The Gorge Magazine - Spring 2023

LIVING AND EXPLORING IN THE COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE

Tenzen Springs & Cabins

A getaway made to soothe body and soul

Gorge Art

Forty artists open their studios during annual spring tour

Working Hands

Beer, cider and a neighborhood hangout

Client Focused. Community Inspired. Since 2001.

Bill Irving principalbroker, or/wa 503-816-9251 bill@copperwest.com

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Dennis Morgan principalbroker, or/wa 541-980-3669 dennis@copperwest.com

Elizabeth Turner genmgr/broker, or/wa 541-490-6552 elizabeth@copperwest.com

Cody Cornett broker, or/wa 219-916-0451 cody@copperwest.com

Sean Aiken principalbroker, or/wa 541-490-8277 seanaiken@copperwest.com

541-490-1044 paul@copperwest.com

Elise Byers broker, or/wa 541-490-3769 elise@copperwest.com

Erin V Pollard broker, or/wa 541-705-7798 erin@copperwest.com

By Janet Cook

By Janet Cook

By Cate Hotchkiss

Courtesy of Tenzen Springs & Cabins

David Hanson

Michael Peterson

Courtesy of CASS Greg Galliano

Carol@DonNunamaker.com

RealEstateinTheGorge.com HoodRiverProperties.com

HOOD RIVER $1,500,000: Mt. Hood, Mt. Adams, East Hills views from this 2 acre Eastside parcel. Beautiful custom home features three levels: lower level has separate entry to a 1 BR, 1 BA, 969 spft ADU; upper level is a full primary ensuite w/loft landing; main level has an additional primary suite w/private balcony. 1 BR, half bath, kitchen w/stainless steel appliances & granite countertops, dining area, and great room w/ vaulted ceiling, Cathedral windows & rock fireplace. View of Mt. Hood prominent in all south facing windows.

Exterior: RV pad w/dump. RMLS 23493036

HOOD RIVER $885,000: Need lots of space? Here it is: 6 bedrooms, 2.5 baths, 2200 sqft on corner lot in a great neighborhood w/easy access to whatever you need in Hood River. Originally built to be an elder care home is now a very large residence. Attached garage has been used for activity area. Features include a separate business o ice, heated tile floors in both bathrooms, all bedrooms are ethernet wired, nonbarrier transitions, fully fenced backyard w/gazebo & water feature, heated driveway & front entry walk. RMLS 23101399

I’ve lived in the Gorge long enough to remember Chef Kathy Watson’s rst restaurant, Viento, in Bingen. In those days, there were fewer choices when it came to dining out and we trekked across the bridge fairly often to enjoy the great food and cozy atmosphere. Later, when Watson opened Nora’s Table in downtown Hood River, we got to witness — and taste — her evolving creativity as a chef and loved that it was so close to home. When the restaurant closed in 2013, we felt the loss — as did so many others.

Luckily, as you’ll learn by reading David Hanson’s story (page 10), Watson is still doing what she loves — cooking good food for people with her Chef’s Collective, which is going strong as it enters its seventh year. e ticketed dinner series is held at the Ruby June Inn in Husum, where Watson collaborates with other talented chefs to create multi-course meals served around community tables. e dinners sell out fast and usually have a waiting list. Anyone who’s been lucky enough to enjoy a plate of food made by Watson understands why. Along with her culinary endeavors, she’s written a forthcoming memoir about her childhood with a troubled mother, and how nding her way in the kitchen saved her. I look forward to reading it.

Watson’s creative cuisine ts nicely in this edition as it’s our annual Arts Issue, which coincides with the Gorge Artists Open Studios Tour in April. A few of the participating artists gave us early access to their studios for a preview of this beloved springtime event (page 40). e impressive work by these artists is just a small sampling of what’s to come in the tour, which features forty artists from around the Gorge this year. e self-guided tour is free, with maps available at retailers and visitor’s centers throughout the Gorge, and online.

ere’s lots more to enjoy in this issue, including a story about Tenzen Springs & Cabins near Stevenson (hello cover photo, I’ll be right there); a piece on Working Hands Fermentation and its lively neighborhood taproom; and a pro le of Hood River cyclist Melanie Strong and her remarkable recovery from a bike accident.

And because the theme of this issue is art, I’ve included a picture of myself in my home o ce where I often work. e wall behind me is covered with art created by my two kids, and I treasure it. May you discover lots of art, in many forms, and plenty of other things to treasure this season as spring blooms in the Gorge. Cheers!

— Janet Cook, Editor

About the Cover

HOOD RIVER $690,000: Solid ranch style home in well established neighborhood just minutes from town. Lovely mature landscaping both in front & back yards. Interior: vaulted LR, beautiful polished hardwood floor in open DR/Kitchen w/SS appliances, primary BR/ BA, two guest BRs, guest BA, and laundry closet AND thru French doors is a tiled, beamed, very sunny Sunroom. Exterior: step out into the patio/backyard w/lush garden, trees & lawn. Perfect spot to relax and get away. RMLS 22575476

Our beautiful cover photo shows one of six individual cabins at Tenzen Springs & Cabins near Stevenson, Wash. The cabins, which are available to rent, sit on 100 acres above the Wind River. Each one has a geothermal soaking tub, continually replenished by hot spring water pumped from an underground aquifer beneath the Wind River. The simple but luxurious modern cabins are fully self-contained and designed to inspire rest and relaxation. tenzensprings.com

541-490-5099

Oregon & Washington Broker

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.

SPRING 2023

EDITOR

Janet Cook

CREATIVE DIRECTOR & GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Renata Kosina

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR

Jody Thompson

ADVERTISING SALES

Kim Horton

Rachel Harrison

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS

Molly Allen, Ruth Berkowitz, Don Campbell, David Hanson, Cate Hotchkiss, Kacie McMackin

COVER PHOTOGRAPHER

Courtesy of Tenzen Springs & Cabins

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS

Paloma Ayala, David Hanson, Kacie McMackin, Michael Peterson

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Michael Peterson

The crew at Hood River’s Working Hands Fermentation: Jon Terhaar, Ellen Woods Potter and Kacey McCullough

Kathy Watson

A long-time Gorge chef and restaurateur reinvents herself

story

HANSON

“I was tired, like a marathoner who looks up at mile 23, floating along, a blister here or there, and is suddenly wracked by a deep thirst, a deathly weariness. I was ready to finish the race.”

This is Gorge chef and former restaurateur Kathy Watson describing, in a forthcoming memoir, her feelings as she closed her Hood River restaurant Nora’s Table in 2013. It was a moment of clarity for Watson but a major loss for the Gorge’s culinary scene. Both her restaurants, first Viento then Nora’s Table, achieved notoriety and respect among outside food critics and, more importantly to Watson, locals.

The menus changed with the seasons as Watson’s flavor artistry coalesced with her commitment to sourcing fresh, local ingredients from Gorge farms and ranches and Oregon Coast fisher people. The summers hummed with full tables, but lean winters always loomed over

the most bustling fall weekends. Kitchen staff came and went or sometimes stayed too long. Vent fans broke, vital staff would give a week’s notice, a volatile chef would storm out in a rage. After over a decade making it work, Watson hung it up.

But not quite. Fortunately, Watson has found ways to continue creating unique food experiences. She’s left behind the brick-and-

and photos by DAVID

Kathy Watson, top right, and Krystyna Livingston prepare a course for a Chef’s Collective dinner. Far left, Watson at her former restaurant, Nora’s Table.

Photo by Lauri Streaker

mortar restaurant, but her Chef’s Collective is entering its seventh year with a growing roster of talented chefs presiding over a dinner series hosted by the Ruby June Inn in Husum, Wash.

at’s where I nd Watson on a sub-freezing January evening. She’s most excited about the crab remoulade. e creamy tangle of spiralized apples, watermelon radish, celery root and hand-plucked crab claws held together by the homemade remoulade is to be forked onto an oblong buttered poppy-seed brioche, also scratch-made by Watson and Krystyna Livingston, chef de cuisine at White Salmon Baking Co. and one of Watson’s Chef’s Collective accomplices.

e crab is only the second course after the “Normandy picnic,” a plate anchored by foie gras mousse. Next comes what Watson calls, with a wink, Beanie Weanies, a rich cassoulet of duck, tarbais bean, pork shoulder and sausage and cured pork belly. e twenty guests seated at small candlelit tables in the Ruby June breakfast room or at the long farm table seem overly pleased, as if they’re in on a secret.

e rst meal Watson ever cooked was a can of Campbell’s vegetable beef soup and a fried egg. She was ve. Her father had recently passed away in a car crash and her mother was locked in her room, an early sign of worse things to come. Watson poured the can’s contents into a pot and lit the burner as she’d seen her mother do. en she lit another

Kathy Watson serves dinner guests at the Ruby June Inn in Husum.

Fresh S ing

burner and cracked an egg into a frying pan. e soup cooked ne, but the egg, without butter or oil, charred to a crispy layer that Watson scraped onto plates for her younger brother and her to eat. She remembers thinking at the time: what if I just cooked the egg in the soup? roughout her early adult life, cooking was equal parts necessity and curiosity. She developed avor pro les and recipes in home kitchens, not restaurants. Her patrons were her children, family, and occasional guests.

While living in remote Lakeview, Ore., with her rst husband who could not eat salt, she learned to make savory foods using the power of acid (vinegars), citrus (squeeze of lemon), and the simple method of heat to invigorate the frying pan’s fond (caramelized remnants). She made her own salt-free ketchup, crackers and bread, and improvised international dishes with the regional staple, hamburger beef. At the time she owned three cookbooks — Betty Crocker Cookbook, Middle East Cookery, and More With Less, a Seventh-Day Adventist manual. She’d read the recipes on soup cans and tear ideas out of doctor’s o ce magazines, then wing it at home with her salt-free loopholes. She and the other housewives in that mill town traded recipes like gossip.

