet and a killer instinct. That said, it has grown significantly over its nearly 60-year history from small-time, made-up backyard sport into a juggernaut of recreational and even pro-level national and international competition.
Its beginnings were appropriately Pacific Northwest-humble. Born out of boredom during a family vacation in Washington state, using a badminton net, some found ping pong paddles and the aforementioned wiffle ball, the sport is now played in nearly every U.S. state and many countries around the world. USA Pickleball, or USAP, its governing body in charge of organization, rules and equipment certification, offers its Places2Play website, which cites nearly 12,000 places to play, with over 50,000 known courts. Association membership numbers near 80,000 (a 15 percent increase over 2023) and “continues to be embraced across the nation at the recreational and competitive level and by players of all levels and backgrounds,” says USAP. “USA Pickleball membership supports what is needed for all players, at all levels, as pickleball continues to grow and evolve.”
Some 735 courts are available in Oregon, with the Gorge doing its share to foster the infectious sport. It appeals to anyone who can grab a pickleball racket. A regulation court is relatively small, the net is fairly low, and the rules are reasonably simple. Its culture is such that it is not only competitive, but hugely fun with a built-in sense of community. It encourages robust play while shunning overtly fierce, aggressive and arrogant on-court behavior.
AND KITCHEN RULES
PICKLEBALL TAKES ROOT IN THE GORGE
Cimeron Morrissey plays at Coe Park courts.
OF DINKS, DROP SHOTS AND KITCHEN RULES
WHERE’S THE PICKLE?
We take you back to 1965 Bainbridge Island, Wash., where three ingenious (or possibly desperate) dads worked up an athletic solution to their kids’ summertime boredom. Joel Pritchard, a Washington state congressman, and businessman Bill Bell found themselves and their young charges at Pritchard’s home with nothing to do. A little-used badminton court lay fallow. The dads rounded up what they could find of the used badminton equipment hoping to cobble together a game. Not finding a complete set of racquets (or likely birdies), they swapped them out for ping pong paddles and a wiffle ball.
Setting the net initially at five feet off the ground, more volleyball-style, they found as the
weekend, and the neo-sport, rolled on, that 36 inches afforded the ability to bounce the ball over the net as part of game play.
The following weekend, another dad, Barney McCallum, caught the pickleball bug, and the family-oriented sport, drafting off badminton rules, sparked a new pastime. By 1972, a corporation was formed and filed to protect the burgeoning “racket” of pickleball. Soon there were permanent courts, tournaments, media coverage, rules and a rulebook, and the formation of the United States Amateur Pickleball Association. By 1990, pickleball was being played across the entire U.S.
According to USAP, the first actual composite pickleball paddle was conjured by Arlen Paranto using, according to USAP’s historical timeline, “the fiberglass/nomex honeycomb panels that commercial airlines use for their floors and part of the airplane’s structural system.” He produced some 1,000 ball whackers from his design before selling his little venture to another Boeing compadre, engineer Frank Candelario.
Not surprisingly, a slew of other pickleball-related ventures was born to fulfill the needs of ever y athlete of any ilk with the best, brightest and most game-improving pickleball-specific gear — including paddles, balls, racquet cases and backpacks, nets, apparel and footwear (though any court-sport sneaker will do just fine).
Oh, and there is no pickle. A legend swirled around for years that the sport got its name from Pickles, Joel and Joan Pritchard’s family dog. Subsequent sleuthing determined that Pickles had yet to be
born when the game came into being.
e name is actually derived from the sport of competitive rowing and that sport’s regattas. After said regatta, according the USAP, “[L]ike many college sports, the non-starters would participate in a separate competition. Since at least 1938, the leftover ‘spares’ from multiple universities competed in a just-for-fun ‘pickle boat’ race.”
From the Pritchards’ son Frank’s memory, and with no small nod to the University of Washington’s crewing bestseller e Boys in the Boat, “To hear my mother tell it,” he says, “they sort of threw the leftover non-starter oarsmen into these particular pickle boats. She thought pickleball sort of threw bits of other games into the mix (tennis, badminton, table tennis) and decided that pickleball was an appropriate name.”
According to a story in Pickleball Magazine, rumor has it that it was Joel Pritchard who initiated and promulgated the more cute and memorable naming of the game after the family dog.
COURTING THE GORGE GAME
David Michalek arrives a few minutes late to the echoic Ted Webber Memorial Gym at Hood River’s May Street Elementary School. He do s his shoes and quickly grabs a gym-sized dust mop to bu the oor before setting up nets, with assistance from early arriving players. Michalek is the president of the Gorge Pickleball Association, whose numbers are well north of 200 (depending on who’s paid up with annual dues). He wrangles a regular Wednesday open play night for association members ages 16 and up.
