Erin V Pollard broker or/wa 541-705-7798 erin@copperwest.com
Chelsea Finson broker or/wa 503-705-7025 chelsea@copperwest.com
SUPPORT YOUR NEIGHBORS. STRENGTHEN THE LOCAL ECONOMY.
SUPPORT YOUR NEIGHBORS. STRENGTHEN THE LOCAL ECONOMY. MINIMIZE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT. BUILD COMMUNITY.
MINIMIZE YOUR CARBON FOOTPRINT. BUILD COMMUNITY.
PRIORITIZE QUALITY. RECEIVE PERSONALIZED SERVICE. SUPPORT
PRIORITIZE QUALITY. RECEIVE PERSONALIZED SERVICE. SUPPORT JOB CREATION. INCREASE COMMUNITY WEALTH AND PROMOTE A HIGHER STANDARD OF LIVING. HELP SUPPORT LOCAL NON-PROFITS.
JOB CREATION. INCREASE COMMUNITY WEALTH AND PROMOTE A HIGHER STANDARD OF LIVING. HELP SUPPORT LOCAL NON-PROFITS.
BUILD PERSONAL CONNECTIONS. SUPPORT FUTURE GROWTH.
BUILD PERSONAL CONNECTIONS. SUPPORT FUTURE GROWTH.
INSPIRE ENTREPRENEURSHIP. BE A COMMUNITY AMBASSADOR.
INSPIRE ENTREPRENEURSHIP. BE A COMMUNITY AMBASSADOR.
KEEP LOCAL WEALTH. HELP YOUR COMMUNITY THRIVE!
KEEP LOCAL WEALTH. HELP YOUR COMMUNITY THRIVE!
From
By Molly Allen
OUTSIDE
The
By Janet Cook
ARTS + CULTURE
The Sense of Place series celebrates its fifteenth season of curious, engaging conversations about the Gorge
By David Hanson
Dufur-based
By Ruth Berkowitz
Courtesy of Melchemy Craft Mead
Courtesy of Azure Standard
HOOD RIVER $599,000: In the heart of Oak Grove is this charming farmhouse built in 1900. 3 bedrooms, 1 bath, 1658 sqft on a gently sloping .44 acre parcel. Manicured lawns surround the home with 3 outbuildings each 12’x16’ - storage, shop and tool shed. Back patio for outdoor entertaining. Zoning is Rural Center which allows for a multitude of possibilities. RMLS 24030784
As I was editing the stories in this issue, I found the theme of place resonating again and again. In particular, a sense of place One meaning of that phrase relates to the emotional bond people feel for an area, and it echoes in many of this issue’s stories. Take our piece on a new program called Audio Trails, an effort by the Columbia Gorge Tourism Alliance that has placed QR codes along select trails in Washington (page 38). The codes allow trail users to access audio stories told by Native Americans, geologists, botanists and others, with the goal of deepening listeners’ understanding of the area. I took a walk on one of the trails myself and listened to the stories, moved by what I learned about a place I’d been countless times before.
Another piece, on Melchemy Craft Mead near Carson, also hums with a sense of place (page 22). In fact, Melchemy founders Tim O’Malley and Jeffree Mocniak seek to infuse their small-batch craft mead with that very thing by using local honey and other wildcrafted ingredients sourced nearby, and carefully stewarding the land surrounding the meadery. They call their efforts “an expression of the unique circumstances of this place.”
And then there’s our story on the actual Sense of Place lecture series. The aptly named seasonal series is celebrating its 15th year of curious, engaging conversations aimed at fostering a deeper understanding of local topics (page 42). In the words of series founder Amanda Lawrence, the monthly events are “a place to share the common threads we all care about in a way that isn’t threatening.” I'd be willing to bet that all of us, residents and visitors alike, feel an emotional bond to this area. Let us use this shared sense of place — the common threads we all care about — to look after the land, strengthen our communities and care for the people around us that make it special. There are many ways to deepen your sense of place in the Gorge. We hope you find lots of opportunities to do just that in the winter months ahead.
Other stories in this issue include our cover piece on skating in the Gorge (page 10); a look at Art on Oak, a Hood River artist cooperative that’s been showcasing an eclectic array of local art for nearly a decade (page 18); and a story on where to go for a good hot soak this winter (page 32). We wish you a healthy and happy winter season. And for all the skaters in the Gorge, here’s hoping for some pond hockey weather. Cheers!
— Janet Cook, Editor
About the Cover
Photographer, filmmaker and lifelong hockey player MARK CHRISTY of Mosier took our cover photo during a cold snap in January 2024 that created perfect “pond hockey” conditions at The Hook. “I remember getting the call, ‘The Hook’s frozen over,’” he said. Skaters gathered and shoveled off the snow for a rare opportunity to skate on the Columbia River. markchristy.com
When you have read this issue please pass it on to a friend or recycle it. Together we can make a difference in preserving and conserving our resources.
EDITOR
Janet Cook
CREATIVE DIRECTOR & GRAPHIC DESIGNER
Renata Kosina
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
Jody Thompson
ADVERTISING SALES
Kim Horton, Richard Joyce, Chelsea Marr
CONTRIBUTING WRITERS
Molly Allen, Ruth Berkowitz, Don Campbell, David Hanson, Kacie McMackin
COVER PHOTOGRAPHER
Mark Christy
CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS
Molly Allen, Michael Hanson, Petar Marshall, Kacie McMackin
VISIT US ON SOCIAL MEDIA @thegorgemagazine on Instagram
THE GORGE MAGAZINE 1812 Belmont Ave. Hood River, OR 97031
We appreciate your feedback. Please email comments to: jcook@thegorgemagazine.com
Michael Peterson
Courtesy of Melchemy Craft Mead
When the Pond Freezes Over
LOCAL SKATERS GET THEIR HOCKEY ON ANY WAY THEY CAN AS SOME PUSH FOR A LOCAL RINK
ON A RAINY TUESDAY NIGHT IN LATE FALL, A GROUP OF would-be hockey players gathers at the Hood River Armory to skate. Lacking ice within a 50-mile radius, they play fast-moving games of roller hockey. e players are variously equipped with shin pads, gloves and helmets. e puck is a water- lled rubber ball, and the nets are miniature versions of real hockey goals. e “rink” itself is smaller than normal, with scrappy plywood boards lining the exterior that sound just like the real thing when the puck and players’ sticks whack them.
e roster on this night is 11 players who sub in and out in games of 4-on-4. According to Shane Lebsack, who launched the roller hockey league a decade ago, there are up to 30 players who come on a more or less regular basis throughout the season, which starts in October and runs through April. Most played hockey growing up, some went on to play in college.