Eventually Watson left Lakeview for Salem where she worked in state government communications before becoming editor-in-chief of Oregon Business Magazine, all while hosting and cooking for political fundraisers at her and her second husband’s sixteen-seat dining room table.

Eager for a smaller town and with her “third-and- nal” husband, Stu, she took a mid-life leap and bought her own restaurant, scrubbing the demons from a creepy kitchen in Bingen and naming it after the wind. But she couldn’t avoid the many pitfalls of restaurant life. Regardless of her charm and maternal touch, Watson couldn’t soften the underlying, often misogynistic kitchen culture, what she calls in her memoir, the “pirate society.”

Mitch Banks was one of Watson’s rst hires at Viento. Newly arrived from North Carolina, Banks was a carpenter with a seasoned background in high-production kitchens.

Longtime chef and former restaurateur Kathy Watson continues to create unique food experiences with her Chef’s Collective dinners, now in their seventh year.

“I came from that pirate world,” he recalls. “I loved Kathy’s plan to change the menu every season. She’d just make things happen by shear effort and will. But if she wanted to succeed, I knew she had to come around to some of that harder edge.”

By her final three years at Nora’s Table, Watson found her groove, excising the bad seeds from the kitchen and surrounding herself with stable competence, including Ricardo Lopez, aka Cuate, (owner of El Cuate Mexican restaurant in Hood River) who started as a dishwasher at Nora’s and quickly worked his way up the chain.

She’d arrived as close to restaurant nirvana as possible, sharing with her community a menu both satisfying and surprising. But she paid a hefty toll to get there, and Watson simply needed the race to end. With the Chef’s Collective she’s created a space for younger chefs like Livingston, and a few seasoned, non-traditional chefs like Jon Moch (who runs Hood River’s pop-up ramen shop) and John Helleberg, former chef-owner of the shuttered Sophie’s.

“I really love feeding people,” she says. “That’s just elemental to who I am.”

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

Guests gather around the fire before dinner at the Ruby June Inn.

Ditching the Plastic Water Bottle

Hood River’s Guzzle H20 makes every creek and river a source of pure, clean drinking water

story by RUTH BERKOWITZ | photos by BRADEN TUCK and CHRISTIN COUVREUX

In 2017, professional sailor Sean “Doogie” Couvreux was competing in Europe and felt disgusted by the hundreds of single-use plastic water bottles used by the sailing teams. Unlike other kinds of waste, plastic doesn’t compost and when it gets dumped in the ocean it creates havoc, ending up in the bellies of sh, choking coral reefs and strangling turtles, among other catastrophic harm.

Couvreux posted suggestions on social media, urging the sailing community to ban plastic water bottles and become a role model. “We love to play in the ocean, yet we’re polluting the ocean with plastic,” he told his peers.

It just so happened that back home in Hood River, Couvreux’s buddy Tyler Bech understood the problem. Sadly, plastic bottles seem to be everywhere at most sporting events, including many of the water- and biking-related events in the Gorge. When Couvreux returned home, the two friends bemoaned plastic pollution while biking up the

Braden

Tuck, Christin Couvreux (inset)

Tyler Bech and Doogie Couvreux, above. Left, topping off an onboard water tank straight from the river. Top, the Stream portable filter in action.

Christin Couvreux

pristine Syncline Trail east of Bingen. Bech, who also sails and is skilled at building things, suggested they become part of the solution.

“If something breaks during a race, we have to quickly come up with a solution,” says Bech, explaining the sailor’s mindset. “Doogie noticed a huge problem and we knew we could x it.” In fact, their sailing mentality combined with their active lifestyle made them an ideal team for this project. Adding in the technical and nancial planning skills of their wives, Christin Couvreux and Tracy Bech, the team became even stronger.

Bech and Couvreux set out to build an on-the-go water lter and puri cation system.

ey spent evenings tinkering in their garages. Bech had connections with AquiSense Technologies, a Kentucky-based company that developed a small device using ultraviolet

technologies and LEDs to eliminate bacteria, viruses and other pathogens from water. ey decided to combine the AquiSense with a carbon block lter to make drinking water not only safe, but also taste good.

Couvreux brought their rst ltration system, called the Spigot, to the 2018 Sailing Super Series event in Europe. Five sailing teams signed on and became his test kitchen. “ ey were fussy and gave us great feedback,” Couvreux says. “Instead of a hand pump, they wanted us to make a built-in pump. We listened to them.”

It worked well, but Bech learned that they needed a better design when he took the Spigot to the Overland Show in Flagsta , Ariz., the next year. While sharing a tent with a couple marketing rotisserie hot dog sticks, Bech sat there watching enviously as they sold hundreds of items. “People looked at our product, but no one bought it,” says Bech, as we talk in their third and much larger garage space near downtown White Salmon.

Guzzle H20 drinking water systems combine carbon block filtration with LED UV-C purification, activated at the push of a button, right.

Christin Couvreux

So he and Couvreux tinkered some more, adding a hard portable case and easy-to-connect hoses. is time, when Bech returned to the Overland Show in the fall of 2020 with 25 Streams (the name of their portable system), he sold every one of them. Since then, sales have steadily increased, boosted by soaring numbers of people adventuring outside to camp and explore during the pandemic.

e Guzzle team has continued to innovate, including developing the Stealth, a system designed to be built under small sinks like those in recreational vans and tiny homes. To get a real-world take on it, I spoke with Leigh Dearle, who installed the Stealth two years ago while venturing in his overland vehicle in Taiwan. Dearle and his wife, Steph, travel for a living, documenting their journeys on their YouTube channel @GrizzlyNbearOverland.

While sheltering from oods during a trek on the historic Jordan Trail, Dearle spoke to me via Zoom. “Access to clean, safe drinking water is a top priority on any journey,” he tells me. Having fallen severely ill from drinking tainted water while traveling in Tajikistan, he wanted to plumb a ltration system into his camper so he could switch on the tap and con dently hydrate.

About two years ago, Dearle discussed the importance of safe drinking water on his YouTube channel, mentioning that in preparation for his trip from Spain to Morocco, he bought an excessive supply of plastic bottles, which made him feel like he “did something wrong and

Photo: Santa Cruz Bicycles

Tyler Bech takes a photo of the inside of a Stream filter. Opposite, Doogie Couvreux drinks from a waterfall via the Stream. Christin Couvreux

unnecessary.” He had been using a variety of ltration systems, including lugging a heavy jerry can to a lake or stream and ltering the water with a hand pump. “ at was kind of a pain,” he told his viewers, asking them for recommendations. at’s when he came across Guzzle H20.

“ e Guzzle system has been a game changer,” Dearle says enthusiastically. “It’s perfectly suited for what we do.” He likes the combination of the LED UV sterilization system with the carbon lter and the compact size. “It’s reduced the size of our water system by 20 times and saved me lots of manual labor and time.”

In the two years since Dearle installed the Stealth, he hasn’t gotten sick nor had to buy bottled water. Once they nish hiking the Jordan Trail, he and his wife will y to South Africa. After their vehicle arrives (it’s being shipped from Singapore) they will travel for the next three years.

“ is will put the Guzzle system to work,” he says. “Africa will be the biggest test for the system. But I have no doubt in my mind that it will perform great.”

Back home in the Gorge, Couvreux and Bech share his con dence, and are happy there won’t be any plastic water bottles thrown out along the way.

To learn more, go to guzzleh2o.com Ruth Berkowitz is a mediator and writer living in Hood River.

Christin Couvreux

Ride the Rapids 1

e 2nd Annual Ride the Rapids Deschutes River happens May 6. e event features three fully supported rides that take participants along the beautiful Deschutes River: a metric century ride (61 miles), a 39-mile ride and a 20-mile ride. e start and nish are at the Wasco County Fairgrounds, where there will be an expo, live music, a beer garden and food carts. e event is a fundraiser for the Maupin Area Chamber Endowment, with proceeds going toward the Deschutes River Athletic Complex, a stateof-the-art track and eld facility and event venue in Maupin. maupinoregon.com

Writer’s Talk 3

Springtime at Mt. Hood Meadows 2

Along with sunny days on the slopes, spring is packed with fun events at Mt. Hood Meadows. Kick o the o cial start of the season with Spring Brew Fest on March 25, featuring tasty pours from nearly every one of our stellar Gorge breweries. April starts with the Full Sail Banked Slalom snowboard race (April 1), followed by Mazot Fest (April 7-8), a Double Mountain Brewery-sponsored fundraiser for the resort’s avalanche dogs. Pride Day is April 15, a daylong family-friendly celebration. e resort marks closing day on April 29 with the annual Pond Skim, where costumed skiers and snowboarders 15 and older can skim their way across 100 feet of frigid water. It takes place at the base area and is a must-see spectator event. skihood.com

e Dalles Art Center hosts its monthly Writer’s Talk series throughout spring, where local authors host conversations about their work and experience as writers. Hood River writer Eileen Garvin will be featured on March 16. Garvin is a widely published writer of ction, memoir and creative non ction and author of best-selling debut novel, e Music of Bees. Donna Henderson will be at TDAC on April 20. She’s the author of three collections of poems, two of which were nalists for the Oregon Book Award. On May 18, Leah Stenson will read selections from her most recent work, Life Revised, a hybrid memoir about suicide and its aftermath, and poems arising from her literary journey from New York to Tokyo to Portland to Parkdale. thedallesartcenter.org

Michael Bergmann

Mt. Hood Meadows/Ben Mitchell

Soak, Rejuvenate, Repeat

Tenzen Springs & Cabins brings Japanese spa culture to the Gorge

story by MOLLY ALLEN | photos courtesy of TENZEN SPRINGS & CABINS

For those who explore the Columbia River Gorge, there are countless ways to discover the healing powers of nature. Now, there’s a new getaway in Carson that’s truly harnessing that power at the very core: Tenzen Springs & Cabins.