David Michalek, president of the Gorge Pickleball Association, oversees an open play session at May Street Elementary School. The association creates opportunities for social play and competitive player improvement, and helps develop pickleball facilities.
OF DINKS, DROP SHOTS AND KITCHEN RULES
Within minutes, doubles play commences with ad hoc teams forming to fill the available courts. It’s a warm and convivial scene. “It’s a great community of people,” Michalek says. The Wednesday evening sessions are open to all levels. Though the rules seem esoteric at first, most players grasp them pretty quickly. “It’s super easy to play,” he adds. “But hard to get good.”
Though competitive, play is congenial. It’s all about the fun. No one takes it overly seriously. It’s a fast game, with each contest going to 11 (gotta win by 2), over in 12 to 15 minutes. Serves are bounced, followed by spirited play. “Dinks” — crafty drop shots meant to keep your opponents off balance — are just as effective as slamming overheads. Games are won or lost
Brent Ocheskey, left, and Shaju John play doubles at May Street School during a regular open play organized by the Gorge Pickleball Association.
near the net in an area called “the kitchen.”
The resonant “pock” of ball on paddle fills the gym across the three courts at May Street. Play shifts quickly as new teams take on a game’s victors. Friends introduced Michalek to the sport, which he’s been playing for six years. He was recruited into the local association, he says, “being retired and not afraid to join the board.” As the prior director’s term finished, he was elected.
The attraction for him is social. “It’s mostly meeting all the people,” he says. “It’s such a great community.” He and the association work hard to offer the opportunity to play in this facility, especially during the winter months. “It gives everybody a chance to get out, run around the court, and see all their friends and meet new ones. That’s what it’s all about. And everybody’s getting better at the sport.”
Michalek has taught lessons to beginners, he says, “and now they’re kicking my ass.” The sport is super easy to play,” he offers, “but there’s a lot of strategy associated with it. The better you get, the harder it is.”
Essentially, the game can be learned in a couple of hours of simple instruction and playing time. And luckily there are a number of opportunities to participate and learn. Hood River offers the association-hosted May Street Elementary (three indoor courts), the Hood River Athletic Club (two indoor courts), the recently finished and association-run Coe Park (two courts), and the Golden Eagle Park on Indian Creek Road (five outdoor courts) with various weekly offerings. In The Dalles, ballers can find action at The Dalles Athletic Club (six courts on three tennis courts), as well as the public courts at Sorosis Park.
STRICTLY PRIVATE
The sport’s popularity has naturally spread to include private, backyard pickleball courts (costs to install one vary, of course). Retired Mosier resident and former Chicago options and futures trader Mike Glass, an avid athlete and longtime coach, converted a small backyard multi-sport court after buying his property.
FIND JOY IN THE journey
OF DINKS, DROP SHOTS AND KITCHEN RULES
“We just started talking about pickleball,” Glass o ers. He and his family gave it a whirl. “And we just got addicted. We’re full-on junkies!”
e avid kiteboarder and nationally ranked hockey player (among his other sports that include skiing, ultimate frisbee and disc golf) has never stopped playing and competing in sports. at said, age can take its toll. For those in the older brackets, the sport can cause injury. It does require a bit of awareness and exibility
about how to move on a court, but the smaller court footprint — as compared to tennis — helps. Glass loves the compact size of the court, good for advancing age he says, but, “What I really like is the combination of power and nesse.”
It’s not just about smashing the ball. “It’s all about those tiny shots that they can’t attack,” he says. “ e dinking. And then knowing when to have that power game, too. It’s a bit of a chess match. It’s very technical. You keep your brain engaged and select the right shot. And it’s really accessible for people of any tness level and any age. at’s what makes it great.”
Glass, whose entire family indulges in the sport, has exposed a number of friends and acquaintances to it, has lights on his court to encourage what he calls “dink and drink” events, and he frequents the various courts from e Dalles to Hood River.
For anyone who wants to remain active in a forgiving sport, pickleball is a superb option. Glass’s motto is “go outside and play anything!” and he heartily endorses this particular court pursuit. In the Gorge, there are a ton of options — and a strong and welcoming community — within which to get involved.
Who’s got next?
Campbell is a writer and musician. He hides out at a secret fortress on a hilltop in Mosier and is a frequent contributor to The Gorge Magazine
Don
Isis Stenn, Luke Rinella, Jo Stenn and Finn Co in at Hood River’s Coe Park courts.
