The Gorge Magazine - Summer 2022

SUMMER 2022 thegorgemagazine.com

LIVING AND EXPLORING IN THE COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE

Out of this World Take a trip through the cosmos at the Goldendale Observatory

Aster Raine

Skincare products with a mission

La Clínica

Health care goes mobile

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CONTENTS | SUMMER 2022

50

FEATURE

ADDING COLOR TO THE CANVAS

The Dalles Art Center creates community through art and craft

By Don Campbell

FEATURE

OUT OF THIS WORLD Take a trip through the cosmos at the newly renovated Goldendale Observatory

By Janet Cook

40

Lasting Light Photography

ARTS + CULTURE

OUR GORGE

58 CENTENNIAL CELEBRATION An exhibit by a local photographer highlights 100 years of Oregon State Parks

By Janet Cook

10 VENTURES 16 BEST OF THE GORGE 18 LOCAVORE

WELLNESS

24 CREATE

64 BACK TO THE FUTURE

28 IMBIBE

One Community Health honors its roots with a new mobile unit named La Clínica

70 PARTAKE 74 YOUR GORGE

By Janet Cook

64

28

Janet Cook

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Renata Kosina

Courtesy of Willow Wine Cellars

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EDITOR’S NOTE

U

ntil this spring, I had not been to the Goldendale Observatory in many years. I remembered little about it except the metal dome that slid open for telescope viewing. The rest was forgettable.

For astronomy enthusiasts, it’s always been an interesting place because it houses one of the world’s largest public telescopes. But ever since its hasty construction in the early 1970s, the observatory itself has been little more than a nondescript building surrounded by halfhearted landscaping. Astronomy presentations were held in a stuffy classroom with uncomfortable chairs.

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Well, things have changed considerably. A multi-phase renovation that began in 2013 has transformed the observatory into a hip, modern structure with manicured grounds and a parking lot designed to block headlights from interrupting nighttime stargazing. It’s still home to one of the world’s largest public telescopes — also upgraded during the renovation — and its staff hosts some of the most informative and entertaining interpretive programs in astronomy you’ll find anywhere. You can take it all in free of charge; it’s a Washington State Park, so you’ll need a Discover Pass to park on-site. We explore the observatory and all it has to offer starting on page 50.

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Another state park-themed story in this issue celebrates the centennial of the Oregon State Parks system (page 58). Local landscape photographer Peter Marbach spent two years photographing many of the more than 250 state parks for an exhibit that opened in May at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland. It runs for six months, and Marbach’s extensive body of photographs will also be part of the permanent digital library collection at OHS. Writer Don Campbell takes an in-depth look at The Dalles Art Center and its increasing presence in the community (page 40). Since taking the helm in 2018, director Scott Stephenson has modernized the center by implementing new computer software, digitizing membership lists and curating innovative exhibits. But his work reaches beyond the walls of the center’s home in the historic Carnegie Library building by engaging the community in art projects and collaborations — the results of which can be seen around The Dalles, from a sculpture installed in front of the art center to a mural that celebrates iconic elements of the city.

You’ll find a lot of other interesting stories in these pages, too, including a piece on skincare products company Aster Raine (page 10), a story about Willow Wine Cellars and its founders’ unpretentious take on wine (page 28), and a visit to La Clínica, a mobile healthcare unit making rounds in the Gorge (page 64). We hope you enjoy this issue. Have a fun-filled summer!

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SUMMER 2022 thegorgemagazine.com

— Janet Cook, Editor LIVING AND EXPLORING IN THE COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE

Out of this World Take a trip through the cosmos at the Goldendale Observatory

Aster Raine

Skincare products with a mission

About the Cover Renata Kosina spent an afternoon and evening at the Goldendale Observatory to photograph our cover story.

“I was there for the solar show and then went back that night,” she said. “It’s almost like the building came alive, it’s so beautifully lit.” Along with the observatory itself, she found the view all around it to be captivating. “You see all of Goldendale below and the wind turbine lights blinking on the horizon. It’s almost magical to be there during blue hour.” renatakosina.com

La Clínica

Health care goes mobile

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Oregon & Washington Broker

6

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.

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SUMMER 2022 EDITOR Janet Cook

CREATIVE DIRECTOR & GRAPHIC DESIGNER Renata Kosina

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Jody Thompson

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ruth Berkowitz, Don Campbell, Kacie McMackin, Ben Mitchell

COVER PHOTOGRAPHER Renata Kosina

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Paloma Ayala, Renata Kosina, Kacie McMackin, Peter Marbach, Lasting Light Photography

A FAVORITE OF LOCALS AND VISITORS FOR DECADES Specials every Friday - Sunday

TO ADVERTISE IN THE GORGE MAGAZINE please contact Jody Thompson jthompson@thegorgemagazine.com

Current specials menu announced every Thursday on our Facebook & Instagram 10% discount for seniors and veterans

VISIT US ON SOCIAL MEDIA @thegorgemagazine on Instagram

THE GORGE MAGAZINE 600 E. Port Marina Way, Suite B and C P.O. Box 390 Hood River, Oregon 97031 We appreciate your feedback.

Please email comments to: jcook@thegorgemagazine.com

The Gorge Magazine is published by Columbia Gorge News, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronically or mechanically, including photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system, without the express written permission of Columbia Gorge News, LLC. Articles and photographs appearing in The Gorge Magazine may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the publisher. The views and opinions expressed in these articles are not necessarily those of The Gorge Magazine, Columbia Gorge News, LLC, or its employees, staff or management. All RIGHTS RESERVED. The Gorge Magazine is printed at Eagle Web Press.

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ourGORGE ventures 10 best of the gorge 16 create 24 imbibe 28 your gorge 74

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Fatima Morgan labels bottles of skincare products for her company, Aster Raine Paloma Ayala

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OUR GORGE I VENTURES

More than Skin Deep Aster Raine’s founder creates skincare products with a mission story by RUTH BERKOWITZ | photos by PALOMA AYALA

F

atima Morgan recalls examining her skin in the mirror one day several years ago with dismay. It was becoming increasingly blotchy, and her ordinary routine of applying baby lotion to her face no longer worked. “I had hyperpigmentation,” she tells me as we talk in her Hood River home.

Morgan, who moved to the Gorge in the summer of 2017, perused skincare blogs and sampled several expensive products before finally landing on a facial serum that helped even out her skin tone. Unfortunately, the magic remedy cost more than $100 a bottle, which her budget couldn’t sustain.

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Morgan dreamed about an alternative to this pricey selfcare routine. A savvy entrepreneur, she tossed and turned at night pondering how she could make her own product and perhaps even market it to others. She had owned a beauty salon in Angola where she lived before coming to the U.S., so creating her own skincare line was a tangible dream.

After some research and groundwork, Morgan connected with a reputable cosmetic chemist who worked with Whole Foods to manufacture products with a minimalist approach. They experimented with natural ingredients, including special anti-aging peptides, antioxidants and Vitamin C. After less than a year, Morgan had three items ready for market: a facial oil, a brightening mist, and a cleanser.

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where the Gorge gets

engaged

Fatima Morgan, opposite inset, launched her company, Aster Raine, in 2019 after searching in vain for quality, affordable skincare products.

APLAND For a name, Morgan chose the perennial aster flower as a symbol for resilience and beauty. Aster is also Greek for “star,” the shape of the flower. Morgan checked domain name registrations for “Aster Rain,” but it was taken. She added an “e” to “Raine,” making our wet Northwest weather sound a tad more exotic. With a perfect name and clean packaging, Morgan launched Aster Raine in October 2019.

Having an excellent product helps, but marketing is always crucial. Fortunately, Morgan has been selling things for years. As a 12-year-old middle school student in Brazzaville, the bustling capital city in the Republic of Congo, she made sweet, caramelized peanut snacks and sold them to her classmates.

A few years later, she created a small business selling jewelry, shoes and lingerie.

“I really like business,” Morgan says.

When she graduated from college at the age of 20, she decided to open her own hair salon instead of following the popular path in western Africa of going to work in the petroleum industry. She rented a space in downtown Luanga, Angola, and painted the walls pink.

Before long, she had six employees and a lucrative salon business.

It was during this time that Morgan’s father, a businessman who lived across the border in Congo, died unexpectedly at the age of 53. After his funeral, Morgan began thinking about her father’s dream of traveling

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OUR GORGE I VENTURES

Filling bottles with her product and putting labels on them are just part of a day’s work for Fatima Morgan, who makes her products with natural, plant-based ingredients.

the world. Sadly, he’d never had a chance to leave Africa. “You never know what will happen tomorrow so it’s important to live for today,” says Morgan, tearful at the memory of her father.

She began living out her father’s dream of travel, venturing first to Cape Town, South Africa.

She enjoyed it so much that she soon planned her next adventure, to Brazil. The day she applied for a visa to Brazil, she decided on a whim to stop at the American Embassy to see if she could get a visa to the U.S. “That one isn’t so easy to get,” she says, noting that many of her friends had attempted unsuccessfully. But it was her lucky day; she was granted a visa to visit the U.S. After her trip to Brazil, where she met people from all over the world, she returned to Angola

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smitten with travel. Her hair salon was running well even without her daily presence, so she began planning her trip to the U.S. A friend living in Greensboro, N.C., invited Morgan to stay with her. So, in April 2016, Morgan bought a plane ticket to New York, and a bus ticket to North Carolina.

When she disembarked the plane and handed her passport to the immigration officer, he stamped it and wished her a happy birthday.

She’d landed in the U.S. for the first time on her 24th birthday.

About a week after settling into Greensboro, Morgan went shopping for blue jeans.

When the clerk tried to run her credit card, it didn’t work. Strange, thought Morgan, she’d used it the day before and knew she had money in her account. She checked her balance at the nearest ATM and was shocked to see there was no money. She soon found out the reason: Angola had gone bankrupt.

Plummeting oil prices had diminished the value of the local currency, the kwanza, to virtually nothing.