Takeshi (Tak) and Toyo Yoshida began visiting the Carson Hot Springs Resort decades ago, with the goal of alleviating the pain

Toyo experienced due to rheumatoid arthritis. But with their primary residence in Portland, the trip back and forth became too much. In 1996, the Yoshidas bought a cabin nearby to allow for easier access to the hot springs. With the cabin’s proximity to the Wind River, and the same springs that were helping to ease Toyo’s pain, Tak wondered if there might be access to the springs from their own property as well. When they discovered there was, it formed the foundation for the Yoshida family’s quest to share the healing powers of this geothermal water with others.

“When they found it, then came the thought of sharing water with others and they started looking for property with a view,” says Nanae Yoshida, who runs Tenzen with her husband

Nick. It took years to find and purchase the land where Tenzen now sits, but once it was secured, the search for the necessary access well to share the geothermal water with others began.

“Tak passed away just a few days after we found it,” says Yoshida, remembering that her father-in-law was clapping at the discovery of the injection well needed to move forward with their plans.

The original idea was to establish a large day spa on the 100-acre property. But once the plans were drawn up, the onset of the Covid-19

pandemic foiled the project. Instead, the family pivoted to providing the unique stay that can be found at Tenzen today, launching the cabins in June 2022.

Each of the six cabins at Tenzen Springs includes a private, open-air infinity tub and modern, Scandanavian-inspired design. Opposite bottom, members of the Yoshida family with a portrait of patriarch Tak on the grounds of their property.

The cabins at Tenzen Springs sit on 100 acres of private property on a bluff east of Stevenson. Each 250-square-foot cabin has a wrap-around deck and a Japanese-inspired outdoor shower, as well as distinctive views of the surrounding area.

e property sits nestled on a hilltop overlooking the Gorge. After driving up the winding road just east of the Wind River, you’re met with a gate requiring a punch code for access. ere are six individual cabins positioned on the edge of the hill, each with adequate space in between for privacy.

Walking the grounds, you can feel the power of this place. It’s incredibly quiet, wildly peaceful, allowing you to truly be immersed in the setting. Neither children nor pets are allowed on the property, both due to safety concerns and to promote a calming environment.

In line with the goal of relaxation, each of the six cabins are wellequipped for a multi-night stay. It’s evident that they were designed to o er an abundance of amenities while maintaining a minimalistic approach. Plush mattresses with u y duvets sit on top of platform beds, allowing for storage space underneath. Each cabin is out tted with a small kitchenette with cooking utensils, enabling guests to prepare a simple meal. However, the Yoshidas also encourage guests to visit other local businesses nearby.

“I put my feet in the customer’s shoes,” Yoshida says. “ e closest town, Carson, is seven minutes and the bigger town, Stevenson, is 10 minutes away. I would like to encourage guests to eat out since many good restaurants are there. Since there is no restaurant for breakfast in walking distance, we thought we may need to provide either a microwave or stove top so guests can enjoy a warm breakfast.” oughtful touches have been added to each cabin, including local guidebooks and maps, coloring materials and outdoor Pendleton blankets, so guests can choose to venture out during their visit or stay in. And unlike many hotel rooms or cabins, there are no televisions.

Giving starts in the Gorge

The Gorge Community Foundation helps donors create charitable endowment funds to support the causes you care about and projects that inspire you.

Since 2003, the Foundation has made over $2 million in grants. You can start an endowment fund now with a tax-deductible contribution or include the Gorge Community Foundation in your estate plans.

541-308-0770

413 Oak St, Hood River,

Learn more at gorgecf.org or call 509-250-3525

“We hope that our guests use Tenzen as an escape from the daily hard work and worries. After a couple of days of stay, we wish that they are fully recharged,” says Yoshida. “Instead of watching TV, we recommend listening to nice music and look into yourselves.”

O the main room of the cabin is a bathroom boasting a sleek design, with intentional amenities including a steam sauna in the shower, along with a heated toilet seat and dimmable lights. e door from the bathroom leads outside to a private, semi-enclosed room, complete with a soaking tub, outdoor shower and double doors opening to the deck.

A large wooden tub is lled to the brim with water. e tub receives a constant trickle of hot spring water, consistently owing thanks to its in nity design.

e 160-degree water is brought via pump from an underground aquifer 3,000 feet below the Wind River. But according to Yoshida, the water is too hot straight out of the springs. “It goes to the mixing station then goes to the cabins,” she said. e water being mixed in isn’t typical city or county water. “It’d be easier for us to use city water, but we didn’t want to,” she added.

Water from the springs is brought up to a holding tank, where it’s allowed to cool down. From there, it’s mixed with additional hot water from the springs, balancing the water out to the ideal temperature. Pipes lead from the mixing tank to the cabins, allowing guests to receive pure geothermal spring water at around 120 degrees. “We have cold water for the tub, which is also cooled-down hot spring water, so customers can easily adjust the temperature and enjoy 100 percent natural hot springs water without using city water with chlorine,” adds Yoshida.

e tubs are drained after each guest’s stay as part of the cleaning process for the cabins. But that water doesn’t go to waste. It’s ltered, along with the water that over ows from the in nity tub, and is sent back to the same aquifer through the injection well. With a continuous ow of water, Tenzen is providing the healing power of the geothermal hot springs to others in a sustainable way, with little to no water consumption.

“I remember that Tak used to say that he appreciated how American people had welcomed him and had been nice to him since he had immigrated from Japan in the 1970s,” Yoshida says. “Sharing the experience of hot spring water was to thank them all.”

To learn more, go to tenzensprings.com

Molly Allen is a food, beverage and travel writer who lives in Hood River.

The cabins each have an indoor steam-sauna shower and a small kitchenette, but the YoshindafamilyencouragesgueststodiscovereateriesinnearbyCarsonandStevenson.

Working Hands Fermentation

story by DON CAMPBELL |

by MICHAEL PETERSON

Sometimes all it takes is fresh energy and a good idea.

In a region swimming in good beer and creative cider, Working Hands Fermentation continues to blossom into a premier destination for the fine art of the froth and bubble, dispensed from a public house that’s artful, functional and a swell place to sit your butt down for a palate-pleasing beverage.

Formerly the sole province of Slopeswell Cider up in Hood River’s Heights district, Working Hands’ three owners — John Terhaar, Kasey McCullough and Ellen Woods Potter — found a certain chemistry combining their brewing talents and knuckle-busting DIY work ethic (hence the company name) to organically grow and expand a respected neighborhood watering hole.

Away from the more tourist-driven downtown proper of Hood River, Working Hands brews an astoundingly diverse and complex array of lager and other-style beers, and old-world cider, from its 3,700-square-foot building (and outdoor area, weather-permitting) that’s rich in art, nostalgia, live music and trivia nights, and a prestigious membership “mug club” that bears out the folksy, comfortable nature of this local business.

Craft beverages, trivia nights & more bring a loyal following to this neighborhood taproom

photos

Top, from left, Working Hands Fermentation co-owner Jon Terhaar, taproom manager Ellen Woods Potter, and co-owner/head brewer Kacey McCullough.

e initial Slopeswell incarnation took up half of the brewery’s present space. When the workout studio next door to the north vacated, the vigorously hands-on owners took a nerve-wracking and scary nancial risk — in the time of Covid — and doubled the size.

e southern side is 21-and-over, with the other side all ages. e business now o ers a full kitchen under the restaurant moniker “Deb’s” and the guiding hand of Chef Ryan Hunter, as well as the full brewing and cidery operation that’s bursting at the seams.

e Terhaar, McCullough and Woods owner team are a sum greater than its parts, with a combined skillset that proves to be a deft, and winning, combination. Terhaar (ofcial title: wholesale supervisor) lived nearby in the early Slopeswell days of 2016 and began to frequent the place. “I was living down the street and would come in for cider,” he says. “ ey asked me if I wanted to work. I started pouring cider back then and expressed some interest in ownership, and a few years later they asked if I’d like to come on. I said sure.”

In January 2020 he signed on. “I saw a lot of potential,” he says. People loved the neighborhood hub and it had a full cadre of regulars. Terhaar, though, felt it was more of a hobby cidery and lacked robust management. “ ings have changed a lot since then.”

e cider maker at the time had no interest in brewing beer. Enter Kasey McCullough. As ownership changed in 2020, they’d talked regularly about adding beer to the proceedings. McCullough came to them

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.

Working Hands attracts regulars and visitors to its welcoming taproom, where the stage frequently hosts live music and open-mic nights.

through other sources. “Everybody had the same ideas at the same time,” Terhaar says. “The universe allowed it to happen. It worked out pretty well.”

McCullough is now head brewer and co-owner. Initially headed for pre-med at Boise State University and then Oregon State University, he wandered into a class at OSU where the cool kids were making beer (and earning a degree doing it). He was hooked.

Post-college, he’s built quite a curriculum vitae. Terminally bitten by the beer bug, he earned accreditation at the famed Siebel Institute of Technology — the oldest brewing school in the U.S. — and became a master of authentic lagers.

The next several years would find him traveling far afield in his brewing pursuits, first at Ninkasi in Eugene, Ore., then to a major stint in San Antonio, Texas — a region

Co-owner Jon Terhaar in the brewery, left; head brewer Kacey McCullough, above; and taproom manager Ellen Woods Potter with the members’ mug club, right

then not known for its craft beers — working on a start-up brewery called Southerly.