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story by BEN MITCHELL • photos provided
The Gorge Impact Film Festival Turns Two
A FILM FEST WITH A PURPOSE LOOKS TO EXPAND ITS REACH AND ITS MESSAGE
“HOW INDEED DOES HUMANITY go forward with joy, hope and optimism on a changed planet?”
That’s the central question behind the Gorge Impact Film Festival (GIFF), a now annual gathering of filmmakers and audiences from both the local Gorge community and around the world, who come together in Hood River to showcase and celebrate thought-provoking films (primarily documentaries) with an emphasis on stories both featuring and created by diverse communities and underrepresented voices.
After its inaugural event in 2023 proved to be a huge success, selling out in advance of opening day, the 2024 GIFF has expanded to a two-day event with multiple screens and venues, which will be held November 9 and 10 in Hood River at The Ruins and at Columbia Center for the Arts (CCA).
GIFF is the brainchild of cofounders Alan Hickenbottom, Sean O’Connor and Leith Gaines, who got together in 2022 over coffee after they learned that each of them had pondered the idea of creating a film festival in the Gorge. Films, art and community organizations had already been a significant part of their lives in different ways. Hickenbottom, the festival’s business director, has been involved with nonprofit, environmental, and arts organizations for many years, including the Young Peoples Theater Project and Slab Creek Music Festival. O’Connor, who is GIFF’s creative director, is an Emmy award-winning visual storyteller, as well as a photographer and media educator whose work has been featured in numerous high-profile outlets. Gaines, GIFF’s program director, has been an arts administrator and events producer for 25 years, with significant experience in the Gorge,
ALAN HICKENBOTTOM SEAN O'CONNOR LEITH GAINES
having previously served as the executive director of the CCA and the director of Arts in Education of the Gorge.
“We wanted to create a space for positive, uplifting visual storytelling that exists right alongside the hardships and struggles we see every day on TV, in the news and on social media,” Gaines says. “ e lms provide real stories, no matter how small or big the impact, that give us hope for the capacity of humans to love, protect and act for the greater good.”
Having gone on the festival circuit himself, O’Connor says he found himself in places like Telluride, Ban , and Nevada City — towns that, in some ways, reminded him of Hood River — and
wondered why if these small, vibrant communities could hold world-class lm festivals, why not Hood River?
Gaines agreed, noting that Hood River’s continued growth as a tourist destination, as well as strong community support of local art and cultural entities like Sense of Place, Columbia Gorge Orchestra Association and others, showed that it was also “a prime setting to build up a world-class lm festival.”
THECOLUMBIARIVER:WALLULATOTHESEA
This year’s event spans two days at two venues. Last year’s films included Stories from the Canoe by an Indigenous film production company, and a documentary on Gorgebased Twin Oaks trail construction company.
Story Gorge
Woodrow Hunt/Thule Films Stories from the Canoe
Twin Oaks
After their co ee meeting in 2022, the three got to work, utilizing their diverse backgrounds and connections to begin creating what would become GIFF, which o cially formed in fall of 2022. O’Connor says they “had no idea what we were doing,” but were passionate about their idea and determined to make it work. It soon became clear others were as well.
“We called on our community — that powerful network of support — and magic happened,” O’Connor recalls. “Before we knew it, we had full funding, over 100 global submissions, generous com-
munity partners, substantial cash prizes for artists, and visiting lmmakers experiencing our town during the quiet shoulder season.” ose submissions were whittled down to the roughly two-dozen lms that appeared in the 2023 event, many of which showcased indigenous, Black and queer stories and voices. O’Connor says GIFF seeks to amplify voices “that have long been mu ed by mainstream narratives,” and notes that “the lmmaking industry is brimming with diverse talent.”
“ e most authentic, compelling stories are told by those who
Last year, the Gorge Impact Film Festival drew a sold-out crowd to view about two dozen films which were selected from more than 100 global submissions
Duncan Berry/ Whit Hassett film
Paddle Tribal Waters
I Am Salmon
: River Roots/Rios To Rivers
inherently and intimately know their subjects. Who better to narrate these narratives than lmmakers born into these communities?” he asks. “By prominently featuring traditionally underrepresented voices, GIFF isn’t just ticking a diversity box. It’s enriching the festival, the audience, and the broader conversation with perspectives that are as varied as they are vital.”