With only $200 in her purse, Morgan had to strategize. Not wanting to overstay

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OUR GORGE I VENTURES

Aster Raine’s product line includes facial creams, serums and cleansers, goat’s milk soap, and body and bath oil.

her welcome in North Carolina, she made her way to Los Angeles to stay with another friend. Gutsy and eager to see more of the country, she met yet another friend who offered her a couch in San Francisco, where she stayed for a few weeks before continuing north to Seattle to visit a cousin. There, she enrolled in a course for English as a second language. Fluent in four other languages — French, Portuguese, Lingala and Kicongo — English came easily. On a lark, she joined E-Harmony, an online dating site.

It so happened that Jake Morgan, whose family owned Morgan Paints in Hood River for many years and now runs a window blind and shade company, had also recently joined E-Harmony. He clicked on Fatima’s profile, reached out, and the two began talking for hours at a time on the phone. Soon, he was driving from Hood River to Seattle to meet her, which he continued to do for many months. She eventually moved to the Gorge so Jake didn’t have to commute for dates.

They got married in 2018 and are now parents to a rambunctious 3-year-old daughter, with another baby on the way.

Morgan wants to grow her company with integrity. Her mission has three tenets: authenticity, affordability and empowerment. She makes her products with natural, plant-based ingredients, and works to keep expenses low so she can make high-end products at affordable prices. As for empowerment? It applies to her customers (“Great-looking skin can boost our confidence,” she says on her website), and to women in general. She believes education is vital for the advancement of women, and to support educating young girls in developing countries she donates 10 percent of Aster Raine’s profits to organizations working toward that end.

Morgan currently markets her products online through her website and in-person at shows, fairs and festivals throughout the Northwest. She hopes eventually to sell her skincare line at Whole Foods.

With her business up and running and a busy family life, she jokes that it’s all black and white. Her home is painted black and white, her child is black and white, and even her product is packaged in black and white. Her story, though, is filled with color.

To learn more, go to asterraine.com. Aster Raine products can be found locally at Wink Lash & Wax Bar, Laurel & Eddie, and Hood River Lavender Farms at Stave & Stone Winery.

Ruth Berkowitz is a mediator and writer living in Hood River.

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OUR GORGE I BEST OF THE GORGE

Micheal Drewry

Steigerwald Lake

1

Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge reopened to the public in May after a two-year closure to reconnect the refuge’s main waterway, Gibbons Creek, to its historic Columbia River floodplain. The work re-establishes wetland habitat and reduces the risk of flooding by restoring a natural drainage from Gibbons Creek to the river. The project was a collaboration among multiple entities, but was made possible when Friends of the Columbia Gorge Land Trust purchased a 160-acre tract adjacent to the refuge and conveyed it to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to expand the refuge and facilitate the reconnection project. The refuge, at the gateway to the Gorge east of Washougal, is a haven for hundreds of species of birds and other wildlife. fws.gov/refuge/steigerwald-lake

Gorge Blues & Brews Festival

3 Courtesy of ODOT

Waterfall Corridor Timed Permits

The 29th annual Gorge Blues & Brews Festival returns to the Skamania County Fairgrounds in Stevenson June 24-25. The musical lineup includes headliners Too Slim & the Tail Draggers and Johnny Wheels & the Swamp Donkeys, plus eight more bands playing on two stages throughout the festival. Local breweries, wineries and a distillery will be on hand serving award-winning beverages.

Food vendors will also be on site. Camping is available by reservation. gorgeblues.com

2

Plan ahead for your visit to the Waterfall Corridor this summer. To help reduce congestion, timed permits will be required for personal vehicles in this section of the Historic Columbia River Highway every day from 9-6, through Sept. 5.

The permits are required from just east of Bridal Veil (Exit 28 on I-84) to Ainsworth State Park (Exit 35). Separate timed permits are also required for the Multnomah Falls parking lot, Exit 31. Both permits are available two weeks prior to your visit at recreation.gov for a $2 fee. For the Waterfall Corridor, there will also be a limited number of in-person, same-day permits available at select locations, including the Gateway to the Gorge Visitor Center in Troutdale and the Cascade Locks Historical Museum. waterfallcorridorpermits.org 16

Courtesy of GB&BF

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101 YEARS Hood Riv er County Fair

July 27-30, 2022 Theme: “Up in the Garden, Down on the Farm” David Burbach

Plein Air in the Gorge

4

The annual Pacific Northwest Plein Air in the Columbia Gorge event takes place July 25-28, when more than 30 juried artists from around the Northwest and beyond converge on the Gorge for a four-day “paint out,” capturing the beauty of the Gorge as they paint en plein air at locations up and down the Columbia River. Works are then displayed at the Maryhill Museum of Art, where prizes are awarded to the most exceptional works. They remain on view and for sale in the museum’s M.J. Murdock Charitable Trust Education Center through Aug. 27. pacificnwpa.com

ENTERTAINMENT NIGHTLY! Hit Machine Thurs night Dinamicos Del Norte & Banda Potrero Fri night

Rodney Atkins Live in Concert Sat night All Concerts (no longer free with admission) $10 Adults, $5 kids 6-12, and 5 and under free.

FAIR ADMISSION: Wed-Thurs Adults $10 Kids 5-12 $5, and 5 and under are free; Fri-Sat Adults $15, kids 5-12 $5, and kids 5 and under are free.

Ride Bracelets on sale till 5pm Wed July 27th ACTIVITIES HOURS: 4-H & FFA 8am Fairground Gates Open at 10am

Courtesy of EGFT

East Gorge Food Trail

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Extending from Mosier to Goldendale, the East Gorge Food Trail is a self-guided journey that highlights the local bounty. It includes family-owned farms, u-pick orchards, eateries, wineries, lodging and markets that source ingredients locally and within 150 miles. The food trail website offers travel tips, suggested itineraries and a downloadable map. eastgorgefoodtrail.com

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hoodriverfair.org Directions from I-84: continue on Hwy 35 for 8 miles, turn at the Odell Junction and follow signs to the Fairground

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OUR GORGE I LOCAVORE

Queen of Hearts Superfoods Tonia Farman is on a mission to bring the power of nutritional hemp to the people story by RUTH BERKOWITZ | photos by PALOMA AYALA

L

aunching a new product is challenging in the best of times. Launching one during a global pandemic takes “challenging” to a whole new level.

In February 2021, with Covid raging and making business difficult on many fronts, Tonia Farman climbed into her van and drove to Portland for an important meeting. The founder of Queen of Hearts Superfoods, Farman had been experimenting with hemp seed oil, hemp protein and hemp hearts to create a line of salad dressings. She’d made a robust Green Goddess dressing and sold it at the Hood River Farmers Market and to small local grocery stores, but the dressing required refrigeration. She needed expert help to create a shelf-stable product in order to have a scalable future.

On that rainy winter day, Farman had a meeting with Sarah Masoni from the Oregon State University’s Food Innovation Center, an organization that helps pioneer new products. Revered for her “million-dollar palate,” Masoni has helped several Northwest food start-ups grow, including Salt & Straw, Bob’s Red Mill, and Choi’s Kimchi Company. The two had met several years earlier when Farman provided her with samples of her hemp seed oil, hemp hearts and hemp protein.

Masoni was intrigued by the stand-alone products, but at the time Farman had yet to make something with them. So, she returned to her commercial kitchen in The Dalles and got to work.

Farman looked to her own life for product inspiration. She’s always the one bringing salads to potlucks, so she landed on the idea of creating a salad dressing. She discovered that hemp hearts cream up when you mix them with acid, like vinegar and lemon, resulting in a unique flavor and texture.

“Hemp is a superfood,” Farman says. “It’s a complete plant protein and easily digestible.” She boasts that her cold-pressed hemp seed oil is one of the most nutritional oils on the planet, packed with a range of Omega fatty acids, 21 essential amino acids, magnesium, iron and zinc.

18

Tonia Farman makes dressing in four different flavors, which can top everything from salad to rice bowls.

When Farman arrived for her meeting with Masoni, she was not permitted to enter the Food Innovation Center’s facility because of Covid rules. Instead, an employee rolled out samples for Farman to taste. “Needs more of a mouthfeel,” Farman said. “Too watery.”

The innovation team returned to the incubator kitchen, tweaked the recipe, then rolled

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r F

nery e e r G esh

SUMMER TIME n y r e e e r G sh e r F ORGANICS PRODUCE

DELI & BAKERY

MEAT & SEAFOOD WINE & BEER FLORAL

Queen of Hearts gluten-free dressings are made with hemp seed oil and hemp grain, plus herbs and spices. They contain no sugar or preservatives.

out more samples. Farman’s critiques continued: “Too much tarragon forward,” “not enough of a garlic taste.”

After a few hours, Farman was satisfied with three flavors: Zesty Caesar, Spicy Sesame and Sassy Italian. Within another month, the Food Innovation Center had helped Farman perfect the fourth (and original) dressing, Green Goddess, and come up with scalable recipes.

Next came the challenge of devising a system to pasteurize the mixture while retaining its exceptional nutritional value. Farman and her co-founder/husband Gregg Gnecco spent a few months perfecting a pasteurizing technique. “It’s top secret,” she says with a smile. By mid-summer 2021, Farman was ready to market her shelf-stable artisanal salad dressings.

A lucky break came in September when the Oregon Angel Food conference invited her to pitch her product via Zoom to an audience of investors and buyers. Farman, who was a graphic designer at the Seattle Art Institute in her former life, rushed to finalize labels and packaging. She also prepared samples for the 200-plus audience members so they could try her product in their homes while watching her presentation. The buyers for both New Seasons and Market of Choice grocery stores were in the audience, and they needed dressing for their shelves; some of their current vendors were struggling to fulfill orders due to supply chain issues. Farman doesn’t have supply chain problems because 95 percent of her ingredients are sourced locally and regionally.

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Explore the HOOD RIVER FRUIT LOOP

We invite you to visit our 27 farm stands and experience the first of the season’s produce. Fresh cherries, peaches, blueberries and strawberries are all available for u-pick or for your selection in the stands. Fragrant lavender and a bounty of other flowers are in bloom and ready to adorn your home.

Spend a relaxing afternoon sipping wine and enjoying the view.

We look forward to your visit!

Avoid the crowds by coming mid-week.

Pick up a brochure and map along the way, or visit our website.