“I love hockey, and there’s a ton of people in Hood River that do, too,” said Lebsack, who grew up playing in Spokane. In fact, there are so many people wanting to play that Lebsack has had to limit the league. e Hood River Armory rents the space to Lebsack one night a week, but if the league were to grow, they’d need more “rink” time. Plus, with the skill level of many of the current players, it’s di cult to bring in new players who want to learn. “We’re at a tipping point,” said Lebsack.
story by JANET COOK • photos ovided
Mark Christy
Janet Cook
Some of the roller hockey league players also drive to Vancouver every week — sometimes multiple times per week — to play hockey at the closest rink, Mountain View Ice Arena. ey play in leagues that are assigned game times throughout the afternoon and evening hours, sometimes as late as 10 p.m. — which means they don’t get home until around 1 a.m.
Ryan Bahn knows this well. A teacher at Hood River Valley High School who grew up playing hockey on the East Coast, Bahn fed his hockey addiction after moving here in 2009 by regularly driving to Vancouver. “It ends up being 5 to 6 hours round trip, by the time you drive, suit up, play, nish and drive home,” he said. Nevertheless, he got his two young sons playing and was driving in four days a week for practices and games before the pandemic shut down the rink in March 2020.
ese days, Bahn plays roller hockey and is once again driving to Vancouver to play on one of three teams whose rosters include a raft of Gorge players. He estimates there’s about a “50 percent crossover” between the roller hockey league and those heading to the ice in Vancouver. “ ere are some guys who play ice hockey who refuse to play roller hockey,” he said. But for many of the roller hockey players, it’s one way to skate without the time commitment of driving to the real ice.
ere’s little argument when it comes to the only other option for skaters in the Gorge — the few days each winter when weather conditions align for some good old-fashioned pond skating.
“When you go out and play on a pond, it’s just pure fun,” said Bahn, who takes his
kids along to play pond hockey every chance he gets. Laurance Lake is a go-to when a cold, dry spell arrives. “We load up the car, cobble together all the gear we can and spend 6 to 8 hours up there,” he said. Occasionally, e Hook and the boat basin at the waterfront freeze over, bringing “pond” hockey to Hood River’s front yard.
e dearth of skating options has led many local skaters to join a growing e ort to bring an ice rink to the Gorge. e movement is not new; years ago, Lebsack tried to purchase a cold storage facility and turn it into an ice rink, but another buyer beat him out. He sees rsthand the growing number of adults who want to skate, but he ultimately wants to build a rink for the kids. “I think a hockey rink would change Hood River for the better,” he said. “Having an outlet for the community, for the kids especially, makes total sense.”
Skaters take advantage of frozen water at The Hook, opposite top and above, and at the Sandbar, left. Weather conditions cooperate only a few times every winter to make it happen, but when they do, skaters come out to play on the ice. Opposite bottom, skaters play roller hockey at the Hood River Armory.
Bridal set designed & crafted by Ken Apland
Mark Neumann
Nicole Sibert
ventures
Bahn agrees. He’s been wanting to start a youth roller hockey program for families who can’t commit to driving to Vancouver. But being able to o er youth ice hockey would be even better. “It’s just a great sport,” he said. “It’s teaching good teamwork, a good work ethic. I don’t know a single kid who’s ever tried it who doesn’t love it.”
Building on local momentum, Mosier residents Mark Neumann and Steve Fisher formed an ice rink project team last summer, now called the Columbia Gorge Skating Association. Lifelong hockey players, they were exploring rink options before the pandemic slowed their e orts. “We’re a winter sports town without a rink,” Neumann said, adding that with a growing interest in the sport, now seemed like a good time to renew the e ort. ey brought on project manager Christy Deere, a facilitator and mediator who ran a pro-
Skaters play ice hockey near the Sandbar during a cold snap that froze the Columbia River in January 2022.
vincial sports organization in Ontario before moving to the Gorge. Together, they’ve been growing their ranks and gathering ideas. e team is exploring various possibilities for an ice rink, ranging from an enclosed year-round facility to a seasonal rink similar to one in Bend. Another possibility involves synthetic ice. Andy Gurtner, a former Swiss pro league hockey player and resident of the Gorge for 20 years before his work took him back to Europe a few years ago, is yet another skater who has pushed for a Gorge rink. He plans to return to Hood River next year and is backing the ice rink project.
Gurtner brings to the e ort his connection to Switzerland-based Green Hockey, launched in 2020 by a friend and former teammate. e company makes synthetic ice, called OceanIce, from recycled ocean plastic, and has built rinks in Switzerland and Germany — including one for a Swiss pro team near Bern. Gurtner pitched it to the Portland Winterhawks, and the team plans to build an OceanIce rink at its Sherwood training facility next year. e rink will serve as a pilot project for the NHL, with the potential for more rinks to follow in other cities.
“Even in places like Minnesota and Canada, the winters are getting milder,” Gurtner said. “You can never replace the ice at the pro level, but all the practice, all the fun part, we try to educate people that the future will be on OceanIce.”
Birkenstock Boston Shearling
Mark Neumann
An OceanIce rink would cost less to maintain in the long run and could be built with or without a structure around it. “It can be outside or inside, big or small,” Gurtner said. “It doesn’t have to be a full-size rink.” OceanIce comes in panels that are installed on a hard surface like concrete. Green Hockey has developed a special skate blade called SharkBlades, interchangeable with Bauer skate blades, that glide across the OceanIce surface.
For Deere, an OceanIce rink makes sense on many levels. “ ere’s always the wish that we could have a traditional ice rink,” she said. “But the reality is, with climate change and what it would take to maintain an ice rink, it’s unreasonable for most people to buy into.” Start-up costs would be less, and with “a move toward green, the grants are going to open up a lot more.”