Despite it being an inaugural event, the 2023 GIFF sold out all 200 of its tickets ve days before opening day at e Ruins, and thanks to the support of its sponsors, GIFF was able to award $4,000 in cash prizes to lmmakers. e response gave Hickenbottom, Gaines and O’Connor the con dence to not only continue with the festival, but to grow it. In addition to expanding the number of days, screens and venues, GIFF is increasing its e orts to support and encourage the next generation of lmmakers. GIFF is partnering with CCA to present a series of youth-made lms during the rst day of the festival, and the two organizations are also partnering with AIEG to provide a stop-motion animation workshop for all ages, also occurring on November 9. Even as they prepare for this year’s event, the festival founders are already looking ahead to 2025. Gaines says they have plans to present lm programming next year via satellite events, as well as draw bigger names in lmmaking while still promoting and
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Inseparable: Myia
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supporting lmmakers and continuing to deliver an “optimistic, captivating, educational, eye-opening and heartwarming” festival.
O’Connor says that they’ve already expanded by co-hosting the Vancouver International Mountain Film Festival World Tour for winter screenings, and that their long-term goal is to “cultivate a multi-day, multi-venue event that becomes a magnet for both lmmakers and festivalgoers.”
But what’s most important is ensuring the lm fest, as its name suggests, has an impact on its viewers. O’Connor, who has been a documentary photographer and lmmaker for 23 years, says he’s seen rsthand the power of human-centered stories.
“When a storyteller successfully transports viewers into another’s
Like a River
world, weaving image and narrative seamlessly on screen, audiences become so deeply entangled in the story that they’re led to understand struggles, obstacles and triumphs re ecting their own lives,” he says.
And as for the question posed by GIFF… how do we go forward with joy, hope and optimism on a changed planet?
“ is is a big ask,” Gaines says, “but what choice do we have as humans but to believe that we are all part of something bigger than ourselves that is worth protecting and nurturing?”
To learn more, go to gorgefilm.org.
Ben Mitchell is a writer/filmmaker who lives in Hood River. He’s a frequent contributor to The Gorge Magazine.
Peter Byck/@carboncowboys
The festival showcases films with an emphasis on optimism.
Jim Aikman/Bedrock Filmworks
FROM 2023 FESTIVAL FILMS
Kumari: A Father’s Dream
People, Lamprey and Cultural Ecology
Black Ice
With the Tide
Between Earth and Sky
Janwaar
Technicolor
FROM 2023 FESTIVAL FILMS
Kumari: A Father’s Dream
People, Lamprey and Cultural Ecology
Black Ice
With the Tide
Janwaar
Magic Mushrooms as Medicine
HEIDI VENTURE SPENT YEARS in the nonpro t world, including in multiple roles at e Next Door Inc., the largest social services agency in the Gorge, where she served as the agency’s rst development director. She later worked as a consultant to small nonpro ts in the Gorge, helping with fundraising and strategic planning for organizations ranging from Wasco County’s North Central Public Health to Helping Hands Against Violence. Testimonials on her website attest to her ability to think creatively, engage all voices and nd solutions to di cult problems.
But behind all the commendations, through all the day-to-day work she did to support the vital functions of local nonpro ts, Venture su ered from depression. “I’d been on antidepressants for decades,” Venture said. She made it a priority to exercise every day, had been in and out of talk therapy, tried light therapy and even had a “brain stimulation” device to send small pulses of electricity to her brain, an at-home version of shock therapy.
“Every morning, I would get up and think, what do I need to do today about my depression?” she said. “Job one was to get that under control for the day so I could be a productive person. I was doing okay. I was a productive person. But I still had that weight. e depression was always there.”
In recent years, as psychedelic drugs such as psilocybin (the psychoactive compound in “magic” mushrooms), ketamine and MDMA showed promise as therapies for depression,
story by JANET COOK • photos by JANET COOK & courtesy of VITAL RESET
Courtesy of VR, this page
post-traumatic stress disorder and other mental health conditions, Venture applied numerous times to be part of clinical studies but was never chosen. “ ey get hundreds of people applying and they have maybe 20 people in a study,” she said.
Searching for relief from her depression, she tried doing psychedelics on her own, both psilocybin and ketamine, but didn’t have a positive experience with either one — in part, she believes, because she didn’t have a trained guide or facilitator with her. “It’s really rough to try to do this stu on your own,” she said. “Some people can manage it but I’m not good at it.” Still, she maintained an interest in psychedelic therapy, and closely followed news of Oregon Ballot Measure 109 in the months leading up to its passage in the November 2020 election. Known as the Oregon Psilocybin Services Act, the measure would make Oregon the rst state in the country to legalize supervised use of the drug.
Amid all this, Venture met John Nelson on a dating app. She opened up immediately about her interest in psychedelic therapy as a potential treatment for her lifelong depression. On their rst date — to a movie sponsored by the Portland Psychedelic Society — they signed a petition in support of Measure 109. A few months
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into their relationship, Venture asked Nelson to sit with her as she took a large dose of psilocybin. is time, it was di erent.