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OUR GORGE I LOCAVORE Farman buys a variety of hemp grain grown in eastern Washington and central Montana for its nutty and buttery taste. There are many varieties of hemp, from medicinal and recreational to industrial and nutritional.

Various species are grown and harvested completely differently for different purposes.

Grain and fiber hemp plants are grown for the seeds (food) and stalks (fiber for industrial use). They grow from 8 to 16 feet high and require little water and labor compared to the hemp varieties grown in Western Oregon for medicinal purposes.

Hemp once grew prolifically in the United States before it was banned. The colonists brought the plant with them when they arrived in the 1600s, using it to make rope, sails and clothing, among other things. By the 1850s, the states of Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin and Kentucky were producing most of the country’s hemp for fabric, paper and rope. But in 1937, hemp’s popularity fizzled when concern over the film Reefer Madness led Congress to pass the Marijuana Tax Act. By 1970, the war on drugs led to a

Tonia Farman worked with a team from Oregon State University’s Food Innovation Center to perfect her salad dressing recipes, and then devised a pasteurizing process that preserved their nutritional value.

prohibition of all hemp plants, including those used for food and fiber.

The ban lasted more than 40 years, until the 2014 Farm Bill cleared the way for “institutions of higher education” and state agricultural departments to grow hemp. These pilot programs were strictly monitored by their state agencies and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

In 2018, Congress reversed course completely, giving farmers the green light to grow hemp for nutritional and industrial purposes.

Around that time, Farman sold the kiteboarding school she’d founded in 2008 and launched Queen of Hearts because she “wanted to be part of the solution to our toxic food system.” Her work running Project Koru, a nonprofit helping young adult cancer survivors connect and thrive through the outdoors, was the catalyst for her career pivot. “When the group convened for meals, many had never had food that was healthy, colorful and fresh,” she says. “They talked about the processed food they ate in the hospitals, and many lacked knowledge that food is a big part of health.” Their stories nagged at Farman, prompting her to research nutritional superfoods and discover hemp.

In the spring of 2018, she attended a hemp conference in Las Vegas — one of the few participants there to learn about nutritional hemp, as opposed to marijuana and CBD. Convinced, she bought 250 pounds of hemp hearts (the inner part of the hemp seed) from Colorado, packaged and sold them at the Hood River Farmers Market. Part of her mission is to educate others about nutritional hemp. “There’s a stigma about hemp, especially here in our cannabis-friendly state,” she says.

Her customers understand the nutritional value of hemp seeds and are willing to pay the price for her products. Similarly, the buyers of New Seasons and Market of Choice who watched her Oregon Angel Food pitch were intrigued. They contacted Farman the day after the event and ordered all four of her dressings. Gnecco’s day job meant the husband-wife duo worked until the wee hours of the night to fulfill orders.

“There’s a saying that it’s easy to get a product on the store shelves, but hard to get it off the shelves,” says Farman, who was worried that her premium price (about $9 per bottle), along with the public’s lack of knowledge about the benefits of hemp, would deter buyers. “I know that once people try the dressings and understand the product, they are hooked,” she says. Purveyors of new products usually address this problem with in-store demos, but Covid regulations didn’t allow them.

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the gorge by blaine franger

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6/2/22 11:52 AM

OUR GORGE I LOCAVORE Tonia Farman and her husband and business partner, Gregg Gnecco, fill bottles in their commercial kitchen.

Farman had to get creative, so she made a plan: give bottles of dressing to employees at the stores, along with notes explaining the product and the nutritional value of hemp. She surmised that if they tried it in the breakroom, they would recommend it to customers. Her plan worked and the dressings began to sell. With the easing of Covid restrictions this year, she’s now able to engage with customers at in-store demos.

Washougal River

Cape Horn Trail

Sales continue to grow, particularly since Farman has been on the food show circuit, drumming up business from recent shows in Las Vegas, San Francisco, Portland and New York. The feedback has been extraordinary, she says. In Las Vegas, hemp seed oil, and her salad dressings, were noted as one of the top five food trends. The San Francisco show resulted in new California accounts, and she’s hopeful the New York show will do the same.

Getting a new product off the ground is always satisfying. Perhaps more so when it happens during a pandemic.

Find Queen of Hearts Superfoods dressing and oil at Treebird Market and The Farm Stand in Hood River, and order online at queenofhearts.com

Ruth Berkowitz is a mediator and writer living in Hood River.

Public Art

Tourism support provided by the City of Washougal hotel/motel tax fund.

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Andrea Johnson/Maryhill Winery

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OUR GORGE I CREATE

A Tale of Two Artists The language of art brings together a student and her teacher story by JANET COOK | photos courtesy of the artists

I

t’s been nine years since artist Yvonne PepinWakefield met Yazmin Villegas in an art class she was teaching at the Columbia Center for the Arts in Hood River. But she still remembers it clearly.

“It was a ceramics class for kids,” Pepin-Wakefield said. “Yazmin didn’t say anything, but I’d put some clay in her hands, walk away and she’d have done something when I came back.”

Yazmin was 9 years old at the time. She was born with a genetic disorder that presents with physical and cognitive challenges, but has always been drawn to art, according to her mom, Monica Romero.

“She’s always loved art, and doing art and craft projects,” said Romero, who enrolled her daughter in the ceramics class to encourage her interest. The class turned out to be pivotal for Yazmin.

Pepin-Wakefield, a prolific artist who does painting, photography and ceramics (as well as being a writer with several published books to her name), has experience teaching art to all ages and abilities. Her own art career began after the death of both of her parents, when she started drawing to channel her grief and loss. She later studied at the Mendocino Art Center fine arts program and continued at Antioch University in San Francisco, where she studied fine arts and arts administration. Research for her doctoral degree was based on drawing as a means of nonverbal communication.

Yvonne Pepin-Wakefield and her student, Yazmin Villegas, discuss frames and composition at Pepin-Wakefield’s studio in The Dalles. Top, an oil rendering of a pomegranate by Yvonne Pepin-Wakefield.

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Yazmin has developed her painting technique over the years, above and opposite inset.

Pepin-Wakefield has taught art in many settings, from elementary schools to a six-year stint at Kuwait University, where she taught art to university-aged Muslim women. So, the kids’ ceramics class was just another one, until she met Yazmin.

At the time, Yazmin was non-verbal even when Pepin-Wakefield tried to engage her. But after a few days, the student would sit down next to her teacher during snack breaks. “She’d sort of elbow me,” Pepin-Wakefield said. “I knew there was a connection there.”

Pepin-Wakefield offered to take Yazmin on as a private student.

Romero agreed and began driving her daughter to Pepin-Wakefield’s studio in The Dalles once a week for a one and a half hour class.

The weekly classes continued until the pandemic hit in March 2020.

During Covid, they did as much as they could over the phone with video. The two started back up with in-person classes this spring.

During the last nine years, Yazmin, now 18, has developed her art techniques, become a multi-year participant in the annual Gorge Artists Open Studios Tour, and held several shows of her work at local galleries.

She has a website and an Instagram account to promote her work.

“Seeing the growth in her has been amazing to watch,” PepinWakefield said. When Yazmin started with her, she didn’t talk at all.

At first, Pepin-Wakefield focused not on art, but exercises. “Yazmin has some atrophy in her hands, so I had her pound nails to develop strength,” she said. It was during one of the nail-pounding sessions when Yazmin first spoke to her teacher.

“I think she knew in herself that she had something,” Pepin-Wakefield said. “I think art was a way to validate it, and she knew that I saw that. I think it’s that validation that led her to open up to me.”

Pepin-Wakefield found out about things Yazmin liked — including Shopkins toys, Hello Kitty, and Monster High dolls — and used them to talk about art. “We looked at those characters, what they wore, their color compositions. We found a common-ground language and approached art through that.”

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OUR GORGE I CREATE

A painting in a series entitled “In the Spirit of When they Fished,” by Yvonne Pepin-Wakefield, left. Yazmin Villegas in her studio, right.

Their lessons together evolved over time as Yazmin gravitated to painting. Pepin-Wakefield would send Yazmin home with homework to do in her sketchbook. In their studio sessions, she taught her how to hold pencils and brushes, how to divide a canvas into quadrants, and later how to look at proportion and space and create linear perspective. “Yazmin gets classical training,” she said.

Within a couple of years of working together, Yazmin was creating art with acrylic paint, oil pastel, and ink while continuing to work with clay. As a student at Wy’east Middle School, she won first place for a painting in the Middle School-High School Show at The Dalles Art Center. The next year, she was juried into the Emerging Artists show at

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Now, Yazmin has a studio at her house where she spends long hours painting, looking at other artists’ work and researching art supplies. “I’m glad she’s found a niche,” Romero said. “I’m so grateful to Yvonne for being there for Yazmin.”

With her in-person classes resumed, Yazmin continues to perfect practiced techniques and learn new ones. Pepin-Wakefield taught Yazmin how to draw in the Japanese Sumi tradition, as well as calligraphy techniques learned when she studied in Japan. Now, Yazmin has her own calligraphy kit. “The level of concentration you have to have for that is really high,” Pepin-Wakefield noted.

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301 Yvonne Pepin-Wakefield works with Yazmin on painting with single brush strokes using calligraphy ink during one of their weekly art classes.

The two study art books together, sometimes going to the library to find books Pepin-Wakefield doesn’t have in her own collection.

“We’ll take art history books and look at similar art so she can study it and try to do it a different way,” she said. They also go to galleries and paint other artists’ paintings to practice techniques, and sometimes paint en plein air.

“Yazmin is really open to learning,” Pepin-Wakefield said. “She doesn’t have an attitude.”

To help Yazmin prepare for the Gorge Artists Open Studios Tour, where visitors come to artists’ studios to see where they work — and often to purchase original artwork — Pepin-Wakefield has worked with Yazmin on the business side of being an artist as well, including how to present art and market it. Pepin-Wakefield has attended artists’ parties with Yazmin, where she encourages her student to make eye contact and say, “thank you.”

“She’s becoming more secure in herself,” Pepin-Wakefield said. “I think recognizing the artist within her enabled her to give voice to that part of herself.”

Yazmin is preparing to graduate from high school, and plans to focus on her art. “She just wants to do art in her studio,” Romero said.