“ e beer scene, especially in south Texas, was pretty poor,” he says. “ ey had a lot of really restrictive laws. e rst brewpub in the city had opened just a year before that. Guys making really poor homebrew were just opening up stu . As a professional, it was pretty embarrassing.”

Being a pro, McCullough found himself touring throughout the greater South as a consultant for other startups and developing successful canned beer programs for Texas retailer HEB. Su ering burnout and needing to deal with some family a airs, he headed back home to Oregon, for a three-year stint at a small Bend brewery before getting hooked up with Hood River’s Ferment where he built up its kombucha program and other beers.

“I kind of got done with startups,” he says, “doing all this work for somebody else.” Looking for a way to concentrate on his own specialty, lager beers, he was lured away from Ferment and into helping what would become Working Hands with its beer o erings.

Completing the triumvirate, Ellen Woods Potter also turned her passion for beer into a career. After leaving Dufur, Ore., post-high school, she headed for Washington State University and found a job at the Paradise Creek Brewery, Pullman’s only brewing establishment. ere she developed a taste for craft brewing. After nearly three years, graduation found her based in Texas as a ight attendant.

“I started really getting into craft beer,” she says, “and not just in Texas but everywhere I went. All around the world, I was drinking local beers.” She then signed on with

Stay evocative!

ree Nations Brewing in a small production space in Farmer’s Branch, Texas, outside of Dallas, and was with them when they opened a massive facility nearby. She became a manager before moving to the company’s Benton, Texas, branch where she became operations manager while pursuing her beer cicerone certi cation.

She paused that pursuit when she learned she was pregnant as she and her husband headed back to Oregon. It’s still a goal.

Having grown up with McCullough in Dufur, she found her way to what would become Working Hands in 2021. “I’d been out of touch with the Northwest brew scene,” she says, “and asked him if he knew anybody who was looking for an upper management, front-of-house person. He said, ‘I’m opening my own brewery.’”

She started in the cidermaker position before becoming general manager and co-owner. “ e three of us became the operating owners,” she says.

Adds Jon Terhaar, “ e heart and the soul.”

It’s

Thursday - Monday 11-6

The Working Hands taproom is a thoughtfully-crafted space that welcomes all ages on one side, and the over-21 crowd on the other. Along with beer and cider, the taproom offers a full menu under the restaurant moniker “Deb’s.”

WINERY & VINEYARD

Our family has been growing grapes and making wine in a sustainable manner for 30 years in New Zealand and 12 years in the beautiful Columbia Gorge. South Hill, located in Underwood, Washington, is one of the highest-elevation vineyards and wineries in the area, has spectacular views of the Columbia River, Mount Hood, and the Hood River Valley, and is just 20 minutes from Hood River and an hour from Portland. We look forward to sharing our award-winning wines and our story with you. Enjoy the breathtaking view while sampling our wines outdoors in our picnic area, or for rainy days we have a spacious seating area in our working winery.

Google reviews:

• We had a fantastic time enjoying the wine and scenery and talking with the owners. The view from the tasting area was breathtaking, and the wine was the best we had tried in the Hood River gorge. It was quiet and peaceful. 10/10

• Visiting South Hill is a great experience, from the spectacular views to the world-class wines. From the first sip you can tell the Jones family has over 30 years experience in the industry!

Our tasting room is open Friday-Sunday, 12-5 pm, April through mid-November. No reservation is needed for parties under 6. Call us for larger groups.

801 Scoggins Rd., Underwood, WA • southhillvineyards.com • 541-380-1438 • southhillwine@gmail.com

d f rom vine to bottle

e future is as bright as the glint o McCullough’s spotless beer tanks (which, by the way, all have names: Rosie, Willie, e Dude, Lilly and Murdock … it’s a brewer’s superstition). In 2024, the company will expand into an 11,500-square-foot production facility and taproom in e Dalles. ey continue to build their community focus with a local community college pilot program for budding brewers. eir distribution is at an all-time high and growing.

is Heights taproom, capacity nearly 100, is a thrumming hive of activity with a full slate of regular live music, trivia nights, local art, a revered members’ mug club (with clay vessels by Grey Fox Pottery, rst-come rst-served, sign up and get yours before they all disappear). And they continue to push the envelope not only with nely crafted beer and cider (including a Valtic Porter aged in bourbon barrels), but new forays into coldpress co ee and even wine.

Just inside the door you’ll nd a loyal, deep and profound sense that this is truly the people’s bar. And a cozy place to call home.

To learn more, go to workinghandsfermentation.com

Photo by Jennifer Gulizia

Don 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.

Working Hands offers its beer and cider on tap, as well as in cans. Their distribution has hit an all-time high and continues to grow.

&Home Garden

SPRING IS A TIME OF RENEWAL. We see it all around us in the bright green hillsides of the Gorge, the wilflowers blooming, the fruit trees blossoming in bursts of pink and white. It’s also a great time to think about renewal when it comes to our home and garden. If you’re planning to make a few things new again in your home — or are heading toward a full remodel or new build — there are many resources to turn to for help right here in the Gorge, including architects, interior designers, materials showrooms, builders, home improvement stores and more. From the smallest garden project to a full design-build undertaking, working with professionals close to home makes sense. We’ve put together a resource guide to help you get started on your home improvement project, however small or large. With the season’s longer days and warmer weather, it’s a great time to get going. Good luck and have fun!

RESOURCE GUIDE TO THE GORGE

story

by JANET COOK • artist por ai by MICHAEL PETERSON

GORGE ARTISTS

welcome visitors during annual Open Studios Tour

ALONG WITH WILDFLOWERS AND FRUIT TREES, THERE’S SOMETHING ELSE THAT BLOOMS DURING SPRINGTIME IN THE GORGE: ART. The 17th annual Gorge Artists Open Studios Tour takes place APRIL 21-23, coinciding with our technicolor green hillsides and bursts of blossoms that emerge across the landscapes of the Columbia Gorge this time of year.

Forty local artists will showcase a diverse variety of work in this year’s tour, including painting, ceramics, jewelry, metalwork, sculpture, textile art, photography and more. The free, self-guided tour o ers a rare opportunity to meet artists in their studio space for an intimate look at where they create their work, as well as the tools and methods they use. It also gives tour-goers a chance to buy art directly from the makers.

“This event is a favorite for me certainly, but it has also become highly anticipated for the folks who have marked their calendars to come visit the Gorge for this special weekend,” said ceramic artist Melanie Thompson, a longtime tour artist. “They are inspired by our spaces, curious to see our process and excited to see what’s new.” Tour artists and their studios are located throughout the Gorge, from Stevenson and Carson, Wash., to The Dalles, and Bingen/ White Salmon to Parkdale. Tour-goers can plan their trip accordingly, making their way from west to east — or vice-versa — over the three-day tour, or just drop into a few select studios.

“Gorge Artists Open Studios put the Gorge on the map as an arts destination,” said pastel artist Christine Knowles. “I have cherished being a part of the tour for many years.”

A few of this year’s artists gave us a preview of the tour by o ering us early access to their studios and a glimpse into their creative worlds. Get a flavor of what’s to come, then mark your calendars!

For more information, including a map, go to gorgeartists.org. Printed guides are also available at area Chambers of Commerce and visitor’s centers, and at more than 90 businesses and retailers throughout the Gorge.

What was your artistic path?

From a young age, I always knew I would be a working artist. When I received a full-ride scholarship to Montana State University, my focus was commercial art. Inspired by my college professors, I decided to major in fine art with a focus in drawing. I received my bachelor’s degree and had plans to be a college art drawing instructor. After applying to graduate school and not getting in, I dove headfirst into simply making art, doing commissions, and applying to shows.

How did you arrive at your medium?

I’ve always been a drawer so that was decided in my mind from childhood. I was drawing before I was even walking. Charcoal specifically for me is my primary medium of choice when drawing.

How does your process work?

My husband Eli Lewis makes my custom cradled birch panels. He makes art panels for many artists here in the Columbia Gorge. Once I’ve researched my subject, which is usually wildlife, I take my reference photos to my panel. If not using my own photos, I often work with professional photographers for my reference photos. I apply white chalk paint to my birch panels. I then sand o the majority of the paint, leaving a bit to create a certain e ect I like. is e ect is my signature and easily identi es my work. I then do my drawing. After my drawing is done, I spray x it to stabilize the material. I then apply an acrylic UV polymer varnish. is protects the piece. ey are protected from sunlight and are meant to last for hundreds of years to come.

Where do you get inspiration for your art?

I’m inspired by the high desert and badlands of Wyoming and Montana where I grew up. e natural world to me is so dynamic and inspiring and is so much a part of all of us.  I spend a lot of time outside and I’m absolutely moved and excited visually with the ora and fauna of my environment. e Paci c Northwest is such a contrast from where I grew up but is just as inspiring and diverse.

What do you find most satisfying about your work?

It ties in directly with my love of nature and being a naturalist at heart. I love the earthy, direct, hands-on feel of working with charcoal on gorgeous birch panels. I love how you can see the grain of the life of the tree in those panels right alongside my drawing. It all goes together so beautifully to me. I love the research that comes with what I want to draw. It gets me outside and around the energy that drives my work. I like that I stand out in a sea of painters in the art world.

I also am fortunate to have the incredible opportunity to be a part of “Western Visions” at the National Museum of Wildlife Art in Jackson Hole, Wyo., annually, and “Art in the West,” at the High Desert Museum in Bend. ese are incredible fundraising events for these museums, and I get to exhibit and auction next to the top living artists in the country, which is such an honor.

Mt Adams Balsam 3’ x 3’ Oil

Wondering Trail 4’ x 2‘ Oil

What is it like to be an artist in the Gorge?