“I was better after that,” said Venture. She felt relief from the weight of her lifelong depression for the rst time. According to the National Institutes of Health, psilocybin works by “encouraging the growth of new connections between neurons in the brain” — known as plasticity. Psilocybin has shown promise in combating a range of conditions including depression, anxiety, PTSD and substance abuse. It’s been classi ed as a “breakthrough medicine” by
Skyline
innova�ve space gives our talented staff a facility equaling their exper�se and commitment.
And more importantly, our friends and neighbors are able to obtain life-saving care in a state-of-the-art facility designed especially for them.
are able to obtain life-saving care in a
facility designed especially for them.
facility designed especially for them.
Skyline Health
Janet Cook
Jim Yue, operations manager, and co-founders Heidi Venture and John Nelson at Vital Reset, right. Mushrooms come from an Oregon Health Authority-regulated producer, opposite.
the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, a process which fast-tracks the development and review of promising drugs.
Although the study of psilocybin and other psychedelics for treating mental health conditions has recently made a comeback, there was a robust period of research and even use of psychedelics as a tool in psychotherapy during the 1950s and ‘60s after LSD was discovered to be e ective in treating addiction. With President Nixon’s war on drugs and passage of the Controlled Substances Act in 1970, all government-funded research was shut down and, according to Stephen Ross, professor of psychiatry and associate director of the Center for Psychedelic Medicine at NYU, its very existence was “buried in the history books.”
Oregon voters approved Measure 109 by a signi cant margin in 2020, opening the door for supervised legal use at licensed facilities where certi ed facilitators support clients through preparation, administration and integration sessions. Venture knew immediately that she wanted to be a facilitator, to help others nd relief as she had. She applied to attend Synaptic Institute in Portland to become trained as a facilitator, with the goal of working at a local psilocybin service center that she assumed would open in the Hood River area.
When a meeting of the Hood River County Commission was held to discuss local parameters of the new law, Venture and Nelson attended. “We thought, this is it, this is our chance to meet the people who are going to start a service center in Hood River where I can be a facilitator,” Venture recalled. “ e whole tribe will be there.” Instead, nobody else was there. “It was John and me and the commissioners.”
As they left the meeting, they looked at each other. “We both knew that we were going to have to start one ourselves,” Venture said. And so, they set out to jump through the many hoops required to open a licensed psylocybin service center.
e Oregon Psilocybin Services Act is administered by the Oregon Health Authority, which requires and oversees the four entities that must be licensed with the state: manufacturers of psilocybin products; labs that test the products; facilitators; and service centers where psilocybin products are sold to and consumed by clients in a supported setting.
“It’s the rst time a legal, regulated psilocybin business has existed in the world,” Venture said. “ ere are legal psilocybin businesses in other countries, but they are not regulated the way we are. e mushrooms might be tested, or they might not. People in the business might undergo a criminal background check, or they might not. But here, the Oregon Health Authority, all they care about is safety. ey are laser focused on it. ey’ve made it the safest system possible in the world.”
Venture and Nelson searched for months for a space for their service center that met the necessary requirements, including being located in a commercial zone and away from schools, along with multiple parameters related to the building’s owner. Eventually they landed on a commercial building on Wasco Street and renovated the space to t their needs.
Courtesy of VR
somewhat predictable rhythm, with about 15-20 clients a month doing a psilocybin session, or “journey,” at Vital Reset with one of its 15 licensed facilitators. Some facilitators have areas of specialty, like addiction or depression, but they all have experience with clients seeking psilocybin therapy for a wide range of reasons.
Vital Reset opened in July 2023, the fourth licensed psilocybin service center in the state — and the nation. ey had 1,000 people on a waiting list, according to Venture, with 20 to 30 people calling to express interest every day from all over the country as well as internationally.
“ e rst six months were pretty crazy,” Venture said. ings have settled down to a
e sta at Vital Reset helps match each client with a facilitator, who then works with the client to prepare for their psychedelic journey at Vital Reset. When they come in for their journey, clients are given a psilocybin dose that comes from an OHA-regulated producer, and which has been tested at an OHA-regulated lab. After their journey, clients work with the facilitator over days and potentially weeks to integrate their experience, with the goal of using it to create positive change in their lives.
According to Venture, Vital Reset has worked with many clients seeking treatment for a range of conditions, from depression to cluster headaches. One client from out of
Heidi Venture and John Nelson, co-founders of Vital Reset, discuss psilocybin dosages, which are mixed with tea for clients, left.At right, one of three rooms at the center that clients can choose for their session with their facilitator.