“It’s her happy place.”

Pepin-Wakefield will continue to teach and mentor her long-time student. Next on her agenda is to get Yazmin working on larger canvases, which she’s ready for. “I get to see the growth in her from one week to the next,” she said. “I love seeing that learning take place.”

She also treasures the rapport the two have developed over the years. “We’re in it,” she said, “for the long haul.”

To learn more, go to yvonnepepinwakefield.com and yazminstudio.com.

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Willow Wine Cellars Taking the pretension out of wine, one backyard tasting at a time story by BEN MITCHELL | photos courtesy of WILLOW WINE CELLARS

I

n a space normally reserved by many wineries for grandiloquent, baroque tasting notes, the labels on every bottle of Willow wine come with one simple directive for the consumer: “Wine for drinking.”

That statement is at the heart of what Underwood’s Willow Wine Cellars is about: filtering out the pretension and exclusivity sometimes present in the industry, while making both the wine and the tasting experience more accessible, approachable, and inviting. The winery, owned and operated by husband-and-wife team of Brendan and Tarnna Simpers, produces

just 900 cases annually, but over the past few years, has attracted a growing following of local restaurants and shops that carry their wine, as well as guests who enjoy the friendly and intimate tasting experience at Willow.

“You shouldn’t be intimidated by wine,” says Tarnna, 37, who handles the marketing, social media, wine club, and wine-tastings at Willow. “It’s there for you — it’s not there for somebody else who’s telling you how you should taste or feel about a wine.”

Brendan, 36, who primarily handles the winemaking and distribution (and can be found pouring wine on occasion), agrees, adding that he doesn’t want the wine to be the only driver of guests visiting Willow.

The Simpers, above, at their Underwood winery where they pair good wine with a casual atmosphere.

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Brendan Simpers, above, got his start in the wine industry as a student in hospitality management in Virginia, then moved to Napa to continue his education.

“Not that we think of the wine as secondary, but hospitality is the focus,” he explains. “We still want to make the best wine we can, but we want people to come back because they enjoy being here, not just because we make good wine.”

The couple run the winery on property they rent off CookUnderwood Road, which includes a garage retrofitted into their cellar/

winemaking space, a three-acre estate vineyard of Chardonnay grapes, and their home that they share with their two children (Olu, 8, and Sanoe, 6) and their two Australian shepherds (Ash and Winnie). The latter often serve as unofficial greeters at the winery, trotting out to say hello, escorting cars to their parking spots on the grass along the driveway, and then demanding that guests pet them.

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OUR GORGE I IMBIBE The couple divide duties at the winery, which includes a garage-turned-cellar and 3 acres of Chardonnay grapes.

Their tasting “room” is comprised of benches, chairs, and fire pits set up in the Simpers’ driveway and lush backyard. And while there are no tasting notes on the bottles, Tarnna and Brendan can often be found sitting and chatting with guests to inform them about their pours of Riesling, Chardonnay, Tempranillo rosé, and Cabernet Franc — the latter of which is a focus of the winery. Another favorite is their Albariño (sadly, sold out as of this writing), a grape Brendan praises for its versatility, but mainly “because it’s delicious!” (Why else?) Fruit used in Willow’s wine is sourced locally from Underwood, as well as from Yakima and Benton City.

Willow donates five percent of proceeds from its Albariño, along with a Cab Franc-dominant red blend, to water quality and other water-based causes (most recently, to local nonprofit Columbia Riverkeeper). Their wine club also starts at a twice-per-year option of three to four

bottles, “because we want to be more accessible,” Tarnna explains.

The wine-tasting setup at Willow creates a cozy atmosphere that invites conversation, allowing guests to make deeper connections with both Brendan and Tarnna, as well as each other.

“We want to make you feel like you’re hanging out in your own backyard — literally,” Tarnna says with a laugh.

The focus on hospitality that is the hallmark of Willow stems from Brendan’s college days, when he studied hospitality management at Virginia Tech. When the option to take electives in wine tasting were offered as part of his program of study, Brendan decided he’d check it out, and quickly fell in love.

After getting his start at Chrysalis Winery in Virginia, Brendan moved to California’s Napa Valley and continued guiding wine tours and tastings, while also diving deeper into the non-hospitality side of the business,

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taking night classes in viticulture and enology.

While working in Napa, he often encountered guests who had either previously had a bad experience at another winery — feeling intimidated or out of place — or were overly concerned about tasting wine “the right way,” e.g., swirling, smelling, examining, etc. Brendan says he made it a point of putting that notion out of guests’ heads, encouraging them to just relax and enjoy themselves.

“I would always tell them, ‘You don’t have to do any of those things,’” he recalls.

“It made me feel frustrated that there are people in the wine industry that make people feel intimidated.”

Brendan met Tarnna at a bakery in Napa where they both worked. They fell in love and in 2011 moved back to her hometown of Hood River, where they began their winemaking journey in earnest, taking over management of a friend’s one and a half acre hobby vineyard outside of Hood River, and producing their first-ever 20 cases of rosé. Brendan then began working as a selfdescribed “cellar rat” at Syncline Winery near Lyle, assisting with winemaking under the tutelage of co-founder James Mantone, while Tarnna finished up her master’s degree, going on to teach in White Salmon. In 2013, their communities in the Gorge, Napa Valley, and Virginia supported a successful Kickstarter campaign the couple started to help fund what would become Willow Wine Cellars, helping them purchase grapes and equipment to start producing their own wines.

Over the next few years, Brendan and Tarnna juggled full-time jobs and a growing family while also trying to expand Willow in their “free” time. They cite the “amazing support of the community” during their start-up

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Tarnna Simpers checks on wine aging in a barrel outside their garage/cellar.

years, from Mantone “taking in Brendan” and offering him Syncline’s facilities to produce Willow’s first few vintages, to Rachael Horne, founder of fellow Underwood winery AniChe Cellars, who Tarnna says would continually send people down to Willow to help them drum up business.

“Word of mouth and the kindness of others,” Tarnna says, summing up the basis for their growing success.

In 2019, Brendan made the tough decision to leave Syncline and focus on Willow full time. Last fall, Tarnna also transitioned out of full-time teaching to devote more time to the winery. Both say the decision to leave their jobs was nerve-wracking, but also necessary to help the business grow. And although operating a winery adjacent to their home can be challenging (limited parking, for instance), Brendan notes it’s hard to beat being able to “go out in my jammies and slippers and check on the barrels with my cup of coffee.” Tarnna documents many of these behind-the-scenes moments on Willow’s Instagram account, which is one of the chief ways the winery interacts with customers.

“If you look up our Instagram, you’ll see who we are,” Tarnna explains. “We’re goofy, we’re messing around, and we enjoy making good wine. But we also love doing our own wine tasting and hanging out with people.”

As for the future of Willow Wine Cellars, Brendan says he’d like to increase case production, and is working on providing more seating — particularly covered seating to deal with the mercurial Gorge weather.

Whatever lies ahead, the Simpers are grateful to have the Gorge community supporting them.

“The community is awesome here,” Brendan says. “We’re constantly overwhelmed by the number of people who want to see us succeed.”

Willow Wine Cellars is open Friday through Sunday from 12-5 PM; reservations are required. For more information, go to willowwinecellars.com or @willowwinecellars in Instagram.

Ben Mitchell is a writer/filmmaker who lives in Hood River. He’s a frequent contributor to The Gorge Magazine.

Let the good times pour.

7 0 8 O A K S T. D O W N T O W N H O O D R I V E R

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SHAY RYAN-BLAKESLEE REAL ESTATE BROKER | OR & WA 503-819-6419 srblakeslee@windermere.com

HOOD RIVER THE DALLES CASCADE LOCKS GOLDENDALE BINGEN WHITE SALMON STEVENSON

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LO C A L | E S TA B LI S H E D | G LO BA LLY CO N N EC TE D BINGEN

3 BED / 2.5 BATH / 2,564 S.F. / 1.82 ACRE

$795,000

RMLS 22319782

gorgewindermere.com

UNDERWOOD

4 BED / 3 BATH / 2,700 S.F. / 0.5 ACRE

$1,110,000

RMLS 21218633

SOLD REPRESENTED BUYER KATIE MANTEL

KIM CHAMNESS

REAL ESTATE BROKER | OR & WA 509-310-3080 katiemantel@windermere.com

REAL ESTATE BROKER | OR & WA 541-490-3147 kimchamness@windermere.com

CARSON

3 BED / 2 BATH / 1,920 SF / 2.37 ACRES

$629,000

RMLS 22032724

CARSON

3 BED / 3.5 BATH / 2,142 SF / 2.3 ACRES

$700,000

RMLS 22328806

SOLD

RACHEL BROUGHTON

REAL ESTATE BROKER | OR & WA 541-921-3458 rbroughton@windermere.com

COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE

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RACHEL BROUGHTON

REAL ESTATE BROKER | OR & WA 541-921-3458 rbroughton@windermere.com

HOOD RIVER THE DALLES CASCADE LOCKS GOLDENDALE BINGEN WHITE SALMON STEVENSON

6/2/22 12:03 PM

LO C A L | E S TA B LI S H E D | G LO BA LLY CO N N EC TE D STEVENSON

3 BED / 2 BATH / 2,304 SF / 2.06 ACRES

$899,500

RMLS 22109730

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STEVENSON

4 BED / 1.5 BATH / 1,304 S.F. / 0.23 ACRE.

$571,000

RMLS 22255656

SOLD

PENDING LISTED BY: SCOTT MANSUR

JUANITA CUMMINGS

PENNY EDLUND

REAL ESTATE BROKER | OR & WA 541-490-7515 juanitacummings@windermere.com

NORTH BONNEVILLE

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$729,000

RMLS 21507473

REAL ESTATE BROKER | WA 509-637-5434 pennyedlund@windermere.com

NORTH BONNEVILLE

4 BED / 2.5 BATH / 1,874 S.F. / 0.51 ACRE

$725,000

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SOLD

JIM JOSEPH

REAL ESTATE BROKER | WA 541-490-6899 jimljoseph88@gmail.com

COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE

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JACKSON VANDERPOOL REAL ESTATE BROKER | OR & WA 360-600-6997 jacksondv@windermere.com

HOOD RIVER THE DALLES CASCADE LOCKS GOLDENDALE BINGEN WHITE SALMON STEVENSON

6/2/22 12:03 PM

HOW IT WORKS IN REAL ESTATE: BUYING IN THE GORGE These days everything is going up....Gas, food, inflation and yes, interest rates. Although the media would have you believe the sky is falling, I am here to put things in perspective regarding interest rates. Interest rates will help with our supply and demand imbalance because the rise in rates has just made The Gorge, for some buyers, unaffordable and that does reduce the buyer pool in our area and relieves some of the pent-up demand we have been experiencing the past couple of years. As an industry, we are seeing some panic in the buyer pool and to this, I say, the last boom back in 2005-ish, rates were six and seven percent. Doesn’t seem so bad after all, now does it? The belief is that we will finish out 2022 in a seller’s market but the teeter-totter will start to level out as we enter a more balanced and dare I say, normal market. What identifies a “normal, balanced market” is gauged by months of inventory. In March, The Gorge had an average of two months of inventory and in a balanced market we will have 5-6 months of inventory.