Deere and the team have explored potential sites in several Gorge communities. “Two acres would give us a place to build a robust in-
door facility with parking,” she said. e team has been gauging public interest with a survey and has formed a nonpro t for fundraising purposes. ey’ve worked with Gurtner to nail down the numbers for an OceanIce rink. “$500,000 would put an NHL rink on a slab with boards, nets and rental skates,” said Deere. “$2 million would give us an indoor facility with some amenities.”
Many long-time Gorge hockey players are unsure about playing on synthetic ice but are open to it — especially if it means having a local rink.
“ e idea of synthetic ice has been around for 30 years,” said Bahn. “ e big di erence will be these blades they’re selling to go with it.” e fact that the NHL and the Winterhawks are behind it is a good sign, he added.
Lebsack agrees. “I’m all for it if it’s a way to do this and make it a ordable for the community,” he said. “It would be great to have a true ice rink, but this could be a good compromise.”
Whether it’s real ice or OceanIce, Lebsack believes building a rink is a “no-lose deal” for the community.
“We should all embrace this for the kids,” said Lebsack, whose own son is now in his twenties. “Times are strange right now. Why not invest in our kids’ future? It would change the community forever.”
To learn more, go to CGskating.org.
BUILDING CUSTOM HOMES
Judy Blair
FIND JOY IN THE journey
Gorge Art Box
1
Tap into your inner adventurer and artist with the Gorge Art Box. Created by Emily Goodwin Martin, a teacher, mindfulness coach and serial entrepreneur, the “art activity box” includes outlines drawn by local artists of iconic Gorge vistas — think Multnomah Falls, Mount Hood and Beacon Rock to name a few — along with directions to get there. Watercolor paint, a brush and a cup round out the contents. “ e idea is to go to the vistas, paint what you see, and create your own unique Gorge souvenir,” Martin said. Proceeds from sales go to the Gorge Happiness Project, a nonpro t working to support wellbeing in the community. e boxes are available at select retailers throughout the Gorge and online. emilygoodwinmartin.com
Fireworks at Mt. Hood Meadows
2
Ring in the new year on the ski slopes! Mt. Hood Meadows is bringing back its New Year’s Eve reworks show for the rst time in four years. e show, sponsored by the ski resort and pFriem Family Brewers, will begin at 9 p.m. on December 31. e ski resort will remain open for night skiing until 10 p.m. A DJ will be spinning tracks in the Vertical restaurant and bar from 3:30 to 9:30 p.m. skihood.com
Jay Carroll/Mt. Hood Meadows
Gorge Speakeasy
3
Listen to some stories, or sign up to tell one of your own, at the Gorge Speakeasy. e monthly storytelling night happens at e Ruins the rst Wednesday of every month, from September through May. (January’s event will be the second Monday, on January 8.) With suggested themes ranging from “Adventure” and “Taboo” to “Gorge Gone Wrong” and “Out of the Blue,” each event brings out wildly di erent stories that can range from heartfelt to hilarious. Admission is by donation, with each night’s proceeds bene ting a speci c nonpro t in the Gorge. Since the rst Speakeasy event in 2021, over $13,000 has been donated to more than 20 Gorge community nonpro ts. @gorgespeakeasy
Goldendale Reindeer
4
Nothing says “winter” like a herd of reindeer, and you can get up close and personal with the friendly residents at Goldendale Reindeer all season long. e farm o ers tours that include teaching visitors about reindeer, followed by an opportunity to feed and interact with the animals. For a special seasonal experience, book a visit with Santa and Mrs. Claus on Saturdays in December, when the farm will be decorated for the holidays. Fire pits, festive music and lawn games o er fun for the whole family. goldendalereindeer.com
A Christmas Story
5
Big Britches Productions stages A Christmas Story at the Bingen eater December 6, 7, 13, 14, 20 & 21 at 7 p.m., with matinees at 2 p.m. on December 8 & 15. Based on the iconic lm, the family-friendly play captures the nostalgic charm of young Ralphie’s quest for the perfect Christmas gift — a Red Ryder BB gun. Directed by Joe Garoutte, the production brings classic moments from the lm to the stage. From the infamous leg lamp to Ralphie’s encounters with school bullies, the play recreates the festive, sometimes chaotic spirit of the holiday season. Tickets are available online. bigbritches.org
Courtesy of Gorge Speakeasy
Courtesy of Goldendale Raindeer
Rehearsal photo courtesy of Big Britches Productions
Ten Years of Art on Oak
AN ARTIST COOPERATIVE FINDS ITS NICHE WITH A DIVERSE COLLECTION FROM 30 ARTISTS
THE ECLECTIC COLLECTION AT THE ART ON OAK GALLERY in Hood River is attention-grabbing at every turn. e artist-owned gallery features work in nearly every medium, from painting and photography to metal work, glass, ceramics, jewelry and ber art, just to name a few. Fragrance from hand-made candles and soap wafts faintly through the air. Underfoot is carpet that once had an Instagram page with 13,000 followers.
“It’s a great conversation starter,” says Doug Burke, a metal artist and co-manager of the gallery, of the carpet. “People come in and say, ‘Is that the PDX Carpet?’” Indeed, it is a piece of the famous former carpet from Portland International Airport, which the Oak Street building’s owners bought when it was removed for replacement a decade ago. “We get people taking pictures of their feet all the time,” Burke adds.
Art on Oak opened in 2015 as an artist cooperative managed by the three founding members, Jill Warila, Noelle Newton and Michael Scrivens. After eight years, which included the challenges of operating a business during the pandemic, the founders were ready to step away from management duties. With the prospect of the gallery closing last year, “we banded together,” Burke says. “Some of the artists who are
story by JANET COOK • photos ovided
ELIZABETH SEE
CORY CAE WILLIAMSON
ERIN BURKE BARBARA MURPHY
established and really love being here, we stepped up.” Burke and four other artists took on management duties, dividing the tasks of running the gallery among them.
Art on Oak now has 15 owner-artists, referred to as "working artists," who take turns sta ng the gallery seven days a week. e ve managers take on additional tasks. Another 15 artists are represented at the gallery on a commission-only basis.