Being a working artist here in the Gorge is a true gift. I’m inspired by my stunning environment and the opportunity this unique area offers. So much subject matter!  I live in Stevenson, and the rainforest showcases so much to choose from. Everything from elk to old-growth trees, birds of prey and stunning vistas. If I’m missing the high desert, I just head east 25 minutes to Coyote Wall.

Another beautiful aspect is the support of the art lovers in this area. I have many collectors in the Gorge, and I’ve been so lucky to have many inspiring experiences with so many special people including everything from custom commission work, art instruction at our beautiful studio in Stabler, donating to fundraisers for many organizations, to even designing a wine bottle label for Domaine Pouillon in Lyle. It’s an incredibly supportive place to be a working artist and I feel fortunate to live here.

photos courtesy of Ali Rae Photography

DAWN NIELSON encaustic wax

dawnnielson.com

What was your artistic path?

Al Collins School of Graphic Design in Tempe, Ariz., is where my formal art education began in 1985. My design career started in 1989 at a commercial print shop in Phoenix. The shop owner handed me manuals for Adobe Illustrator and Photoshop, placed the new desktop Macintosh computer in front of me and said, “Figure this all out, I think this is where the printing industry is headed.” Through trial and error, I figured it out. In 1993 I bought my own Mac, quit that job and went freelance for 10 years. I sold my freelance business in 2003 when my husband and I relocated our family to Stevenson, Wash.

In 2006, at age 39, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. As I moved through my cancer experience, artmaking was a healthy distraction to calm my mind. The process of making art impacted my life in such a positive way, I decided to go back to school to become an art therapist. I attended Pacific Northwest College of Art in Portland for painting and sculpting, and also took psychology, counseling and art therapy courses at Marylhurst University. After graduating in 2014 with my BFA in general fine arts, I decided to take a pause to allow myself time to figure out who I was as an artist.

I began submitting my encaustic paintings to gallery exhibitions, engaging in collaborative projects with other artists and pitching my own shows. In 2016, my tenth year of being cancer free, I envisioned the main lobby of the Radiology Department at Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital in Portland to be the perfect space to share my work. I made large-scale abstract encaustic paintings to fill the waiting room. For eight months, the work visually shared my story of what it was like to have breast cancer and survive.

I believe visual art is a powerful nonverbal form of communication and the process of artmaking can benefit a person’s physical and mental well-being. Sharing this with people is important to me. In 2019, my husband and I began building an art studio on our property. I named this creative space Kamanė Studio. Kamanė is Lithuanian for bumblebee. Aside from the studio serving my own art practice, it is built to host artmaking experiences to share the joy I find in working with encaustic wax.

How did you arrive at your medium?

I was intrigued how encaustic wax as an art medium allowed me to be both painter and sculptor. I read books on encaustic techniques and then began creating instantly. I submitted my work to the 2009 Portland Audubon Society’s Wild Arts Fest and sold more of my art than I could have ever imagined with my first experience. I was hooked on the medium from that point on.

How does your process work?

There are many ways I have used encaustic wax as an art medium. My current process begins with gluing paper onto a wood panel, painting my base imagery, fusing layers of encaustic wax with a torch or heat gun, carving line work into the wax, then pressing oil paint into the carved lines and wax texture to bring another layer to the work. Metallic leaf and stitched rusted wire are added to some compositions.

Where do you get inspiration for your art?

I am most inspired by neuroscience, human thought and behavior, and the green mossy, misty forest and rivers of the Columbia Gorge.

What do you find most satisfying about your work?

To lose myself in the process of creating my art, that’s the ultimate sweet spot for me. When I lose track of time while painting and fusing layers of wax, the mental chatter and chaos of life vanishes. My existence transforms to just me and the work. After I move through that magnificent state of mind, I can then take a step back to view how the transparency and texture of the encaustic layers enhance the visual story of the piece.

What is it like to be an artist in the Gorge?  Glorious. Living and creating in Stevenson’s lush green environment is like a comforting hug for me. I am most inspired to make art in the fall through spring. There is something about the rain and chill in the air that I connect with. I love where I live and create. Surviving

cancer has left me with the perspective that no one is guaranteed a tomorrow and how I choose to spend my time is a key component in living a creative, fulfilling life. There is a robust community of artists in the Gorge. It’s been my experience when creative people collaborate, amazing and dazzling things happen.

Experience Skamania County, Washington!

MARTIN’S GORGE TOURS

Guided tours for individuals, groups, families, or couples. Including waterfalls, wild owers, wineries, breweries, trail hikes, scenic drives and more.  Sit back and relax as we explore the hidden treasures of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area. 503-349-1323 martinsgorgetours.com

STROIKA STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING

Your structural experts for e Gorge! From new construction to remodels, we do it all. Contact us today for drawings to be used for permitting and construction!

541-716-1381 • stroikaengineering.com

390 Evergreen Dr., Ste C-5 • N. Bonneville

BRIDGESIDE

Fast, friendly family dining for breakfast, lunch and dinner, plus spectacular views of the Gorge and Bridge of the Gods.

Burgers • Sandwiches • Salads • Soups

Baskets • A er 5 menu • Desserts

Gi shop • Historic artifacts

541-374-8477 • bridgesidedining.com

745 NW Wa Na Pa St. • Cascade Locks

COLUMBIA GORGE INTERPRETIVE CENTER

e rst human imprints in the Gorge were le by the Indian cultures that ourished here for thousands of years. Explore the natural and cultural history of this beautiful region. Open daily 9-5.

800-991-2338 509-427-8211

990 SW Rock Creek Dr. • Stevenson

BEST WESTERN PLUS COLUMBIA RIVER INN

Stunning views, spacious guestrooms on the Columbia River at the Bridge of the Gods. Close to waterfalls and outdoor activities. Complimentary hot breakfast, pool, spa, tness room. 541-374-8777 • 800-595-7108

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735 WaNaPa St. • Cascade Locks

FAR NORTH NUTRITION

Diets aren’t sustainable. Make a change. Let’s make a plan. Personalized health plans, simple recipes, real food, realistic changes. Don’t feel well? Call me.

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Shay Wearly

CEDAR DESIGNS

Conventional, Post & Beam, Log, Timber Frame, & Hybrids. Over 600+ plans and designs on website. Free dra ing and no charge for modi cations or custom plans. Panelized exterior walls. Price guarantees. Model home by appointment.

800-728-4474 • cedardesigns.com

info@cedardesigns.com • Carson

OPTIMIST PRINTERS

Serving both sides of the Gorge from e Dalles to Stevenson/ Cascade Locks weeklyfor over 100 years. Call or visit us online to nd out more about our products and how we can help you!

541-296-2954 • optimistprinters.com

723 E 3rd Street • The Dalles

Photo by Peter Marbach

STEVE KOWATS metals

kovachmetalsmith.com

What was your artistic path?

I have drawn since I was a child. I became a professional welder and metal fabricator at the age of 18, and with my newly acquired skills I began drawing on metal and cutting out the two-dimensional shapes with a cutting torch.

How did you arrive at your medium?

Being in the metal trades provided me access to various types and shapes of scrap metals. Whether aluminum, steel or copper, the materials have their own personality, and different limits, so you must keep your senses open to manipulate and work with them.

How does your process work?

One of two ways, usually. Either I see a metal object and think about how I can re-purpose it into an artwork, or I have an idea of a metal sculpture and see a metal object that will provide the shape or shapes I have in mind.

Once I nd the basic shape for a concept, I sometimes need to shape it further by heating it with a torch and using various hammers, anvils and other hand tools. I often add detail to my pieces by drawing shapes on construction paper, cutting them out to use as a pattern for tracing onto metal. I then cut out the detail shape drawn on the metal with a plasma torch or gas torch. Next, I sand and grind the piece or pieces and weld them on as detail on a sculpture. e welding process is not as simple as it may seem. ere are many welding processes requiring a variety of machines, electrodes, ller metals and skill levels — all dependent on metal type, thickness and shape. For instance, copper has very di erent chemical and mechanical properties than steel, and stainless steel has di erent characteristics than carbon steel. I often join dissimilar metals together in a sculpture. Most of these dissimilar metals cannot be welded together but can be joined by brazing or soldering.

Where do you get inspiration for your art?

Everywhere. From stories and legends, from nature, from music — basically just keeping my mind, eyes, ears and heart open. I believe art is everywhere. You can miss it if you’re not paying attention. Just don’t block it out and you will nd it in everything.

Scan hereto BUY tickets!

What do you find most satisfying about your work?

e back and forth between me and the piece I am working on. ere are many steps in the

process of sculpting metal from re-purposed objects. Many of those steps involve repetitive fabrication of bits and pieces, which really doesn’t feel like art until you place them on the sculpture and then satisfaction arrives.

What is it like to be an artist in the Gorge?

Inspiring. Many of the people living in the Gorge create art whether formally through a tactile medium or catching the wind and soaring.

Courtesy of Steve Kowats

Courtesy of Steve Kowats

Explore More... on the northshore of the Columbia River Gorge in sunny Klickitat County

MARTIN’S GORGE TOURS

Guided tours for individuals, groups, families, or couples. Including waterfalls, wild owers, wineries, breweries, trail hikes, scenic drives and more. Sit back and relax as we explore the hidden treasures of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.

503-349-1323 • martinsgorgetours.com

WENDY VADAY REAL ESTATE

Licensed in OR & WA

Our highest standards of service are never a re ection of price, but value. Our primary ambition is to establish relevant relationships that withstand time and market in uence. Luxury is an experience, not a price point. Each office is independently owned and operated. 541-399-0548 wendyvaday.cascadesothebysrealty.com

BEST WESTERN PLUS HOOD RIVER INN

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

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1108 E. Marina Way • Hood River

COLUMBIA GORGE

D.O.T. PHYSICALS

Only DOT physical exams, NO waiting behind sick patients. Our parking lot accommodates big rigs. Walk-ins available. Schedule online for a faster appt.