So, for buyers, you don’t get to drive the bus yet, but know that inventory seems to be trickling on the market at a greater pace than last year at this time and we are still seeing multiple offers, but fewer of them. In some areas we are seeing a slowdown in number of showings when a home comes on market. And lastly, we are seeing price reductions on properties because they were brought to market based on last year’s pricing. All of these, as I stated in previous articles, would be our indicators that the market was shifting. This shift is good, it is natural and it is welcomed by those of us that have been through previous selling cycles and know that this is a return to normal. For today though, we become more creative in our approach to offer writing in order to best position our buyers for success. Here are some of my suggestions and some of the strategies to get buyers into home ownership in our current real estate environment.

PRE-APPROVAL- Before you even look at a home, speak with a lender! I would strongly recommend identifying a local lender because they have working relationships with local real estate brokers and likely will get a local appraiser to pick up the assignment. All very important to this big picture of buying in The Gorge.

INSPECTIONS - The market we have been in, buyers are desperate to compete and will give up these important contingencies to sweeten the offer for the seller. But rather than waive the inspection contingency, you have the option to conduct an inspection for information purposes only and not ask for any repairs. What this does is protect you in the event a serious issue is discovered, you can still terminate and get your earnest money refunded.

ESCALATION CLAUSES- The cliff notes... List price $500K, buyer escalates any competing offer by ie: $1000 to a cap price of ie: $550K. In multiple offers, with multiple escalation clauses, this can be stressful to the seller. In some cases, sellers are asking for no escalations. There are several risks to escalation clauses for both buyer and seller. So, be sure to fully understand the escalation clause and the risks involved before putting one into play.

APPRAISAL GAP - For buyers that have larger down payments but are obtaining some financing, an appraisal could be a problem if their offer price is too high. Their strategy is to close “the gap” which is the difference between their offer price and the appraisal price of the home. So they may liquidate more cash reserves, or change their loan to a lower down payment to free up cash for the closing of “the gap”.

SELLER HOLD OVER - Another offer winning strategy is to give the seller what they need, more time to move.

Many times, the buyers are offering to close and let the seller hold over or remain in the home after closing.

This is all well and good but is not without risk. Once the home closes, seller gets their money, the seller becomes a tenant and the buyer, now owner, becomes the landlord and that can have some challenges.

KIM CHAMNESS / WINDERMERE REAL ESTATE COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE

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ADDING COLOR THE DALLES ART CENTER CREATES COMMUNITY THROUGH ART AND CRAFT

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TO THE CANVAS STORY BY DON CAMPBELL ||| PHOTOS BY LASTING LIGHT PHOTOGRAPHY

SENSE OF PLACE CAN BE A POWERFUL FORCE. The Dalles may seem like a small quiet burg alongside Interstate 84 and the Columbia River, but still waters run deep. For its entire history, this town of just over 16,000 has and continues to be a hub — of commerce, of community, of diverse individualism, and of late, art and craft.

From major Native American trading center to the passage of Lewis and Clark that ultimately led to the Oregon Trail mass migration that terminated at The Dalles — offering rugged options toward the bounty of the Willamette Valley — The Dalles finds itself blooming yet again.

And maybe not for the reasons you think.

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The Dalles Art Center, thrumming along from its headquarters inside the old Carnegie Library building on 4th Street, has become a significant pebble in the community pond, creating a new kind of collaborative, cooperative vibrancy reverberating out in all directions.

Under the direction of J. Scott Stephenson, a rather chill yet energetic renaissance man who, at 47, has parlayed a lifetime of varied

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experiences into a decidedly focused and effective art administration, TDAC is blossoming into a vital community vortex with a reach that is exceeding its grasp.

Taking the administrative mantel in November 2018, Stephenson (better known simply as Scott) found himself in The Dalles after growing up in Seattle, attending college in Portland and at New Orleans’ Tulane University, becoming a teacher, graphic designer, inveterate traveler, artist and, were that not enough, a merchant mariner and waterway pilot licensed to guide 1600-ton-class commercial vessels.

Those forays led him here to The Dalles. With little art administration background or experience, he somehow saw the vitality of the place and knew art could play a role in pulling the sum total of people, zeitgeist and sense of place together. After a summer piloting vessels in Alaska, he attended an art workshop in South Carolina, learned of the job and applied.

“It’s been a wild ride, and a learning process,” he says. “And knowing the audience. The first step was figuring out what was going on.” He did some back-of-house cleaning up and modernizing with new computer software and a point-of-sale system, digitizing membership lists from Rolodexes and spreadsheets, utilizing grant monies to help train his board of directors and offering more strategic development. In the last year the organization scored a Murdoch Trust grant that helps non-profits and communities make a difference.

It is a theme that infuses, informs and energizes most of Stephenson’s thinking and drive. It has helped TDAC find clarity as an organization and to better know who it’s serving. “I think that’s where a lot of non-profits get into trouble,” he says. Part of his learning process was understanding what kind of art community The Dalles could become.

Just being observant was key. The first exhibit under his direction was a fiber art display.

“It really taught me a lot,” he says. “So many different people came, people you wouldn’t expect to come into an art gallery. That got me to think about material and craft. I have this strong craft background.

With craft you’re using material that people are familiar with. Metal, clay, fiber, wood. These materials allow you a familiarity to twist things and play around with things.”

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The People’s Forge Project brought participants of all ages together with master blacksmiths this spring to create over 500 individual pieces for a public art sculpture, opposite. Partnerships with other art organizations like the Gorge Artists Open Studios Tour bring a wide variety of art to the exhibition space at The Dalles Art Center, above.

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The photo collage of All Together The Dalles reimagines many of the city’s iconic features in a large print, and has extended to a book and a hand-painted rendering on the side of the former Chronicle building on East Second Street.

But if it’s too conceptual or highfalutin, you can lose an audience. “The key for The Dalles,” he says, “is place. A sense of place. You tie it in to people and the community. You tie it in to this area.”

That has become a guiding light for TDAC. The center has hit a powerful stride in everything it has done over the last four-plus years. Stephenson has built significant momentum

with everything from annual support for the Gorge Artists Open Studios Tour, the collaborative and wildly successful People’s Forge Project, public school art endeavors and striking retrospectives, and the expansive All

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Scott Stephenson has been at the helm of The Dalles Art Center since 2018, spearheading multiple collaborations to connect the community around art.

Joy Reneke Photography

Together The Dalles, a citywide art collaboration that entwined the City of The Dalles, Fort Dalles Displays, the former Eagle Publishing and scores of volunteers.

All Together The Dalles pays a deep homage to not only the city’s iconic features, but also its history and future. It began with a photographic print of those icons rendered by Beth Kerschen, “that captures landmarks, local favorites, industry, and the unique landscape in stunning black and white photography,” according to the TDAC website.

“They are then merged into a visual collage that brings together these aspects of The Dalles in new and unexpected ways.”

The print was then hand-painted onto large wall panels by local realist painter and instructor Chris Pothier with volunteer support from students young and old in a traditional atelier model.

TDAC sells prints as a fundraiser to help fulfill its mission to provide and sustain art education, exhibit space and community engagement for the greater Gorge, but the project has exploded in creative ways to include a forthcoming specially bound book that’s essentially a walking tour of The Dalles iconography and spirit. Expanding the concept further, TDAC has developed scannable placards that now adorn some 93 sites through The Dalles that tie into a smartphone app called OTOCAST (available at an app store near you), that delivers complete visual and audio history.

It’s a broad project that involves the entire city. And that’s the way Stephenson and TDAC want it. It’s about, he offers, a sense of place, people and craft. “It’s collaboration,” he says. “It’s connecting people and different artists. It’s a hub to inspire and engage with art.”

That collaboration infuses all that TDAC does. Stephenson has even forged relationships with Freebridge Brewing for a juicy IPA that will help raise funds, and a fundraising coffee blend with Kainos Coffee in The Dalles. There is emerging a new Pocket Park Sculpture Garden project in downtown The Dalles in the old Discount Plus parking lot at the corner of Second and Washington streets, with art tendrils that reach out into the community including metal work from community college students and Gorge Ironworks. The list of current and future TDAC offerings, projects, exhibitions, spoken word events

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2012

2022

10 YEARS

of The Gorge Magazine Thank you to our readers, advertisers and contributors for helping us thrive. Here’s to another decade of exploring life in the Gorge!

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A guided walking tour of the sites featured in All Together The Dalles is available on the Otocast app.

and lectures continues to grow by leaps and bounds, including the “4th on Fourth” summer concert series.

“Art pulls a community together,” wisely surmised writer and broadcaster Lister Sinclair. “… Art makes you feel differently.

That’s what artists are doing all the time, shifting and changing the way you see life.”

To further clarify the TDAC modality, there’s this from Malcolm Forbes, who once suggested that diversity is “the art of thinking independently together.”

That about sums up The Dalles Art Center and the energy of one J. Scott Stephenson.

But don’t take our word for it. Go experience it all for yourself.

To learn more, go to thedallesartcenter.org

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.