Burke has been with Art on Oak since 2018 and has become one of the gallery’s best-selling artists. He traces his passion for metal art back to his teenage years working at a motorcycle shop in LaGrande, Ore., where he spent part of his youth. He was an artistic kid who excelled at drawing. At the shop, he learned how to use an oxyacetylene torch to cut through metal, and quickly realized he could do a lot more with it than motorcycle repair. “I started to discover the creative possibilities I could come up with,” he says.
Soon, the mountains and the snow drew him west to Mount Hood. He moved to Government Camp and became the rst full-time snowboarding instructor at Mt. Hood Meadows. His fellow ski instructors encouraged him to check out Hood River, and by the early 1990s he’d moved to town. “I’ve pretty much been here ever since,” he says.
Not long after settling in Hood River, Burke was hired to work on a trade show booth for a company that wanted a metal motif. “I began experimenting,” Burke says. “And that’s when I started to gure out,
maybe I’ve got something here.” Along with building trade show booths, he dabbled in other commercial artwork, painting windsurf boards and murals for a local company. But he got disillusioned after completing a few jobs without getting paid and stepped back from his artistic pursuits for a time.
“I told myself, I can be an artist, but I don’t have to do that for a living,” he says. Creating metal art became a hobby he pursued at his home studio while continuing to teach snowboarding during the winter.
In 2016, Burke decided to try his luck as a vendor at the Hood River Farmers Market. He made $40 the rst day. “I thought, well, let’s see what we can do next week,” he recalls.
Metal artist Doug Burke, left, is one of 15 working artists at the Art on Oak cooperative in downtown Hood River. The gallery, entering its tenth year, also shows work of other artists on a commission-only basis.
RACHEL HARVEY MICHAEL SCRIVENS
DOUG BURKE
“It just kept building, with baby steps.” It was there that Noelle Newton, scouting for new artists for the gallery, approached him about selling his work at Art on Oak.
He started as a commissioned artist, but within a year became one of the gallery’s working artists. The gallery scene was new to him, and he recalls feeling like a "fish out of water" during his early days working at the gallery. “I didn’t really know how to talk to people about art,” he says. “It wasn’t anything I’d ever done before.”
But he kept at it, and his work kept selling. “It’s been a fun trip to go from being scared to death, feeling like I didn’t belong, to now being part owner of the gallery.”
Like all the artists, he keeps his display area filled, replacing items after they’ve sold. “Each piece is one-of-a-kind,” he says. “But if something is selling, I’ll repeat a theme.” Still, Burke likes to create a few projects every year that are completely unique. “I’ll just make something because I think it’s cool and see if anybody wants to buy it.”
Art on Oak got some welcome press this fall when Oregon Public Broadcasting featured working artist Nancy Houfek Brown on its Oregon Art Beat program. “They came to the gallery and filmed for a couple of hours,” Burke says, adding that Houfek Brown’s unique paintings — often described as abstracted landscapes — sell well. “She’s one of our top-tier artists,” he says.
A stroll through the gallery reveals work from several wellknown Gorge artists along with some newer artists. “We always keep an eye out for new work,” Burke says. Still, the gallery’s roster of working artists includes many who’ve been with the gallery since the beginning — including the three founders.
For Burke, getting to display his metal art in such a visible location is a dream come true.
“It’s rewarding, the number of people who take in my work, whether they buy it or not, just that they saw it and it made an impression,” he says. “Being in Hood River with so many people coming through — people from all over the country and the world — I can’t imagine a better situation.”
Burke and the Art on Oak artists encourage locals to come downtown and check out the gallery. “The off-season is the perfect time,” he says, with free parking on Sundays, and on Wednesdays after 3 p.m.
Come for the foot selfie. Stay for the artwork.
To learn more, go to artonoak.com.
Artist Donna Silverberg talks with a film crew from OPB, which featured fellow artist Nancy Houfek Brown on its Oregon Art Beat program this fall. Houfek Brown's work hangs on the wall.
SARAH READ KAREN SARO TROEGER
story by DON CAMPBELL • photos courtesy of MELCHEMY CRAFT MEAD
Melchemy Craft Mead
STEWARDING THE LAND TO BREW THE WORLD'S OLDEST BEVERAGE
LONG BEFORE THERE WAS MELCHEMY CRAFT MEAD — home since 2016 to a variety of elixirs born of a precious place and gifted hands at an idyll near Carson, Wash. — there was, dear reader, the humble honey bee.
Prior to the eventual glut of commercial sugar and its excesses in the world, bees provided the world’s rst and perhaps most reliable sweetener, with historical references dating back to antiquity. It’s likely, however, that bees and honey go back much, much further in time. How far depends on your sources and imagination.
But perhaps most importantly for our purposes here, hopeful reader, is that honey, by its very nature (unlike the mundane sameness of the taste of sugar) takes on the color, avor and nuance of its ower-nectar source where those blossoms (and other components) live and grow. According to several founts of information, honey bees formed what may be thought of as their own organic, organized and e cient worker-bee co-ops in southeast Asia and later tropical Africa, before spreading and ourishing over time in northern Europe and beyond.
And look at what they, and their human sidekicks, who at some point discovered the golden goodness, have done: ere are some 300 di erent honey varietals, give or take, available in the U.S. alone. ey include but are not limited to readily accessible orange blossom, sage and clover, with other more rare honeys that include everything from thyme, spearmint, heather and buckwheat, to raspberry, saw palmetto, eucalyptus and the delicate Tasmanian leatherwood for those who need a truly capricious, whimsical alternative, and even the molasses-like poison oak.
CRAFT, SCIENCE, CONSCIOUSNESS & INTENTION
All that, curious reader, is a long-winded way to shepherd us back to what should be the origin of our story — Melchemy Craft Mead. Mead, you may not know, is a fermented beverage crafted of honey and other naturally sourced avors and ingredients. Set aside your notions of Vikings hoisting agons of mead around a raucous ceremonial re in honor of a pagan celebration. Or whatever goes on at your local renaissance fair. Mead is likely a tipple which you may
not have ever tasted. Hopefully, by story’s end, your mind will be changed.