541-581-0691

cgdotphysicals.setmore.com

15 NE Herman Creek Lane, Bldg B Cascade Locks

HOOD RIVER HOBBIES, LLC

We have something for everyone at your local family-owned hobby and game store. Games, toys, discs, kites, RC vehicles, models, cra s, events, and more! Come nd a new hobby or a unique gi .

541-386-1223 • hoodriverhobbies.com

110 - 4th St. • Downtown Hood River

GREEN MONARCH CLEANING LLC

Your local professional, eco-friendly cleaning team. We clean residential, commercial, vacation rentals, new construction and more. Serving White Salmon, Trout Lake, BZ, Husum, Lyle, Underwood, Carson, Glenwood and beyond. greenmonarchcleaning.com

503-863-7763 (Joanna Toleno Turner)

BELL DESIGN CO.

Serving in Civil Engineering & Land Surveying since 1994. Water & sewer design, subdivisions, site plans, structural analysis, short plats ... We walk you through the best solution for your unique project.

belldesigncompany.com

509.493.3886 • Bingen

GLENWOOD GENERAL STORE

Located in scenic Glenwood. A country store providing all your essentials to tackle everything from climbing the mountain to making dinner. We have groceries, hot deli, drinks and camping supplies.

509-364-3535

glenwoodgeneralstore.com

208 E. Main St. • Glenwood

What was your artistic path?

I loved making things from a young age. My mom is an artist and when I was young, she would always let me make a mess in the corner of her studio. After high school I studied geochemistry, following my love of the outdoors and choosing a path of study that took me into the mountains as much as possible. I minored in art and found myself in the ceramics studio during much of my spare time. In the following years, my path wound through farming, travel, and work in outdoor education. At the age of 24, I began working on a construction crew at a design-build company and applying to architecture schools. Architecture felt like the perfect pairing of creative design and science, but as I peered deeper into the industry, I realized that going into debt

SARAH WOLF clay

and the likelihood of working long hours in front of a computer felt suffocating. I pivoted and applied to a post-baccalaureate program in ceramics at the Oregon College of Art and Craft.

My time in ceramics school was pivotal. I had the opportunity to make lots of work, to try different materials and processes, and to learn new techniques with the support of mentors and peers. Given such ample time and space to make, I felt both energized and overwhelmed by a flood of creative ideas. I began to find my own style and was most drawn to making the sorts of goods that could be used in everyday life.

By the time I finished school, I had already been selling some of my ceramic work and began looking for a studio space. I set up my first studio in the basement of my family home in Northwest Portland. I worked alone for a few months before hiring a friend to help me fill a large order. I had suffered from overuse injuries over the years and I was attracted to the idea of making ceramic work with a team, a more resilient way of maintaining a workflow that I had come to rely on for my income. Over the next five years, I grew my team to four people. Our production of popular items such as mugs and dinnerware helped to support other creative side projects. I was confronted with creative challenges that I never anticipated, such as cultivating a happy and healthy team of makers while also maintaining quality and keeping our work profitable.

Moving to the Gorge was a dream of mine for nearly a decade, and two years ago my partner and I finally took the leap. A studio space became available in a building in downtown Hood River, and I signed the lease on it before we even had a place to live. Transitioning my work to this place allowed me to slow down a little, focus on building a strong team, and make time and space for new creative endeavors.

How did you arrive at your medium?

I have always been most attracted to creating in three dimensions and I’m especially drawn to making goods that are useful and functional in everyday life. I was introduced to clay in childhood and began learning to use the pottery wheel as a high school student. Throughout the following years, I kept finding my way back to clay.

How does your process work?

I work primarily with stoneware on the potter’s wheel. Pieces are thrown on the wheel, trimmed and dried before they are fired in an

electric kiln for the first of two firings. After the first firing, pieces are waxed, glazed and loaded into the kiln once more for the final firing.

Where do you get inspiration for your work?

I have always been drawn to the geometric shapes and patterns seen in textiles. I love the endless possibilities presented with just a few simple materials, like raw, tactile clay with smooth white or black glaze, and perhaps a pop of color.

What do you find most satisfying about your work?

One of the most satisfying parts of my work is seeing these goods used in everyday life. I love the idea that a piece of handmade ceramics can enrich the simple act of having a cup of tea or the experience of sharing a meal around a table with friends.

What is it like to be an artist in the Gorge?

Working as a ceramic artist and living in the Gorge was a dream of mine for many years. I grew up spending a lot of time in this area and finally made the move and set down roots here just two years ago. The community is warm and friendly and other artists and local businesses are open to creative collaboration.

NANCY HOUFEK BROWN Oil Painting nhb-artwork.com

MARCELLA KRIEBEL  Watercolor, Pen and Ink marcellakriebel.com and IG

JUDY LARSEN Wire & Bead Jewelry wirewoman15@gmail.com

DAWN NIELSON Encaustic Wax dawnnielson.com and IG

TED OLSON Oil on Panel tedolsonpaintings.com

MAX PANZER Contemporary Digital Interpolation maxpanzerart.com

ROBIN PANZER Chigirie Hand Torn Paper robinpanzer.com

CHARLENE RIVERS Paintings & Children’s Books charleneriversstudio.com

JEN SMITH Charcoal & Pastel on Birch Panels  jensmithart.com

MELANIE THOMPSON Fine Hand-Crafted Ceramics melaniethompsonartware.com

KAREN WATSON Pastels karenpwatson@blogspot.com

POLLY WOOD Ceramics pollywood47@gmail.com

Where Art Happens

The CASS Mobile Art Studio and its founder create community, one workshop at a time

story by JANET COOK | photos by JANET COOK and courtesy of CASS

Kim Puckett has always had art in her heart. She was raised as an only child by her grandparents, who were both teachers. The family didn’t have a lot of resources, but there were always plenty of art supplies around the house and she spent a lot of time crafting and creating projects.

She grew up and got a master’s degree in early intervention and early childhood special education, settling down in the Portland area with her husband, Brian. They had a tiny cabin near Appleton, Wash., north of Lyle, where they spent weekends and fell in love with the Gorge.

As life settled into a comfortable thrum, Puckett decided to rekindle her affinity for art by

taking some online classes. Not surprisingly, she loved it. “It made me want to contact a friend and say, ‘Come do this with me,’” she said. “From that, I felt like I wanted to tell other people about art possibilities, to get together with people and do art.” She took that urge and turned it into a vision for a community art studio. She imagined it as a welcoming place where anyone could come and create in a judgement-free space with plenty of supplies on hand.

She had friends over for a “dream-building dinner,” where she shared her idea and welcomed input. She even came up with a name: Expressatory, a play on “express your story.” She began plying garage sales and hunting art store bargains, building a collection of supplies.

Kim Puckett, inset, hosts art classes and craft workshops that are welcoming to all, and provides supplies from her mobile art studio, left.

Janet Cook (left and inset)

en, Brian was diagnosed with cancer. e dream for a community art studio was shoved to the side. rough the tumult of surgery and treatment, as well as some complications along the way, Brian lost his job.

“ at made a couple of things happen,” Puckett said. “It made it feel like we couldn’t a ord the mortgage, and it was also one less person that would need to nd a job if we moved.” e idea of relocating permanently to their cabin near Appleton took on an air of reality rather than a dream for the distant future.

“Going through someone having cancer, it can change your outlook on life,” she added. “Rather than waiting until everything is just right, you start thinking, why not just do it right now?” Puckett put out some job feelers and wound up getting hired by Education Service District 112 as an early intervention specialist for Skamania County. She and her husband moved to their cabin at the end of December 2014 and Puckett began commuting to her job in Stevenson. After a year, the drive to work — especially during bad weather — became too much, and their remote, semio -grid cabin that felt delightful as a weekend getaway lost some of its luster as a permanent home.

In 2016, they moved to the community of Skamania, west of Stevenson, and Puckett took on a bigger job as coordinator of ESD 112’s early intervention program for Skamania and Klickitat counties.

Despite her busy day job, Puckett kept her dream of a community art space alive. Finally, in 2019, she opened a small studio in North Bonneville, naming it Expressatory

Participants of all ages work on their creations at a sock gnome workshop sponsored by the Stevenson Public Library, above and opposite top

Janet Cook

Community Art Studio. “It was a small space, but we could have classes with seven or eight people,” she said. The location, on the north side of Highway 14, wasn’t ideal, but it was a start. It seemed like her dream was coming to fruition. Then Covid arrived. She closed the short-lived studio and brought everything home to her house.

“My upstairs art studio was packed to the gills,” she said. Despite yet another setback, Puckett held onto her vision. Whiling away time at home, she came across an enterprise in Canada exactly like what she wanted to do called The LivingRoom Community Art Studio. “They have a YouTube video where people talk about what the studio means

The CASS Mobile Art Studio hosts classes and workshops throughout the central Gorge, including during monthly visits to the Rock Cove Assisted Living Community in Stevenson, left

to them,” she said. “I still cry when I watch it.” Like her own Expressatory, that studio, too, was forced to close when the pandemic hit. Searching for a way to carry on in some form, its founder hit on the idea of a mobile art studio. Filled with art supplies from the former brick-and-mortar space, an old converted bus now travels to local communities, bringing art supplies and low-cost events to underserved areas.

For Puckett, it was a lightbulb moment. “I thought, maybe that’s a better way to start here,” she said. “It felt not as big as starting with a building space.” She began searching public surplus auction sites for a bus, an ambulance — anything that could serve as a mobile art studio.