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Explore More... on the northshore of the Columbia River Gorge in sunny Klickitat County Photo by Starlisa Black

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OUT WORLD ofthis

TAKE A TRIP THROUGH THE COSMOS AT THE NEWLY RENOVATED GOLDENDALE OBSERVATORY

A visitor climbs the ladder to look through the telescope during an afternoon solar show. At right is a live view of a solar prominence, a large formation of plasma erupting from the sun’s surface, streamed on a screen from one of the observatory’s telescopes.

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STORY BY JANET COOK PHOTOS BY RENATA KOSINA TROY CARPENTER, INTERPRETIVE SPECIALIST AT THE GOLDENDALE OBSERVATORY STATE PARK, has a deceptively youthful appearance.

His boyish looks and unassuming demeanor belie the fact that he has a brain packed chock-full of astronomy. He knows A LOT about the science of the universe and, by extension, mathematics, physics and chemistry, and he uses it to take visitors on a singular ride through the cosmos from a hilltop in the eastern Gorge.

With a seemingly inexhaustible encyclopedic knowledge, Carpenter explains everything from sunspots to how stars are born, the ins and outs of galaxies and the workings of the planets in our solar system. During interpretive programs, he does all this while deftly clicking among live telescope views, high-resolution images and graphics on the three screens above him to help the audience visualize complex astronomical situations. Then, as you’re contemplating whatever mind-blowing concept about the universe he just told you, he says, simply, “Any questions about that?”

Trust me, you’ll have questions. And you’re in the right place, because it’s abundantly clear after spending about five minutes with Carpenter that he has the answers. By the way, if you don’t already know about the observatory, you should. And if you haven’t been there since its recent renovation, do yourself a favor and go.

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OUT of this WORLD

Troy Carpenter, left, stands in the telescope room at the newly renovated Goldendale Observatory, where visitors can view space objects through one of the largest public telescopes in the world. As interpretive specialist, Carpenter leads the observatory’s two daily astronomy presentations as well as special viewing events.

The Goldendale Observatory, set on a hill a couple of miles outside the city, was situated there in 1973 because of the area’s consistently clear skies and low population density (making for minimal light pollution). But its origin story goes back to the mid-1960s, when four amateur astronomers in Vancouver, Wash., began building a telescope for the city’s Clark College. With an initial budget of $900, the men toiled for years, designing and building many of the telescope’s components from scratch and meticulously grinding and polishing the telescope’s mirrors.

When they finished, it was the largest amateur-build telescope of its time. Known as a 24.5inch Cassegrain reflecting telescope, it was meant to replace a smaller telescope at the college.

But school officials soon realized that Vancouver’s routinely overcast skies and incessant light pollution from the Portland-Vancouver metro area would prevent the telescope from being used to its full potential. So, they sought a better location with clearer, darker skies but within a reasonable driving distance from Vancouver.

The search led to Goldendale, which already had a reputation for good stargazing and was located on a similar latitude to Vancouver, to keep the telescope mount’s alignment to Earth’s axis the same. Clark College agreed to donate the telescope to the city if it would build a public science center to house it. In October 1973, the Goldendale Observatory officially opened as a public education center. The four telescope builders attended the opening, getting the first look into space from the new observatory through the telescope they had built.

The observatory’s first years were fraught with funding problems, causing intermittent openings following by lengthy closures. Finally, in 1980, the Washington State Parks Commission bought the site and has operated the Goldendale Observatory State Park continuously ever since, providing public education with the help of a full-time interpretive specialist, part-time park aids and volunteers. In 2014, the observatory was designated a State Park Heritage Site.

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Carpenter has been with the observatory since 2013. By his own admission, he’s stayed longer than planned, partly because he wanted to see through a major renovation that began around the time he started.

Up until then, little had changed at the observatory since 1973. Capacity in the small structure was limited to a few dozen people, and the parking lot had spaces for only 13 cars.

The phased renovation took place over seven years and involved nearly everything. The original structure was torn down completely except for the room that houses the telescope, which was retained for its historical significance.

The new building features two rounded structures that seem to be in orbit, with a glasslined lobby between them that the architect envisioned as “the embodiment of gravity pulling at them.” The original diamond-shaped telescope room made of brick looks the same as it used to from the inside. The new facade was built around it, with ample air space to prevent heat gain so the telescope can be maintained at ambient temperature.

“If the telescope temperature is significantly different from the air around it, there will be a mirage effect,” Carpenter explained.

This means that the temperature in the telescope room, where visitors can climb a ladder and peer through the telescope into space, is similar to the outside air temperature.

The nearly 50-year-old aluminum dome — bought from a catalogue — also remains.

It was cleaned and sandblasted, but otherwise functions perfectly, sliding open methodically with a hand-held remote. The telescope itself

Peter Sinclair, interpretive assistant, adjusts the telescope for public viewing, right. The observatory’s new auditorium can seat 118 people, with more standing space, and features interpretive exhibits, below, and high-def screens used in the astronomy shows, opposite bottom.

was converted in 2018 to a Newtonian design with a new high-performance Quartz mirror.

The original mirror, built by the Vancouver astronomers, is on display.

The original observatory had only a small classroom space for presentations, with a capacity of about 40. The new auditorium has seating for 118 — corresponding to the 118 elements of the periodic table — with plenty more standing-room space. “We can accommodate about 200 people, but that feels crowded,” Carpenter said.

The area surrounding the observatory was also completely reimagined, with new walkways going all the way around it (requiring loads of fill), a sundial, and a new parking lot for 50 cars as well as dedicated bus parking.

The new parking area also was repositioned to solve a frustrating problem with the old lot: when cars drove in after dark, headlights interrupted nighttime stargazing.

The observatory had a grand re-opening in February 2020. Two weeks later, it closed again due to the coronavirus pandemic. It quietly opened again last summer, but finally had an official celebration of the renovation in April.

“It feels like we’re open now,” Carpenter said. He and an assistant, Peter Sinclair, put on two interpretive programs each day (the observatory is open four days per week from April through September, and three days a week the rest of the year). The afternoon programs are focused on the sun, with evenings billed as the “main event.” Visitors can view planets, star clusters, nebulae, galaxies and other space objects through multiple telescopes.

Carpenter favors the Socratic method in his presentations, encouraging questions from the audience that lead to interactive discussions rather than a one-sided lecture. It inevitably makes for lively discourse and lets Carpenter tailor each show to the audience on hand. “We adjust our shows in real time,” he said. “We let the visitors guide them.”

Sometimes, the audience is “a group of genius kids,” he explained. Other times, it’s folks who may have little knowledge about astronomy. Either way, he customizes the presentation

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OPEN DAILY MARCH 15 - NOVEMBER 15 THE GORGE MAGAZINE II SUMMER 2022

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OUT of this WORLD

Jill Sprance-Carr, Washington State Parks area manager, points out a sun spot on a live image as it’s streamed from one of the observatory’s telescopes.

as he goes. “We like to keep our shows off the rails,” he said. “We encourage questions and interruptions.”

Carpenter is unabashed about what the Goldendale Observatory has to offer. “This is one of the world’s largest public telescopes,” he said.

“This the best live view of the sun you’ll ever get,” he added during an afternoon solar show as he zoomed in a shimmering live image of the sun on one of the screens. “It’s the best live-HD solar viewing you’ll see

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at any observatory in the world thanks to the special capture technique we’ve developed.” As for the night shows, the observatory’s hilltop perch offers expansive views — it’s possible to see the Milky Way from horizon to horizon, according to Carpenter. To help, new red-hued lighting compatible with night viewing was installed as part of the renovation.

Down the hill in Goldendale, streetlights are equipped with dimmable LED lights set to sync with the observatory’s operating schedule.

The number of visitors to the observatory has tripled since 2013.

“It wasn’t unusual back then to go a whole day without seeing anyone,” Carpenter said. “Now, it’s unheard of.” Some of that is likely the new and improved facility. But Carpenter’s reputation for taking visitors on an unforgettable tour of the universe has undoubtedly contributed to the park’s growing popularity. Online reviews of the observatory consistently mention his presentations. One reviewer described Carpenter as “Google of astronomy.” Another commended him for breaking down “complicated celestial concepts into understandable layman’s language.” Yet another said, “We were in awe of [his] equal parts knowledge and charisma.” He’s lauded frequently for his ability to make the shows fun and engaging for all ages.

For Carpenter, it’s all in a day’s work — work that is clearly his passion. “The best thing about astronomy,” he said, “is it’s an allencompassing science.” Which means you might want to plan more than one visit to the Goldendale Observatory. Bring your curiosity, your questions, and maybe a jacket.

For a schedule of regular shows, special events and real-time sky conditions at the observatory, go to goldendaleobservatory.com.

Photo by Troy Carpenter

THE NEW GOLDENDALE OBSERVATORY

MARYHILL WINERY

A state park that now offers a large advanced learning center as a complement to the iconic main observatory dome and the upgraded telescope.

Free admission. Discover Pass required for parking.

Wine Press Northwest’s “2015 Pacific NW Winery of the Year,” award-winning wines, full bistro menu to enhance your wine-tasting experience, Tuscan-style terrace with Mount Hood views, Bocce and gift shop.

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PONDEROSA MOTEL

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We’re located minutes away from the Columbia River Gorge and offer free full breakfast daily. Clean, spacious rooms with phone, free WiFi, Direct TV, coffee maker, microwave, & refrigerator. Kitchens available. Dog friendly!

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Experience Skamania County, Washington!

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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, fitness room.

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Wander along the pathways of our retail garden nursery and find majestic trees, unique shrubs, and an abundance of flowers. Our gift shop is filled with handmade treasures and a variety of pottery. We also carry barks, composts and rock.

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ARTS + CULTURE

Centennial Celebration An exhibit by a local photographer highlights 100 years of Oregon State Parks story by JANET COOK | photos by PETER MARBACH

W

hen landscape photographer Peter Marbach proposed a photo project about the upcoming centennial of Oregon State Parks in the winter of 2020, he had no idea that a global pandemic was on the way. He figured if the Oregon Historical Society gave him the green light, it would be part-time work to go with other projects and assignments that kept him busy as a freelancer.