Mead goes likely as far back 20,000 BC and African bush tribes. e requisite unprovable lore, according to Batch Mead magazine, o ers that, “People noticed bears acting funny after drinking from a puddle where a beehive had fallen.”
Inquisitive beasties that we are, Batch Mead continues, “ ey decided to take a sip themselves, leading to the fortuitous discovery of mead.” For ancient Greeks, Egyptians, Vikings and on throughout history, mead has carved out its place at the table.
Enter our passionate protagonists — Tim O’Malley and Je ree Mocniak — who have forged a noble alliance in their production of small-batch, barrel-aged meads from the richly diverse Columbia River Gorge bioregion, bioregion being described by CascadiaNow! as a “unique overall pattern
A beekeeping hobby led Je ree Mocniak, opposite, to begin making mead, which is produced from fermented honey. Mocniak, along with friend and business partner Tim O’Malley, crafts the ancient beverage at the pair’s meadery near Carson, where each batch ages in barrels for nine months before being bottled and corked onsite.
of natural characteristics that are found in a specific place,” with a focus on a continuous geographic terrain including climate, aspects of seasonality, landforms, watersheds, soils, and native plants and animals (including humans).
The pair met and became friends in Portland at a non-profit group called the Cascadia Education Project that was working, says O’Malley, “to build a benevolent society around bioregionalism.”
That led to a decidedly conscious decision to, as Mocniak says, “Do the hippy commune thing” and buy some land in the country. O’Malley, Mocniak and a dozen friends headed for the Gorge. “We knew that moving out of the city, it was going to be hard for us to find work,” he says, “so we thought it would be wise to have some sort of income that we could generate from the land.”
The pair were both interested in workerowned cooperatives, something they had worked on in Portland. The real catalyst came when Mocniak discovered and enrolled in a nine-month small business development program through Mercy Corps, attached to which was a matching grant offering. The program essentially put participants on a path to create a small business via classes, homework, establishing a bank account and some savings, registering the business, and much more.
In Portland, as a hobbyist Mocniak had dabbled in beer and cider making, as well as chased his interests in beekeeping and herbal medicines at the urban homestead Tabor Tilth. Leaning on his experimental forays into making mead, a small-business germ of an idea led to the creation of Melchemy Craft Mead.
“It coincided with what Tim and I, and this group of people, wanted to do in starting to look for land,” Mocniak says. Though slow to gain traction — finding the property took time — they hit the ground running.
By this point, however, the group had dwindled to O’Malley and Mocniak. “We were the last ones standing,” Mocniak says. They set about purchasing equipment, obtaining licensing and securing permits. O’Malley set to work on label design, a web presence and other marketing. The process required securing regulatory agency “formula” approval, and was often arduous and time-consuming as they also had to work other jobs to hang on.
“This was a side gig for quite a while,” says Mocniak. Offers O’Malley, “This is an aged product, and this mead sits in barrels for nine months to a year, so we were staring down the barrel of not making a profit for the first year.”
IT’S LATIN FOR HONEY
But as they weathered a rugged start-up, the subsequent Covid pandemic, and the normal pitfalls of building a business from nothing, so too have they strengthened their resolve to “circumvent a culture of individualism,” as they call it, nurture their sense of bioregionalism, and create a harmony in the deft, artful product of mead that leans on their deep, respectful relationship with the land. They are stewards first, business people
Buckwheat honey is poured into a fermenting tank, left. Bottles of Melchemy Craft Mead are ready for distribution.
second. Their offerings, naturally, are seasonal and vary by nearby ingredient availability and harvest. The two truly share an intensity for the care and feeding of the bioregion in which they live.
On three acres of verdant land, tucked up against a forest north of Carson proper, they have built their meadery that includes bees, gardens and lifestyle. The name Melchemy was coined by a former significant other who married the Latin word for honey, mel, with
the term alchemy, that magic transformation of base metals to gold. The company sources most of its products locally, relies on the purity of local water, and is continuously working to better transform its business partnership into a worker-owned cooperative.
The duo continues ardently spreading the gospel of mead with tastings at regional grocery stores, farmers markets and restaurants, and hopes to be part of a tasting room situation one day to further educate what seems to be a willing public. “Some 75 percent of people we talk to have no idea what mead is,” says Mocniak. “But we prefer pressure tasting to pressure selling.”
Melchemy will unveil 25 barrels of mead this coming year, some 8,000 bottles, in several different varieties, including their newest, Tej — an ancient Ethiopian style made with African hops often served in Ethiopian restaurants. Those casks of liquid expression sit patiently on shelves in the duo’s keen fort of a meadery on their peaceful property. And just know that mead pairs nicely with all forms of food and occasion, and how you serve it quickly becomes a matter of personal taste.
Their onsite beekeeping and honey production is now spread over several diverse regions, to better capture the profound natural flavors for what they call their “taste of place” mead. They speak in terms of terroir, a word familiar to anyone who drinks wine and even rudimentarily understands the impact a region’s climate, geology, soil nutrients and ecology has on not only what they do but how they do it. They’ve grown slowly, always with intention, and always cognizant of their impact.
“We want to put out a product that ups the standard that people expect for a product,” says O’Malley. “We just want to make a product that comes from the place where we are.”
That taste-of-place concept provides inroads and informs how they will better expand it into other aspects of their lives. “It’s an expression of the unique circumstances of this place,” concludes Mocniak. “It helps people appreciate this place more and becomes something that has deeper quality.”
So, adventurous reader: Ready for a sip? Flagon optional.
To learn more, go to melchemy.wine.
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
Health + Wellness
RESOURCE GUIDE TO THE GORGE
The Columbia River Gorge draws people for many reasons, but a big one is its promise of an active lifestyle. We’re surrounded by nature at every turn — mountains here, rivers there, rugged basalt cliffs and sloping hillsides — offering seemingly endless opportunities for outdoor recreation and exercise. Being a rich agricultural region, there’s also healthy foods in abundance, along with regular farmers markets. Another important part of overall wellbeing is taking care of your healthcare needs, and this is where our top-notch providers come in. From preventive and specialty care to emergency services, you can find solutions to all your healthcare needs from caring providers right here in the Gorge. With a new year at hand, now is a great time to prioritize your own health and wellness. Here’s to a happy and healthy 2025!