“The thing that came up was a step van from Washington State University that was part of the maintenance department,” she said. Puckett held a fundraiser that generated enough to buy the van and get it licensed in November 2021. Thus, CASS Mobile Art was born (CASS stands for Community Art Studio of Skamania).

The van is stuffed with the art supplies Puckett has been collecting for more than a decade. The Community Art Studio of Skamania is a registered nonprofit under the fiscal sponsorship of Community Enrichment for Klickitat and Skamania County (CEKC). Last year, from March through November, she set up the van at the Columbia Gorge Interpretive Center Museum on the first Saturday each month and gave out free art kits. A robust schedule of free pop-up artmaking events and low-cost workshops keeps her busy when she’s not at her day job.

On the CASS Mobile Art Facebook page, Puckett announces upcoming events ranging from family art nights at local schools to crafting workshops. A recent sock gnome workshop sponsored by the Stevenson Public Library quickly filled up and had a waiting list. Puckett and the CASS Mobile Art Studio are also a fixture at most community-wide events in the central Gorge, including the annual summer Gorge Days Festival in North Bonneville and the City of Stevenson’s Christmas in the Gorge celebration.

Puckett wrote and received her first grant last year, from the Firstenburg Foundation, to bring monthly art activities to the Rock Cove Assisted Living Community and Skamania County Senior Services at the Hegewald Center. She plans to apply for more

Participants show off their work from a flower pounding activity CASSprovidedforaprivatebirthday party.

grants now that she has some experience doing it.

The CASS Mobile Art Studio is also available for private parties and events, with funds going to help support the free and low-cost services offered.

Puckett’s goal continues to be establishing a physical location — a maker space where people can come and utilize supplies and tools they might not have access to, and where she can host classes and other events. Like everything she does with the CASS Mobile Art van, “the emphasis will be that it’s a safe place for anyone to come and gather and build community,” she said. Her dream follows the Art Hive model, which can be anything from a stand-alone studio to a pop-up that prioritizes inclusion, respect and learning. “You get the benefits of all of that, and it happens to have artwork you can do.”

Puckett hopes to be able to devote all her time to the Community Art Studio of Skamania at some point. “This is my passion,” she said. “I hope that in a couple of years, I’ll be able to do that.” Luckily for the Stevenson-area community, Kim Puckett holds on tight to her dreams and doesn’t let go.

To learn more, go to cassmobileart.org and facebook.com/CASSMobileArt

Time to live where you vacation.

Nate

nate@copperwest.com

Nate is a second-generation Realtor and offers his clients a high level of integrity, transparency and great service. As a local small business owner (Dog River Coffee) and a former Planning Commissioner, Nate is a sharp resource for buyers in this dynamic Real Estate market.

541-490-4433

julie@copperwest.com juliegilbertrealestate.com

With over 17 years in the industry, Julie is one of the area’s leading Realtors. In addition to her energy and experience with smooth transactions, Julie has committed countless hours serving on Real Estate boards at the state and local level, 2x Realtor of the Year, and volunteers for local non-profits.

Cautiously Back in the Saddle

story by CATE HOTCHKISS | photos by GREG GALLIANO and PALOMA AYALA

On the morning of January 2, 2022, Melanie Strong and her husband Greg Galliano of Hood River headed out for a bike ride in Huntington Beach, Calif., where they were visiting friends during a three-week, sun-seeking road trip. e plan: a casual cruise along a paved oceanside path, a change of pace from the technical terrain they typically traversed in the Gorge. For this one leisurely ride, they decided to leave their helmets behind.

At around the six-mile mark, the trail, slightly wider than a sidewalk, grew more crowded. As oncoming cyclists and pedestrians approached, Strong and Galliano, riding side by side, squeezed together. Within seconds, their pedals interlocked, and Strong slammed head- rst onto the asphalt.

“She let out a piercing scream, and I was terri ed,” says Galliano, recounting how he jumped o his bike and cradled his wife’s head. He noticed a super cial abrasion, but minimal blood. Minutes later, another cyclist, an EMT, stopped and checked Strong’s vision, neck, and asked her a series of questions.

Strong recalls, “He said, ‘You know, you look good, and don’t show any signs of concussion,’ and because I felt relatively okay, we chose to forego a trip to the hospital to get a

After an accident, cyclist Melanie Strong hopes others learn from her story

Paloma Ayala

Greg Galliano (left & right)

scan, which would turn out to be bad decision number two. e rst, of course, not wearing a helmet.”

Strong rested for 24 hours at their friends’ house before she and Galliano ventured up the coast in their camper van, riding a succession of strenuous trails along the way. Overall, Strong still felt healthy. “No headaches or memory issues, no confusion, symptoms you’d normally connect to a brain injury,” she explains. She did, however, notice that during descents, she needed extra time to process the landscape racing by, so she slowed down a little. As for Galliano, he observed that his wife, almost always even keeled, did seem a bit more emotional, maybe, but nothing really to raise any red ags.

A couple of weeks later, Strong resumed her busy role as managing partner at Next Ventures, an early stage investing rm she co-founded in 2019 following a 17-year career leading top brands at Nike, including Nike Women and Nike Skateboarding. Galliano also worked at Nike as an art director for seven years until, in 2014, he and Strong launched Hood River Mountain Bike Adventures, which o ers bike tours, lessons, and rentals. In 2018, the couple moved to the Gorge full-time, the corporate world disappearing in the rearview.

On Saturday, January 22, they joined friends on a routine gravel ride, hosted by Dirty Fingers Bikes. “I felt really o that day and thought maybe I’d contracted Covid,” says Strong, though later tested negative. “From there, things started to deteriorate quickly.” Twice she closed the car door on her left leg, not realizing it was still outside the vehicle. In addition, she began to lose strength in her left foot and toes.

Her primary chiropractor referred her to Alex Roddvik, DC, owner of Hood River Chiropractic and Wellness, and who is certi ed in functional neurology. “Melanie’s case was atypical because the symptoms manifested so much later,” Dr. Roddvik explains. “But the rapid onset of sensory loss and weakness in her left foot, especially after a head trauma, was alarming.” He scheduled an MRI appointment for the next morning, January 26, at Siker Medical Imaging in Portland. e brain scan revealed a large subdural hematoma, or brain bleed, in her parietal lobe, located in the upper back area of the skull, and which plays a role in spatial awareness, or knowing where the body is positioned relative to its surroundings, as well as coordination of

• Average 7-Minute Wait �me

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Melanie Strong and her husband, Greg Galliano, opposite, are avid cyclists, and own Hood River Mountain Bike Adventures. Clockwise from above, Windy Ridge on Mount St. Helens; a spring ride on Hood River’s Whoopdee Trail; riding near Baker City.

Skyline Dr. White Salmon, Wash.

Greg Galliano

movements. She would need to go directly to the hospital, the technician explained. “I started panicking and crying as I processed the severity of it all,” Strong says.

Her husband rushed her to the emergency department at Legacy Emanuel. When they arrived, the medical team had already reviewed the scans. “Based on the size of the hematoma, they were dumbfounded as to why Melanie wasn’t experiencing massive headaches, and tripping over her words and feet,” Galliano says. Hours later, Strong was wheeled into the operating room where the neurosurgeon performed “burr hole” surgery, drilling several small holes into her skull to drain the build-up of blood and other uids.

Following surgery, Strong was transferred to the neurotrauma intensive care unit with a temporary drain tube extending from her head to the front pocket of her hospital gown. “It needed to drain clear before they would release me,” she says. “ e tube was a tangible reminder of what had happened and was still ongoing. But I felt really lucky not to have su ered more permanent damage, to know who I was, and have the same personality.”

Due to yet another wave of Covid-19, visitors were not allowed inside the ICU, so Galliano waited and worried alone in the hospital parking lot. Once the surgeon called to report all had gone well, Galliano drove back to Hood River to gather some essentials and stopped by Dirty Fingers to update his friends, whom he knew would be there for happy hour beers. But when he tried to speak, he choked up. “I was a real mess,” he says.

Chris Johnsen was sitting at the counter when Galliano walked in. “It looked as if he’d seen a ghost,” says Johnsen, a contractor who owns Gorge Structures. “I gave him a hug, and so did everyone else.” Galliano then shared the unraveling of events, which shocked them all, as many had, just a few days prior, ridden with Strong. From there, the news spread like wild re throughout the cycling community. Everyone wanted to help, explains Heather Pola, a member of Team Finger. “Melanie is a great friend and mentor to me and many people,” she says. “She’s a passionate powerhouse. We all adore her.” Pola and others decided to organize a meal train, dropping o hot healthy dinners on the couple’s back porch for as long as necessary.

On January 28, just two days after the procedure, a hospital attendant wheeled Strong directly from the ICU to the parking lot, where Galliano had been camping in his van, and handed him a xeroxed list of post-op instructions. His wife’s follow-up appointment would be in ten days. “I was trying to make sense of what I was supposed to do,” Galliano says. “And as if I’d asked, our nurse friends came to the house and showed me how to properly take care of Melanie, including how to clean around the seven staples in her skull.”

Although the surgery resolved her one-sided muscle weakness, other issues lingered, such as insomnia and di culty with moving scenery. Once Strong emerged from those critical rst few weeks, she focused on a path forward. “I was alive, but now what?” she says. “How could I optimize my recovery?”

Melanie Strong splashes through a puddle atop Coyote Wall. She’s a more deliberate rider since recovering from her accident just over a year ago, and hopes others can learn from her story.