By the time OHS officially signed off on the proposal, in May 2020, the world was a much different place. “I was so excited to have a part-time job,” Marbach said. “With Covid, everything else had fallen apart.” The very day he got the assignment, he drove to White River Falls State Park, near Maupin, to get a springtime image of the falls. “With so much uncertainty, to have something positive to put my energy into was a gift,” said Marbach, who sat at the falls for seven hours that day waiting for the perfect light. “I just waited, and finally nailed a shot.”

It was the start of what would be a two-year odyssey, working to capture images of as many of the state’s more than 250 state parks as possible, in different seasons, while navigating the challenges of the pandemic.

An exhibit of Marbach’s work opened in May at the Oregon Historical Society in Portland where it will remain on display for six months. His work will also be part of the permanent digital library collection at OHS.

Landscape photographer Peter Marbach, inset, spent two years photographing state parks around Oregon, including Deschutes State Recreation Area, top, and White River Falls State Park in the Tygh Valley, left.

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This year marks 100 years since the Oregon State Parks system got its humble start as part of the highway commission. The Oregon legislature passed a law that took effect in 1922 authorizing the commission to acquire land alongside highways and keep the sites green and scenic. Those small rights-of-way — some of which are now waysides and scenic

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viewpoints — formed the basis of what today is one of the most popular state parks systems in the country. Oregon State Parks see well over 50 million visitors annually in combined day-use and camping attendance, ranking among the top 10 most visited in the nation. In 2016, they contributed $1.1 billion to the state’s economy and supported 16,000 full- and part-time jobs.

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ARTS + CULTURE

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Left to right: ash from a wildfire blankets the ground at Collier Memorial State Park; the Milky Way from Prineville Reservoir State Park, Oregon’s first Dark Sky Park; storm chasing at Shore Acres State Park near Coos Bay.

There are 254 state parks across the state, encompassing more than 100,000 acres and spanning the geographic diversity of Oregon. The state is “geographically lopsided” when it comes to its state parks, Marbach noted, with more than 100 of them along the coast and just two in the whole of southeast Oregon.

“My challenge was to capture the best of the parks,” he said. He wanted to include a represen-

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tative slice of different regions and recognized the importance of including parks that have a connection to Native American tribes.

With space for only 30-35 photos in the exhibit, Marbach had his work cut out for him.

“There are numerous parks that I made three to six trips to,” he said. “It’s all about timing.”

Looking to capture an image of the renowned fall color in eastern Oregon’s Wallowa Mountains, for instance, he called the Chamber of Commerce in Joseph to find out if the trees were changing color. He was told they were, so he packed up his gear and made the five-hour drive, only to discover that he was several days too early. “They must have looked out the window and

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ARTS + CULTURE

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seen a tree with a couple of changing leaves,” he said.

As a veteran landscape photographer, Marbach is used to putting in outsized effort for every photo — many of which don’t even make the final cut. “Most people don’t know the amount of time that goes into a single image,” he said. “So, on paper, this was a part-time job.

But if you’re aspiring to high standards, you have to put in overtime.”

Along with pandemic challenges, Marbach had to contend with unprecedented weather and wildfire conditions over the past two years. With wildfires increasingly a part of the Oregon landscape, OHS asked Marbach to include some images that showed their impact. He got a beautiful but stark image at Collier Memorial State Park in southern Oregon, which was heavily damaged in a 2020 fire.

While trudging around in six inches of ash, he came upon a beautiful aspen grove. “The fire had burned the bottoms of the trees, but they still had brilliant fall color,” he said.

Marbach, a longtime resident of Hood River who’s currently living in Portland, says this project was among the most challenging yet rewarding of his career. “The covid factor, crazy weather, wildfires, my personal health safety — creating art on demand is challenging enough, but you factor in all these other things, it made it all the more so.” But, he says, it was also a gift to be able to be outside, exploring the natural world, where he has always felt most at home.

“I felt so fortunate to be on the road, out in nature,” he said. “It kept me sane.” He also values having a role in commemorating the centennial of Oregon State Parks and helping to shine a light on them.

“I want to remind people, these parks are out there,” he said — including many right here in the Gorge. “Sometimes we might take it for granted, but Oregon is pretty darn special when it comes to its land protection ethos.”

The photo exhibit is on display at the Oregon Historical Society through October, followed by a two-month run at the state capital. It will travel to museums around the state in 2023. To learn more, go to ohs.org.

Local project support was provided by Shortt Supply and the Hood River Cultural Trust.

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WELLNESS

Courtesy of One Community Health

Back to the Future

GERARDO VASQUEZ

One Community Health honors its roots with a new mobile unit named La Clínica story by JANET COOK | photos by JANET COOK and courtesy of ONE COMMUNITY HEALTH

ALEJANDRA GARCIA

Y

ou won’t find this RV at any campground. You can’t cook dinner in it or take a shower.

There’s no couch that converts to a bed, no slide-outs to make it bigger. It lacks an entertainment system with a rooftop satellite dish. No awning unfurls from its roof to park lawn chairs beneath.

But step inside and you can get a wound stitched up, an urgent care exam. It has Covid tests and vaccines and childhood immunizations. It’s small staff of friendly healthcare providers can offer everything from pediatric care to vision exams and chronic disease management. They can refer you to specialists and provide access to substance use support and medications.

MIDDY TILGHMAN

This RV is a health clinic on wheels.

Welcome to La Clínica, a mobile clinic launched this spring by One Community Health. You won’t find it at a campground, but you’re likely to see it driving through the Gorge or parked at various sites from Hood River to The Dalles where it makes regular stops each week. It’s the latest enterprise in OCH’s relentless pursuit of making health care accessible to everyone.

La Clínica sets up at scheduled locations around the Gorge each week, including Cascade Locks, left.

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ER NEW

NOW

OPEN!

Middy Tilghman, a family nurse practitioner, above, in the RV’s private exam room.

Opposite top, healthcare providers Alejandra Garcia and Gerardo Vasquez prepare for patients to arrive at the mobile clinic.

EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT

WHITE SALMON, WASHINGTON

NEW EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT “We can’t assume that everyone can get to and from the clinic,” said Gladys Rivera, director of preventative health for OCH, referring to the clinic’s two permanent locations in Hood River and The Dalles.

“The mobile unit allows us to expand our range of services, to go to areas where people live and work.” It also lowers another potential barrier by providing immediate access to heathcare providers. “You don’t have to wait for an appointment,” Rivera said. “You can show up and be seen, in an area that you’re comfortable and familiar with.”

The mobile unit is moving OCH into the future while paying homage to its roots. The name La Clínica comes from the original name of One Community Health: La Clínica del Cariño, the caring clinic. La Clínica was founded in 1986 as a nonprofit migrant health clinic by a coalition of farmers and child advocates who recognized that farmworkers and their families often had trouble accessing medical care. With a federal grant, the clinic opened in a small, rented office on May Street in Hood River. Although the clinic was aimed at farmworkers and their families, it welcomed everyone.

By 1988, the demand for affordable health care in the community was evident: nearly half of the patients seeking care at La Clínica weren’t farmworkers or Latinos but other community members.

Doctors at the clinic were delivering almost half of all babies born in Hood River County. As a result, the federal government designated La Clínica as a community healthcare center and awarded it additional funding.

The next few years saw explosive growth for the clinic. By 1990, it had long outgrown its small office and ground was broken on a new, two-story clinic on Pacific Avenue, which opened the next year. In 1995, a dental clinic was added.

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WELLNESS

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.

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community health workers — La Clínica was able to do health and education outreach beyond Hood River, including in Wasco County and in Klickitat and Skamania counties in Washington. To help meet the increasing need for affordable, accessible health care throughout the Gorge, a second clinic was opened in The Dalles in 2004.

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The mobile clinic run by One Community Health makes health care more accessible for people who face challenges getting to the stand-alone clinics in Hood River and The Dalles. La Clínica can provide most of the care and treatment available at the regular clinics. It offers scheduled appointments and welcomes walk-ins.

The clinic’s board of directors voted in 2013 to change the name to One Community Health to better reflect the fact that the clinic serves everyone in the community. Despite the name change, farmworkers and their families continue to be a primary focus of many of the health center’s programs and outreach initiatives.

The past few years have seen continued expansion of OCH’s mission, including the opening of the first school-based health center in the region at Hood River Valley High School and the integration of behavioral health services into its offerings. The health center also built a new state-of-the-art facility in 2013 to house its clinic in The Dalles.

The addition of La Clínica, the mobile unit, to its services came about after the pandemic hit. OCH received a grant from the Oregon Health Authority to launch a mobile Covid testing program. With deep experience doing outreach in rural areas, OCH got the testing program up and running quickly and successfully. The health authority knew the same model could be used when vaccines became available and offered additional grant funding to expand the mobile unit beyond Covid testing.

OCH planned to use the grant funding to buy a mobile unit, but instead got the RV that’s now La Clínica donated from a community health center in Bend. The funding was used to renovate the RV and launch the unit with a series of community celebrations to promote its services for vaccinations and other healthcare needs.

La Clínica has settled into a weekly schedule. On Monday, it rotates among Native American in-lieu sites in the morning and sets up at Celilo Village in the afternoon. Tuesday it’s in The Dalles, Wednesday in Cascade Locks, and Friday in Odell. The second Friday of each month, it parks at a Hood River Valley packing house and encourages visits from farmworkers. Thursdays are currently unscheduled, but the mobile unit will eventually offer services in select Washington communities.

The mobile clinic is staffed by three healthcare providers: Middy Tilghman, a family nurse practitioner; Gerardo Vasquez, a community health worker; and Alejandra Garcia, a certified medical assistant. When a patient arrives at La Clínica, Vasquez gets them checked in. He’s also a whiz at getting them connected with health insurance options if they need it, as well as other resources in the community.

Next, Garcia gets the patient set up in the private exam room at the rear of the RV, taking

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WELLNESS

Alejandra Garcia, left, a certified medical assistant, and Gerardo Vasquez, right, a community health worker, work in tandem to get patients checked in and ready to see Tilghman. Vasquez helps connect patients with health insurance options if needed, as well as other community resources.

vitals, making sure they’re up to date on immunizations and doing the standard health questionnaire before handing them off to Tilghman.