Janet Cook, both images
state sought treatment for severe PTSD. After ve sessions at Vital Reset, he wrote to thank them for saving his life.
Along with her role as co-founder of Vital Reset and her work as a facilitator, Venture has been involved in the implementation of the Oregon Psilocybin Services Act, rst as a member of a rules advisory committee in the early days after the measure became law, and more recently forming an industry-wide collaborative group to work on rules for service center operators. “So, I’m still doing the work I did as a nonpro t consultant, trying to get people to get together and do things more e ciently,” she said.
In August, Venture was invited to speak at the Petrie-Flom Center for Health Law Policy at Harvard Law School as part of a three-day training on legal, policy and ethical issues surrounding psychedelics in medicine and society. “It was an amazing group of people, all working to make psychedelic therapy as safe and accessible as possible,” she said.
Venture, Nelson and their operations manager Jim Yue are working to increase awareness of Vital Reset in the local area. “When you have people from all over the country and all over the world wanting to come here and experience this, it’s easy to lose sight of the people who are in your community,” Yue said. ey’ve recently been focusing on outreach with the local wellness community and hosted an open house in August which saw a robust turnout.
For Venture, starting a whole new career in her sixties wasn’t exactly what she had planned. But she feels like it’s a privilege to do the work she’s doing and knows rsthand the impact it can have.
“John and I get tired,” she said. “We’re retirement age and ‘tire’ is the middle word of ‘retirement.’ But when we have someone come here and get their life back, that’s very motivating for us.”
To learn more, go to vitalreset.com.
Janet Cook
Naturopathic Medicine & Primary Care • Medical Weight
• Metabolism Disorders
Thyroid Conditions • Menopause & Women's Health • Men's Health & Testosterone Replacement
Chronic Gastrointestinal Disorders • Vitamin IV Therapies & Injections
Acupuncture, Cupping & Chinese Medicine • Naturopathic Pediatrics
RADICCHIO & ENDIVE SALAD with Apples and Fried Chicken
Ingredients
SALAD
• 1 head radicchio
• 2 endives
• 1 sweet apple, thinly sliced
• 4 slices bacon
• 1/2 cup crème fraîche
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp. water
• 1/2 cup halved pecans
• 1/2 cup Italian Parsley
• flake salt
DRESSING
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup champagne vinegar
• 2 Tbsp. finely minced chives
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• kosher salt
• fresh black pepper
FRIED CHICKEN
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• 4 cups vegetable or canola oil
• 1 tsp. smoked paprika
• 1 tsp. dried oregano
• 1 tsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp. fresh black pepper
• 2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 egg
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 Tbsp. corn starch
• 1/2 tsp. baking powder
THIS SALAD IS HEARTY AND PLAYFUL. THE BITTER BASE IS CUT WITH THE SWEETNESS OF THE APPLES AND CANDIED PECANS, THE RICHNESS OF THE CRÈME FRAÎCHE, AND THE SAVORY BACON AND FRIED CHICKEN. (YOU COULD EASILY USE STORE-BOUGHT FRIED CHICKEN FOR THIS RECIPE.) THE DRESSING IS TART AND BRIGHT AND MAKES THIS THE PERFECT SALAD FOR EARLY AUTUMN.
Directi s
Fried Chicken: Ideally the day before, mix together the spices for the fried chicken and rub all over the chicken thighs. Seal in a container in the refrigerator and let sit overnight or for at least a few hours. Heat the oil in a heavy skillet to 375ºF. Add the buttermilk to a medium bowl and whisk in the egg. Whisk the our, corn starch and baking powder together in a shallow dish. Dredge the chicken in the buttermilk mix, then the our mix, the buttermilk mix again, then the our mix. Shake o excess and gently lower into the hot oil. Repeat with remaining chicken. Cook until deeply golden on both sides with an internal temperature of 175ºF. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
Pecans: In a medium non-stick skillet, heat the brown sugar in the water until dissolved. Add the pecans and toss to coat. Transfer to a plate lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with ake salt and allow to cool. Use the same pan to fry up the bacon before setting it aside on a paper towel-lined plate to cool.
Dressing: Whisk together all the oil, mustard, chives and vinegar until combined. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
To assemble the salad, tear the radicchio and spread it on a platter. Peel apart the endives and nestle into the radicchio. Crumble on the bacon, add the apple slices, pull the chicken into pieces and add it. Add dollops of crème fraîche, a sprinkle of parsley and the pecans. Drizzle with the dressing to taste and enjoy.
Recipe and photos by KACIE MCMACKIN
Kacie McMackin is an avid cook, writer, and owner of Kings & Daughters Brewery. She’s a frequent contributor to The Gorge Magazine.