Greg Galliano

Meet Dr. Renelle Conner

Dr. Renelle Conner is enthusiastic about providing excellent orthodontic care for children, teens, and adults. “I love working with people and changing smiles. Changing a smile, builds confidence. Building confidence for a person, changes their life! My career as an Orthodontist allows for a beautiful melding of biology, chemistry, psychology and art, which I utilize to feed my passionfor creating beautiful smiles in confident faces.”

Dr. Conner grew up in a small town in Washington. She earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry from Eastern Washington University. After obtaining a bachelor’s degree she went on to excel in dental school, earning a Doctor of Dental Surgery Degree, from the University of Washington. Following dental school, Dr. Conner received a Master’s in Orthodontics from A.T. Still University-Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health.

Dr. Conner’s hobbies include decorating cakes, making espresso, and reading. She also enjoys traveling, meeting new people, and trying new things.

To that end, she sought advice from health care providers and friends who had also experienced traumatic brain injuries. She put together a plan, which included eating plenty of healthy fats like avocados and nuts; taking high-dose turmeric and sh oil supplements;

receiving regular acupuncture; walking daily; soaking up sunshine; and improving sleep habits.

She also signed up for weekly sessions of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) at Cell Regen, founded by Bryan Call, DC, in Hood River. “Breathing pure oxygen in a pressurized chamber increases the amount of oxygen your blood can carry,” explains Dr. Call. is helps to oxygenate tissues, lower in ammation, and increase cellular energy, all of which promote healing, he adds. While reclining in the tube-like chamber, Strong would practice meditation or even take a nap, allowing her brain to chill out, she says.

By late spring, she had returned to full-time work, driving, and eventually, the saddle of her mountain bike, despite a neurologist’s suggestion to avoid it. “I think he was dead wrong,” she says. “Biking brings me joy and is perhaps one of the reasons I’m still alive and as high functioning as I am. Our active lifestyle protects us from more serious outcomes related to a brain injury or other type of illness.” Or, as Dr. Roddvik put it, “She had a pristine brain to begin with.”

People often ask her, Are you back to normal? “ e answer is no, of course not, but that’s okay,” she says. “ e sobering reality is that I have to be more careful, but in many ways, I feel like a much better, smarter person, and I’m hoping others can learn from my mistakes and story.” One of the couple’s new mottos: ere’s no such thing as a no helmet ride

In early 2023, one year after the accident, Strong and Galliano returned to sunny So-Cal, although, this time, skipped the seaside path. ey did, however, tackle a half-dozen dirt trails. Strong says, “I ride slower, which can be frustrating, but mostly I’m just so happy to be doing the things I love with the partner I’m meant to be with.”

And, better yet, in a place, a community, that feels now, more than ever, like family, like home. Cate Hotchkiss is a freelance writer and photographer who lives in Hood River with her husband, two children, and their labradoodle.

Melanie Strong credits an active lifestyle, including biking, with her recovery.

Paloma Ayala

Justin Holt, MD

Matthew Proctor, MD

Grilled Steak & Veggies with Bagna Càuda

Recipe and photos by

Ingredients

• 2 1-1/2-inch ribeye steaks

• 1 small savoy cabbage, quartered

• 1 zucchini, quartered

• 1 yellow onion, thinly sliced scallions

• 4-6 anchovy filets

• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter

• 1 large garlic clove, finely grated zest and juice of 1 large lemon

• 2-3 Tbsps. red wine vinegar

• olive oil

• kosher salt

• freshly ground black pepper

• flake salt

• Italian parsley, chopped

Directions

Heat the grill to high heat. Season the steak all over with salt and pepper. Grill on both sides for about 4 minutes, until the steak is medium-rare. Check using a thermometer if desired. Let it rest.

Drizzle olive oil on the veggies, sprinkle with a bit of salt. Grill on the hot grill until slightly tender and charred in spots. Set aside.

an accompaniment to grilled ribeye and veggies. I used Rosauers’ Painted Hills steaks hand cut by the meat department. The result was truly delicious.

Place the butter and olive oil in small saucepan over medium heat until the butter has melted. Add in the anchovies and garlic and stir, heating through, until the anchovies have melted into the sauce and the garlic smells fragrant (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat, stir in the lemon zest and juice, and vinegar.

Plate the steak and veggies, finish with a sprinkle of flake salt and parsley. Dress the veggies and the steak with a bit of the sauce, dipping as needed while you eat.

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.

Open daily: 11:30am-9pm

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.

BRIDGESIDE

541-374-8477 • bridgesidedining.com

Exit 44 off I-84, Cascade Locks

Stunning views next to the Bridge of the Gods – Bridgeside (formerly Charburger) serves tasty char-broiled burgers plus an extensive menu of breakfast items, chowders, fish & chips, salads, sandwiches, and desserts. Serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner 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 17 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

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.

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

Everybody’s Brewing sits perfectly nestled on the cli s of White Salmon, WA, overlooking the beautiful Columbia River Gorge. With award-winning beers, a globally-inspired food menu, and jaw-dropping views of Mt. Hood, 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)

GRACE SU’S CHINA GORGE

RESTAURANT & TIGER LOUNGE

541-386-5331 • chinagorge.com

2680 Old Columbia River Drive • Hood River

A Gorge favorite known for authentic flavor and friendly service. Proudly serving Hunan and Szechuan cuisine since 1978. From our family to yours, we’re honored to have you at our table!

Open Tue-Sun, closed Mon. Call or visit Facebook.com/ ChinaGorge for updates on takeout & dine-in service.

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.

THE LITTLE SEVEN SEVEN RANCH HIGHLAND BEEF

509-767-7130 • L77Ranch.com

Grass-Fed Highland Beef from our ranch to your home. The L77 Ranch Shop is tucked away in the woods in Lyle. Highland Cattle can be viewed from the roads as you travel through the ranch. See all we have to offer in an open airy space. We stock a full selection of premium steaks, roasts, ground beef and more. Email for our Local Price List. By appointment only.

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

REMEDY CAFÉ

541-716-4020 • remedycafehoodriver.com

112 Third Street • Downtown Hood River

Organic juice, smoothies, bowls, burritos & salads. House-made almond and coconut milks. Vegan and paleo options. Best quality organic and local ingredients. Organic espresso. Order Online - RemedyCafeHoodRiver.com

Dine-In, Takeout and Curbside Options. Kids Corner. WiFi. “Where Healthy Food and Your Cravings Meet!”

RIVERSIDE & CEBU LOUNGE

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. Plus an award-winning wine list 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.

SOLSTICE HOOD RIVER

541-436-0800 • solsticehoodriver.com

501 Portway Ave • Hood River Waterfront

A destination dining experience that unites friends, families, & community with a love of wood-fired pizza, shareable appetizers, and gluten friendly offerings. Inspired by the Gorge & seasonal harvests from our neighboring farms, our food & beverage menus are chef-driven & handcrafted. Walk-ins welcome! Reservations for in-house dining & takeout at our cafe/pizza truck available on our site!

SUSHI OKALANI

541-386-7423 • sushiokalani@gorge.net

109 First Street • Downtown Hood River

We are the local’s favorite spot for fresh fish, Pan-Asian cuisine, and a huge sake selection, all available to-go only. We offer curbside pickup, 7 nights a week. With creative rolls, rotating specials, and fresh sashimi and nigiri, we also offer staples like Teriyaki, Tempura, and stir-fry dishes to satisfy all tastes. Phone orders only, starting at 4, pickup 5-8pm. Check IG & FB for specials and current menu.

THUNDER ISLAND BREWING CO.

971-231-4599 • thunderislandbrewing.com

601 NW Wa Na Pa Street • Cascade Locks

A brewery and taproom located in the heart of the Columbia River Gorge. The river and mountain views pair beautifully with craft beer and delicious food. Well-behaved dogs are welcome on the patio. All guests are welcome, and are expected to follow Oregon state COVID guidelines. Cheers! Reservations are recommended. To book, visit thunderislandbrewing.com.

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

Robyn Legun loves to explore the Gorge and look for blooming wildflowers. On a beautiful day last spring, she headed to a small park near Carson on the recommendation of a friend. “She told me I had to see this place,” Legun recalled. When she got there, she walked along a trail and came upon a whole field of camas lilies “blooming like crazy,” she said. “You can sit there and look at the river. It’s gorgeous.” The plants have been cultivated up and down the western Gorge for their bulbs, which have long been a staple food for Native Americans. It’s even the namesake for the town of Camas, located at the mouth of the Gorge. The delicate camas lily flowers bloom from April to June and vary in color from lilac to indigo.

The Photographer

ROBYN LEGUN has had a small boutique flower farm in Carson for the past five years where she grows garden roses as well as a few select annuals. During Covid, she branched out from her original wholesale business to selling everyday bouquets at farmers markets and other outlets. In order to take photos for her business, she spent “a few years trying to figure out how to take great photos of flowers in general,” she said. Last year, she co-opened a retail shop in Stevenson called Traverse PNW Market, with a focus on local artists and makers. She continues to sell bouquets of flowers there, along with lots of other goods ranging from gift items to specialty groceries and locally crafted beverages. traversestevenson.com

Home sweet home.

Cyndee is a NW native and has called Hood River home for over 20 years. One of her greatest joys is helping others Buy and Sell Real Estate in the Gorge. She is proud to be one of the top producers at the top brokerage in the region and is licensed in OR & WA. Are you thinking of listing your home?

Is it time to buy your dream property? Work with Cyndee to make your goals come true in 2023!

HHHHH

Cyndee was amazing! She was on the job for several months before our property even listed. She took initiative to investigate issues involving county regulations and deed/title issues. As out-of-state sellers, Cyndee helped us clean and prepare the property for sale using her incredible local network. She advised on local market trends and sales strategies for maximum returns. So grateful! —

Thelma H.