“We can do much more in this setting than people think,” Tilghman said. “We can do everything that we can do in the clinic.” So far, patient visits to the mobile La Clínica are about half scheduled appointments and half walk-ins. “People get to be kind of curious,” he added. “You

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get a whole different relationship with people.

You’re in their space rather than them being in your space.” That, says Tilghman, helps OCH establish a connection with patients in a place where they may feel more comfortable.

“We help people engage with the health care they want — say, getting a wound treated — and then open the door to larger resources, which could be the health system as a whole, a specialist, or it could be a community resource like housing or transportation.” That umbrella-style approach is at the core of OCH’s mission.

“As an organization, we have great relationships with all these agencies,” Rivera said. “That really allows us to understand what sort of policies are coming into play that will help enhance the quality of life for all that we serve, but especially those that are most vulnerable.”

Although La Clínica was initially grant-funded, Rivera said the mobile unit is here to stay. “This is a service that’s not going to go away,” she said. “We’ll figure out how to add it to our operational budget.”

Tilghman is new to One Community Health; he was hired with the mobile unit in mind and worked at the stand-alone clinics as the RV was being prepared. But he knows the history of OCH going all the way back to its roots as the caring clinic for people who had trouble accessing heath care.

“It’s one of the ultimate expressions of that spirit,” he said. “Take the medical clinic to the people.”

To learn more, go to onecommunityhealth.org

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Celilo Cancer Center

20 Years of Trusted Cancer Care

A cancer diagnosis can be life-changing, but in many cases, it is very treatable. The Celilo Cancer Center at Mid-Columbia Medical Center offers the latest advancements in cancer treatment and provides patients and families with resources to manage the physical, mental and emotional aspects of a cancer diagnosis.

WE OFFER: • Comprehensive cancer care and services.

• A multi-specialty team approach to treatment.

• Clinical trials information.

2001

• Integrative therapies.

• Access to cancer-related information, education and support.

• And, most importantly, quality cancer care close to home.

2021

YEARS CELILO CANCER CENTER

Sophia Bornstein, M.D.

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Nurse Practitioner, Medical Oncology

Celilo Cancer Center has earned the highest-possible rating from the Commission on Cancer of the American College of Surgeons.

1800 E. 19th Street, The Dalles | 541. 296.7585 | mcmc.net

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PARTAKE I COOK WITH US

Charred Pepper Cotija Tacos Recipe and photos by KACIE MCMACKIN

I recently had a version of these tacos in Portland at ¿Por Qué No? and immediately came home determined to figure out how to make them on my own.

These have just a hint of heat from the charred pasilla peppers, smoky flavor from the chili powder and chipotle seasoning that’s rubbed on the cotija cheese before it’s seared on all sides, and brightness from the lime-cilantro sauce.

Ingredients

Directions

• 1 solid block/wedge of cotija cheese, cut into half-inch batons

In a powerful blender, combine the lime juice, cilantro, 1/2 cup sour cream, 1/3 cup neutral oil, and a pinch of salt. Blend until fully combined.

• 4 pasilla peppers, flesh cut away from the seeds and core

In a small dish, mix together the chili powder and chipotle powder. Rub the pasilla peppers with a little oil, season with salt. Rub the cotija with a little oil, season on all sides with the chili powder mix.

• 1/4 cup fresh lime juice • 1 bunch cilantro, stems discarded • 2 Tbsp. chili powder • 1 Tbsp. chipotle powder • 1/2 cup sour cream, plus more for serving neutral oil • small flour tortillas • kosher salt 70

Heat a well-seasoned cast iron skillet or nonstick pan over high heat. Sear the peppers on the hot skillet until they’re charred on both sides. Set aside. Reduce the heat to medium and cook the cheese on all sides until deeply golden and crispy. Set aside.

On the skillet or open flame, heat the tortillas on both sides. Smear each tortilla with a bit of sour cream (optional) and the lime-cilantro sauce. Add a strip of the charred pepper and cheese. Enjoy right away.

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Kacie McMackin is a food blogger, writer and photographer at gorgeinthegorge.com. She is a frequent contributor to The Gorge Magazine.

THE GORGE MAGAZINE II SUMMER 2022

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PARTAKE I EAT & DRINK

BACKWOODS BREWING COMPANY

BRIDGESIDE

BRODER ØST

509-427-3412 • backwoodsbrewingcompany.com 1162 Wind River Hwy • Carson

541-374-8477 • bridgesidedining.com Exit 44 off I-84, Cascade Locks

541-436-3444 • brodereast.com 102 Oak St. Suite 100 • Hood River

Backwoods Brewing is family owned and located in Carson, WA. Established in 2012, we offer delicious beers, hand-made pizzas, outdoor seating, and welcome all ages.

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.

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!

Open daily: 11:30am-9pm

Gift shop • Special event room & terrace

We look forward to serving you! #broderost

CASA EL MIRADOR FAMILY MEXICAN RESTAURANT 541-298-7388 • casaelmirador.com 1424 West 2nd Street • The Dalles

Quality Mexican food prepared with the freshest and finest ingredients. Warm, friendly service and a lively atmosphere. Indulge in generous portions of flavorful sizzling fajitas, fish tacos, savory enchilada dishes and daily specials.

Drink specials & Happy Hour menu from 3-6pm, Mon-Fri. Full service bar, take-out menu, gift certificates and catering services. Open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week.

EL PUERTO DE ANGELES III 541-308-0005 1306 12th Street • Hood River, on the Heights

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CELILO RESTAURANT & BAR

DOPPIO COFFEE

541-386-5710 • celilorestaurant.com 16 Oak Street • Downtown Hood River

541-386-3000 • doppiohoodriver.com 310 Oak Street • Downtown Hood River

Celebrating over 16 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.

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.

Open Tuesday-Saturday from 5pm

EVERYBODY’S BREWING 509.637.2774 • everybodysbrewing.com 177 E. Jewett Boulevard • White Salmon

GRACE SU’S CHINA GORGE RESTAURANT & TIGER LOUNGE 541-386-5331 • chinagorge.com 2680 Old Columbia River Drive • Hood River

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).

Everybody’s Brewing sits perfectly nestled on the cliffs 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.

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 Daily 10am-9pm Dine-In or Takeout

Visit Website for Updated Hours | Indoor/Outdoor Dining and Takeout (Order Online or Call)

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

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PARTAKE I EAT & DRINK

GROUND ESPRESSO BAR & CAFE

THE LITTLE SEVEN SEVEN RANCH HIGHLAND BEEF

PFRIEM FAMILY BREWERS

509-767-7130 • L77Ranch.com

541-321-0490 • pfriembeer.com 707 Portway Avenue, Suite 101 • Hood River Waterfront

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.

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.

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.

By appointment only.

Open Daily | 11:30am-9pm

REMEDY CAFÉ

RIVERSIDE & CEBU LOUNGE

SOLSTICE WOOD FIRE PIZZA

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

Family-owned & loved by locals for 15 years! One-of-akind specialty pizzas & seasonal small plates. Sublimecocktails, craft beer, wine & ciders. Indoor & outdoor dining with views! Abundant vegan & gluten-free options.

Dine-In, Takeout and Curbside Options. Kids Corner.

WiFi. “Where Healthy Food and Your Cravings Meet!”

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.

SUSHI OKALANI

THUNDER ISLAND BREWING CO.

YOUR PARTAKE LISTING HERE

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.

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!

541-386-4442 • groundhoodriver.com 12 Oak Street • Downtown Hood River

541-716-4020 • remedycafehoodriver.com 112 Third Street • Downtown Hood River

541-386-7423 • sushiokalani@gorge.net 109 First Street • Downtown Hood River

541-386-4410 • riversidehoodriver.com Exit 64 off I-84 • Waterfront Hood River

971-231-4599 • thunderislandbrewing.com 601 NW Wa Na Pa Street • Cascade Locks

Reservations are recommended. To book, visit thunderislandbrewing.com.

541-436-0800 • solsticewoodfirecafe.com 501 Portway Avenue • Hood River Waterfront

Order takeout from the cafe or our mobile pizza truck on our website! Cheers!

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

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OUR GORGE I YOUR GORGE

Photographer Jeremiah Pierucci was on a late-summer visit to Oregon with his wife when he took off on his own to do some photography in the Gorge. “I headed to Rowena Crest,” he said. “My plan was to photograph long exposures of cars coming up the curves.” But by the time he got there, a thunderstorm had rolled in. He snapped a few photos in the torrential rain before jumping back in his car and hightailing it out of there. “Eventually it got so bad I didn’t even feel safe,” he said. He drove down the Gorge to Vista House where, with the storm still raging, he captured more stunning images of lightning flashing across the darkening sky above the Gorge.

The Photographer JEREMIAH PIERUCCI grew up in western Washington and now lives in Centralia. He started taking photos as a kid with his dad’s Nikon film camera, but the expense of developing the film held him back. When digital cameras came around, he got one as soon as he could and has been pursuing his passion ever since. He originally focused almost exclusively on landscape photography but has lately expanded his repertoire to include wildlife and aerial photography. An avid hiker, he captures many of his images while on hiking adventures. “I love the artistry of photography,” he said. “And it’s just fun to be out and about.” jeremiahpierucci.com

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lost lake

/ mt

hood by blaine franger

Helping you navigate the Gorge terrain.

WHEN YOU’RE EXPLORING THE GREAT OUTDOORS, it’s nice to have a guide to show you the way. The same goes for Real Estate. It’s critical to have a local, experienced broker who can show you how to connect your dreams to real properties.

I grew up in Hood River and am thrilled to be raising my own family here.

I’m passionate about Real Estate, but also the ongoing prosperity and well-being of our local community. In addition to being a Realtor, I serve on the boards of the Providence Hood River Memorial Hospital Foundation and Big River Community Land Trust. I’m committed to helping future generations enjoy the awesome Gorge lifestyle that we all know and love!

Let’s connect and navigate this local market together.

Candice Richards PRINCIPAL BROKER, OR MANAGING BROKER, WA

The current market is moving quickly.

Scan the QR code above for my most recent listings.

541-912-5999

candice@copperwest.com candice_richards

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