BACKWOODS BREWING COMPANY
509-427-3412
• backwoodsbrewingcompany.com 1162 Wind River Hwy • Carson
Backwoods Brewing is family owned and located in Carson, WA. Established in 2012, we o er delicious beers, hand-made pizzas, outdoor seating, and welcome all ages. Now featuring brunch on the weekends!
Open daily: 11:30am-9pm
BRIDGESIDE
541-374-8477 • bridgesidedining.com
Exit 44 off I-84, Cascade Locks
Stunning views next to the Bridge of the Gods – Bridgeside serves tasty char-broiled burgers plus an extensive menu of breakfast items, sandwiches, chowders, baskets, salads & desserts. Dine-in or takeout. Serving breakfast and lunch with friendly service.
Gift shop • Special event room & terrace
CELILO RESTAURANT & BAR
541-386-5710 • celilorestaurant.com
16 Oak Street • Downtown Hood River
Celebrating over 19 years, Celilo began with a desire to honor the bounty of the Northwest. 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. Open Tuesday-Saturday from 5pm
Dakota and Greg Wilkins serve the Gorge bringing the bar to you with 6 beverage taps on a classic GMC pickup. They are ready to serve your favorite baverage at your event!
Reserving now for 2025
BRODER ØST
541-436-3444 • brodereast.com
102 Oak St. Suite 100 • Hood River
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!
We look forward to serving you!
#broderost
DOPPIO COFFEE
541-386-3000 • doppiohoodriver.com 310 Oak Street • Downtown Hood River
Relax on our beautiful patio in the heart of Hood River. Enjoy a hand crafted, in-house roasted espresso drink. Serving breakfast and lunch all day: panini sandwiches, fresh salads, smoothies and fresh baked pastries and goodies. Gluten free options available. Free Wi-Fi and our patio is dog friendly. Our tables are spaced apart and disinfected after each guest.
BISTRO 1907
541-467-2277 • balchhotel.com/dine 40 Heimrich Street • Dufur, OR
Join us for casually elegant, indoor/outdoor destination dining. Features local beer and wine, seasonal fare, mountain views, and the magic and charm of the historic Balch Hotel. Found 15 scenic minutes from The Dalles, where the Gorge meets the High Desert.
First-time guests, mention you discovered us in The Gorge Magazine, and enjoy a drink on us!
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 3-6pm, Mon-Fri. Full service bar, take-out menu, gift certificates and catering services. Open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week.
EL PUERTO DE ANGELES III
541-308-0005
1306 12th Street • Hood River, on the Heights
We are open and happy to serve you. Authentic Jalisco Cuisine. We provide a safe dining experience. Enjoy good food and good times. Offering daily lunch and dinner specials, served all day. Happy Hour Mon-Fri. Outdoor dining available (weather permitting).
Open Daily 10am-9pm Dine-In or Takeout
EVERYBODY’S BREWING
509.637.2774 • everybodysbrewing.com
177 E. Jewett Boulevard • White Salmon
Beer for all! With award winning, innovative beers and a diverse food menu, a welcoming atmosphere and a beautiful view of the Columbia River Gorge, you’ll quickly discover why Everybody’s is a Gorge favorite.
Visit Website for Updated Hours | Indoor/Outdoor Dining and Takeout (Order Online or Call)
THE LITTLE SEVEN SEVEN RANCH HIGHLAND BEEF
509-767-7130 • L77Ranch.com
Grass-Fed Highland Beef from our ranch to your home. Known for flavor and tenderness, Highland Beef is higher in protein and iron than conventional beef, lower in fat and cholesterol. The L77 Ranch Shop is tucked into the woods of Lyle, WA. The impressive Highland Cattle can be viewed as you travel through the ranch. Email for a Local Price List. By appointment only.
SUSHI OKALANI
541-386-7423 • sushiokalani@gorge.net
109 First Street • Downtown Hood River
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 Mon-Sat at 5pm, closing hours change seasonally.
GRACE SU’S CHINA GORGE RESTAURANT & TIGER LOUNGE
541-386-5331 • chinagorge.com
2680 Old Columbia River Drive • Hood River
Voted Best Chinese Restaurant in the Gorge! Proudly serving Hood River and the Columbia Gorge since 1978. Join us for authentic Hunan and Szechuan flavors, Columbia River views, happy hour in the Tiger Lounge 3-6pm, and always friendly service.
Open Tue-Sun for takeout & dine-in service, closed Mon.
PFRIEM FAMILY BREWERS
541-321-0490 • pfriembeer.com
707 Portway Avenue, Suite 101 • Hood River Waterfront pFriem artisanal beers are symphonies of flavor and balance, influenced by the great brewers of Europe, 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.