SKYLINE HEALTH EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT RANKED TOP 1% IN PATIENT SATISFACTION ON THE WEST COAST
At SKYLINE HEALTH EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT, we understand that emergency needs require immediate and compassionate care. Our dedicated team is ready to address the unique physical, emotional, and social aspects of each patient’s situation, ensuring they receive the urgent attention and support they need.
When it comes to healthcare – quality, compassion, and trust are non-negotiable. At Skyline Health, we’re proud to say our Emergency Department is ranked in the top 1% for patient satisfaction on the West Coast as measured by Press Ganey. is prestigious recognition re ects our unwavering commitment to providing exceptional care when it matters most.
A Commitment to Compassionate, Local Care
At Skyline Health, we know medical emergencies can be overwhelming. at’s why our dedicated team of doctors, nurses, and sta work around the clock to ensure every patient feels heard, respected, and cared for. With deep roots in the Columbia River Gorge community, we o er a personal approach to emergency care larger hospitals often struggle to match.
Why We Rank in the Top 1% for Patient Satisfaction
Our success is built on compassion, expertise, and local connection. Patients consistently highlight our:
• Rapid Response Times: Our e cient triage system means you’ll be seen by a healthcare professional quickly.
• One-on-One Personal Care: We take the time to understand your unique needs, ensuring you feel comfortable and cared for throughout your visit.
• State-of-the-Art Facilities: Our newly upgraded equipment and systems allow us to diagnose and treat emergencies with precision and speed.
• Community-Focused Approach: As part of the Skyline family, we are deeply invested in the health and well-being of our local residents.
Trusted by Patients, Recognized Nationally is ranking is not just a number—it’s a testament to the trust and loyalty of the patients we serve. We are honored to be recognized at such a high level, and we will continue to strive for excellence in every aspect of healthcare.
Skyline Health: Your Partner in Rural Healthcare
If you or a loved one needs emergency care, trust the team ranked among the best. At Skyline Health, we are more than just a healthcare provider—we are part of the fabric of this community.
For more information or to learn about our other services, visit myskylinehealth.org.
Skyline Health. Trusted. Compassionate. Local.
WHAT
OUR
PATIENTS SAY:
“Skyline is big enough to get the care you need and small enough to feel cared for.”
“I was seen immediately and the sta were attentive, professional and compassionate.”
View from the Emergency Department Waiting Room.
Chief Nursing O icer Shea Gilbert, R.N., Kristen Brown, R.N., and ER Provider Eric Holden, PA, showcase a stroke robot, which enhances emergency care for our community.
Dr. David Russo, DO, MPH Board-Certified Physiatrist and Pain Medicine Specialist
You were made for more time with family
LIVING LONGER AND STAYING ACTIVE to be sidelined by conditions like vertebral compression fractures or osteoporosis. ese conditions, often linked to aging, can signi cantly impact mobility, independence, and quality of life. Without proper intervention, they can lead to chronic pain, loss of function, and even
COLUMBIA PAIN MANAGEMENT, PC 1010 10th St., Hood River, OR 541-386-9500 columbiapain.org
HEALTHY CONNECTIONS
With three convenient locations in The Dalles, we have your whole family covered. Adventist Health offers personalized primary care from childhood through your golden years.
Do you long for a health care team that sees and understands you, and makes time for your story? At Healthy Connections, relationships with our clients are our #1 value and priority. We limit our practice membership in order to give each client the time and caring attention necessary to restore and promote wellness.
Mid-Columbia Medical Center Family Medicine
Healthy Connections provides a unique medical service in the Columbia Gorge. Combining personalized medical expertise with deepdive functional diagnostic & treatment tools, Je Horacek, M.D., IFMCP, and Heather Bates, FNP-BC, help clients resolve their health issues, understand what is “too much” and “not enough,” the elements contributing to imbalance at the root cause level, and create new, lasting health habits for optimal longevity. Together, Dr. Je and Heather Bates bring over 40 years of experience in primary care, with a strong passion for helping others heal and thrive.
541-296-9151, 1620 E. 12th St., The Dalles, OR 97058
Mid-Columbia Medical Center Water’s Edge Internal Medicine
541-506-6920, 551 NE Lone Pine Blvd., The Dalles, OR 97058
Mid-Columbia Medical Center Columbia Crest Pediatrics
541-506-6520, 1935 E. 19th St., The Dalles, OR 97058
Together with our lifestyle support team, our approach is based on:
• Belief in our clients’ wisdom and motivation.
• Holistic care, focusing on mind, body and spirit.
• Appreciation of the complex interconnections of our body systems (our gut is connected to our brain which is connected to our hormones, etc.).
• A focus on optimal health – not just the absence of symptoms or dis-ease.
To learn more, call or go to AdventistHealthColumbiaGorge.org/PrimaryCare
• A collaborative partnership with each client to take an active role in health restoration.
• A preference for natural, non-toxic therapies – harnessing the body’s ability to heal itself.
In order to provide you with the time, personalization and attention we value, HEALTHY CONNECTIONS operates with a Hybrid Insurance+Membership Model, billing most major insurance companies and including many non-covered support services with our membership fee.
We are currently accepting new clients for functional (short term) and primary care memberships.
Dr. Jeff Horacek Heather Nielsen Clinic Founders & Owners
You were made for more time with family
You were made for more time with family
You were made for more time with family
With three convenient locations in The Dalles, we have your whole family covered. Adventist Health offers personalized primary care from childhood through your golden years.
With three convenient locations in The Dalles, we have your whole family covered. Adventist Health offers personalized primary care from childhood through your golden years.
With three convenient locations in The Dalles, we have your whole family covered. Adventist Health offers personalized primary care from childhood through your golden years.
With three convenient locations in The Dalles, we have your whole family covered. Adventist Health offers personalized primary care from childhood through your golden years.