Open Daily | 11:30am-9pm
THUNDER ISLAND BREWING CO.
971-231-4599 • thunderislandbrewing.com
601 NW Wa Na Pa Street • Cascade Locks
A popular brewery and taproom situated in the scenic Columbia River Gorge. Known for its award-winning craft beer and delicious food offerings, which visitors can enjoy while taking in the breathtaking views of the river and mountains. Well-behaved dogs are welcome on the patio. A unique experience for beer lovers and nature enthusiasts. Please visit website for current hours.
GROUND ESPRESSO BAR & CAFE
541-386-4442 • groundhoodriver.com 12 Oak Street • Downtown Hood River
Get your daily fuel for your Gorge sports and activities here! A long time locals favorite coffee house and eatery, Ground features fresh in-house roasted coffee, house made pastries and cookies with lots of gluten free options. We make our soups from scratch every day and source mostly local and organic ingredients. Nitro cold brew on tap.
RIVERSIDE
RESTAURANT & BAR
541-386-4410 • riversidehoodriver.com
Exit 64 off I-84 • Waterfront Hood River
Welcome to Riverside, where you’ll find the best food, drinks and views in the Gorge. Dine indoors or outdoors on the waterfront with fresh menus changing seasonally, a wine list with the area’s best selections, and 14 taps with all your favorite local breweries. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner with the freshest ingredients grown and harvested by thoughtful, intentional local growers.
YOUR PARTAKE LISTING HERE
Contact Jody Thompson for more information: 425-308-9582 • jthompson@thegorgemagazine.com 541-399-6333 • thegorgemagazine.com
The Gorge is a mecca for great food and drink: restaurants, cafés, wineries, breweries, food carts & more. Help visitors and locals decide where to dine and drink. They’ll see your ad in print and in the online digital edition of the magazine…for one affordable price! RESERVE A PARTAKE LISTING SPACE TODAY
Artist Chrisine Knowles created Hood River in pastel following the method of “process painting” she’s come to love. “You get in the mood, set yourself up, turn on some music and put some marks on the paper,” she said. “Then it’s an interaction, a dance between you and the surface you’re working on.” Every time you add something, you look at it and it suggests what to do next. “It evolves,” she explained. “You don’t know what you’ll end up with. It’s not reacting to what you see, it’s more reacting to what you’ve done and what you feel.” She began by thinking about “abstractions with strong color and shapes, but still evoking a sense of place,” she said. As she worked, she added small marks in di erent colors that suggest the town. “The mountain was an afterthought,” she said. “I thought, maybe there’s a mountain up there. Maybe I’ll suggest it.”
theartist
CHRISTINE KNOWLES always loved art and creative pursuits. After retiring from a career in economics and land use in Seattle, she and her husband moved to Hood River in 1997 — where they’d been coming regularly to windsurf since the 1980s — and she gave herself permission to paint seriously. She’s worked in a variety of mediums, including oil and watercolor, but has found her niche in pastel. “It’s so joyful to have a box of colors, and reach in and grab them and apply,” she said. “They blend easily and they’re vibrant. There’s a real immediacy to them.” She’s a founding member of 301 Gallery in Hood River, a regular participant in the Gorge Artists Open Studios Tour and a signature member of the NorthWest Pastel Society. christineknowles.com
Ye Olde Paradigm
In a world dominated by disposable products and planned obsolescence, which often forces consumers back to dealerships, there’s a crucial need for leadership to reset consumer expectations. At the Vanlife Collective, we prioritize robust simplicity and comprehendible systems that empower users to make repairs off-grid.
courtesy of Meg Layman meglaymanphotography.com e vents
Vanlife Campout Oct 25-26
Bike Shuttles and Late Night Mountain Fun Mt Hood Wilderness. Scan QR for details
Free Diagnostic Day Oct 1 @ 11AM
Electrical Workshop Nov 2 @ 9AM
Vanlife Shop, Scan QR for details
Photo
Home sweet home.
Cyndee is a NW native and has called Hood River home for over 20 years. Licensed in OR & WA, Cyndee is a top producer in The Gorge.
THINKING OF LISTING? READY TO BUY?
Cyndee can help you achieve your Real Estate goals –ask her clients! HHHHH
“Cyndee was a WONDERFUL agent. She’s very knowledgeable, relatable, reliable, communicative and was supportive throughout the entire process. We had quite an up and down road to purchasing our house and Cyndee helped us get through with grace and ease. I would highly recommend working with her without any hesitation.” – Sammy R.