Mid-Columbia Medical Center Family Medicine
Mid-Columbia Medical Center Family Medicine
Mid-Columbia Medical Center Family Medicine
Mid-Columbia Medical Center Family Medicine
541-296-9151, 1620 E. 12th St., The Dalles, OR 97058
541-296-9151, 1620 E. 12th St., The Dalles, OR 97058
541-296-9151, 1620 E. 12th St., The Dalles, OR 97058
541-296-9151, 1620 E. 12th St., The Dalles, OR 97058
Mid-Columbia Medical Center Water’s Edge Internal Medicine
Mid-Columbia Medical Center Water’s Edge Internal Medicine
Mid-Columbia Medical Center Water’s Edge Internal Medicine
Mid-Columbia Medical Center Water’s Edge Internal Medicine
541-506-6920, 551 NE Lone Pine Blvd., The Dalles, OR 97058
541-506-6920, 551 NE Lone Pine Blvd., The Dalles, OR 97058
541-506-6920, 551 NE Lone Pine Blvd., The Dalles, OR 97058
541-506-6920, 551 NE Lone Pine Blvd., The Dalles, OR 97058
Mid-Columbia Medical Center Columbia Crest Pediatrics
Mid-Columbia Medical Center Columbia Crest Pediatrics
Mid-Columbia Medical Center Columbia Crest Pediatrics
Mid-Columbia Medical Center Columbia Crest Pediatrics
541-506-6520, 1935 E. 19th St., The Dalles, OR 97058
541-506-6520, 1935 E. 19th St., The Dalles, OR 97058
541-506-6520, 1935 E. 19th St., The Dalles, OR 97058
541-506-6520, 1935 E. 19th St., The Dalles, OR 97058
To learn more, call or go to AdventistHealthColumbiaGorge.org/PrimaryCare
To learn more, call or go to AdventistHealthColumbiaGorge.org/PrimaryCare
To learn more, call or go to AdventistHealthColumbiaGorge.org/PrimaryCare You were made for more time with family
To learn more, call or go to AdventistHealthColumbiaGorge.org/PrimaryCare
FIND YOURSELF
FROM SOOTHING SORE MUSCLES TO EASING THE WINTER BLUES, A WARM SOAK DOES A BODY GOOD
STORY BY MOLLY ALLEN • PHOTOS PROVIDED
While the Columbia River Gorge o ers ample opportunities for recreation in the winter, sometimes those dreary, gray days can feel monotonous. One solution? Immerse yourself in a body of warm water. Soaking in any season can lift you up. It has the potential to help reduce stress and anxiety, soothe muscles and increase serotonin to improve mood. Plus, soaking just feels good — especially in the dead of winter.
The Gorge is home to several options for soaking, whether you’re looking for an overnight or weekend getaway for some rest and relaxation, or you just want to make use of a day-pass opportunity for a quick one-hour session. Explore these properties, ranging from rustic to luxurious, and warm up with water this winter.
A Beautiful Bathhouse: THE SOCIETY HOTEL, Bingen
e folks behind e Society Hotel took the old schoolhouse in Bingen and transformed it into a hip Gorge retreat. You can spend the night in a king or queen room, or choose a modern cabin. For those who are looking for a quick soak on any day of the week, there’s no need to book a room. A day pass gives you access to the most beautiful bathhouse in the area. Walk the covered pathway to the cedar structure. Inside, you’ll nd changing rooms, a sauna and multiple soaking pools. e indoor saltwater pool is kept at a warm temperature, while the smaller pool next to it o ers a cold plunge. Outside, step into the hot tub, which is particularly dreamy after a fresh snow. Day-pass reservations can be booked ahead by the hour online, or you can call or drop in at the front desk in the lobby to see if there is last-minute availability.
thesocietyhotel.com
@micahcruver
Molly Allen
Communal Pools: CARSON HOT SPRINGS, Carson
Just minutes from Washington’s Highway 14 and next to the Wind River, Carson Hot Springs has been providing a spot for people to soak since the early 1900s. Today, the original 1930s vintage building still stands, with individual clawfoot tubs to reserve in either the men’s or women’s bathhouse for 25- or 50-minute soaks. Or you can choose to visit the larger mineral therapy pool on-site that’s kept to 104°F, with pricing set by the hour. Either way, you’ll have access to the hot springs mineral water that’s pumped into the facility from the river. To note: there are opportunities to stay overnight, but the bathhouse and mineral pools are open for non-resort guests daily. Appointments can be made online. carsonresort.com
A Peaceful Retreat: TENZEN SPRINGS AND CABINS, Carson
is overnight getaway is nestled on a hilltop above the Wind River. It’s an adults-only property with individual modern cabins. Inspired by their own many trips to Carson Hot Springs to gain the bene ts of geothermal water from the Wind River, the owners found a way to share it with others in this peaceful, beautiful setting.
Each cabin is out tted for guests to comfortably settle in for the night with a kitchenette, steam shower and a semi-enclosed private deck. On the deck, step into your own wooden in nity tub, which is lled with hot springs mineral water pumped from the river. e tubs look out on the trees, and the temperature can be adjusted as desired. tenzensprings.com
Courtesy of Tenzen Springs
Courtesy of Tenzen Springs
Courtesy of Carson Resort
Courtesy of Carson Resort
Gorge Views: SKAMANIA LODGE, Stevenson
An easily accessible staycation in the Gorge, Skamania Lodge has been welcoming guests since the 1990s. Built in 1993, the lodge has been through renovations and seen many upgrades since then, creating a welcoming, cozy space. e Lodge embraces its natural surroundings to let the outside in, with stone tile oors, warm wood beams throughout, and a statement replace as you enter the lobby. You can book a room in the main lodge or opt for a stay in the Tree House Village. e tree houses are tucked in amongst towering timber and sit 40 feet above the ground. Other options include glamping in luxury tents or tucking in for the night in a cabin. No matter which accommodations you choose, you’ll have access to the resort’s indoor pool, hot tub and saunas. e most ideal spot for winter soaking here? e outdoor hot tub surrounded by stones with stunning mountain views.
skamania.com
Petar Marshall
Petar Marshall
Worth the Drive:
TIMBERLINE LODGE, Government Camp
is option requires a bit more planning and a longer drive, but it’s well worth it. Timberline Lodge, which opened in 1937, is a popular spot for skiers and snowboarders. Whether you’re heading to the slopes or just want a cozy mountain getaway, book a room for the night and make good use of the on-site pool and hot tub.
e original pool was constructed in 1958. It’s recently undergone a complete renovation, and reopened in March 2024 after more than a year of construction. On the west side of the historic lodge, the outdoor space is open to lodge guests only. But with access, you’ll be treated to a brand-new heated pool and large hot tub. e breathtaking mountain views are included.
timberlinelodge.com
Molly Allen is a food, beverage and travel writer who lives in Hood River. She’s a frequent contributor to The Gorge Magazine.
Courtesy of Timberline Lodge
Courtesy of Timberline Lodge
ARTBLISS HOTEL
Experience our custom A-frame cabins, including two featuring outdoor soaking bathtubs and private courtyards. With Columbia River views and tranquil grounds, we o er a place to unwind and make memories in downtown Stevenson.
509-901-1070 • artblisshotel.com
37 NW 2nd Street • Stevenson
HOTEL STEVENSON
A cozy 10-room boutique hotel, centrally located in the Gorge and just a short walk to shops, restaurants, brewpubs, and the Columbia River. Each room is uniquely designed, blending vintage charm with modern amenities. Come unwind with us!
509-219-5009 • hotelstevenson.com
77 SW Russell Ave. • Stevenson
SKUNK BROTHERS SPIRITS
Award-winning cra spirits in the Gorge! We specialize in Bourbons, “Moonshine” Corn Whiskeys, Sweet Apple Pie Brandy, Gin and Seasonal Fruit Cordials. Please see our website for tasting room hours.
509-219-5029 skunkbrothersspirits.com
40 SW Cascade Ave., #45 • Stevenson
COLUMBIA GORGE MUSEUM
Experience the impactful stories of the Columbia River Gorge through art and historical objects.
509-427-8211
columbiagorgemuseum.org
990 SW Rock Creek Dr. • Stevenson
LOCKS VENUE
Host your dream wedding at the Locks Venue, with stunning indoor and outdoor waterfront locations, and the freedom to bring your vision to life. Creating Unforgettable Moments, One Love Story at a Time.
541-374-2405 • locksvenue.com
CEDAR DESIGNS
Custom Home Kits: Conventional, Post & Beam, Timber or Log hybrids. Over 600+ plans and designs on website. Free dra ing and no charge for modi cations or custom plans. Panelized exterior walls. Price guarantees. Model home by appointment.
Stunning views, spacious guestrooms on the Columbia River at the Bridge of the Gods. Close to waterfalls and outdoor activities. Complimentary hot breakfast, pool, spa, tness room. 541-374-8777 • 800-595-7108 bwcolumbiariverinn.com
735 WaNaPa St. • Cascade Locks
BRIDGESIDE
Fast, friendly family dining for breakfast and lunch, plus spectacular views of the Gorge and Bridge of the Gods.
Creating Connection, One Story at a Time
THE AUDIO TRAILS PROGRAM BRINGS A DEEPER UNDERSTANDING OF PAST AND PRESENT TO SELECT GORGE TRAILS
ON AN EARLY-MORNING walk along the Klickitat Trail recently, with not a soul around, I heard stories about salmon, lamprey, the Ice Age floods that helped form the Gorge, and the tale of how this very trail came to be.
No, I wasn’t hearing voices in my head. These stories came from my phone, via small QR codes I scanned along the trail, told in the storyteller’s own voice. Wilbur Slockish Jr., a Klickitat tribal member, told of the Native American communities on both sides of the river, including the village here at the mouth of the Klickitat. “It was a good food-drying area because the wind went both ways, east and west, and it would dry the fish real quick,” he said.
Another Native American, Chief Jonny Jackson, recounted dip net fishing from the scaffolds above the Klickitat River, and at the now-submerged Celilo Falls. “When you dip for salmon in a rough, swift water,” he said, “you got to be prepared and you got
to have the strength to get him out because some fish, with that current, the water turns out, fish turns sideways, he could jerk you off the scaffold or off the rocks.”
Two more stories told the history of Pacific Lamprey, a species dating back 450 million years and an important source of food and medicine for Columbia River tribes. Yet another described the Ice Age floods that swept through here, creating the Columbia River Gorge. “The entire town of Lyle, this trailhead where you stand, are atop a portion of the flood’s gravel
story by JANET COOK • photos by MICHAEL HANSON
bar which developed across the mouth of the (Klickitat) river,” said Justin Radford of the Ice Age Floods National Geologic Trail. In another story, Kevin Gorman, executive director of Friends of the Columbia Gorge, told how the Klickitat Trail, which follows an old railroad bed, came to be.
I’ve walked along the Klickitat Trail many times, but this early-morning outing, with these 11 stories giving me deeper understanding, left me feeling like I had a renewed sense of this place. And that's one of the main goals of Audio Trails, an e ort by the Columbia Gorge Tourism Alliance (CGTA), a nonpro t network of businesses and organizations on both sides of the river working to ensure that tourism in the Gorge is a force for local good.
Audio Trails is an extension of the CGTA’s Accessible Gorge program, an information resource for residents and visitors with disabilities. A website launched in 2021 continues to evolve with information aimed at empowering people with disabilities to make their own decisions about where to go.
e CGTA started with an audit of restaurants and eateries throughout the Gorge, gathering information relevant to people with disabilities. “For each individual, some places are more appropriate for their disability than others,” said Emily Reed, network director for CGTA. e goal, she said, isn’t to ask restaurants to change anything. “It’s really just capturing things as they are so people can know before they go.” Accessible Gorge now has more than 70 restaurants on its website.
Mark Sigrfinius takes in the view from the Catherine Creek Trail, opposite top, while Eve Elderwell walks her dog on the Klickitat Trail, opposite bottom.
Next, CGTA turned its focus to trails, conducting a tour of the Waterfall Corridor in the western Gorge with two mobility experts in wheelchairs. At each trailhead, the consultants collected accessibility-related information.
“People know their own disability,” Reed said. “If they have the information, they can decide if a trail will work for them or not.” The consultants also suggested adding QR codes at the trailheads with accessibility information. That dovetailed with a proposal that emerged from an annual meeting of tourism-related organizations last year. “The idea of having trails mapped for accessibility and adding stories to them was the number one recommendation,” Reed said. “So then it was like, how do we do that?”
Enter Emily Martin. A high school science teacher with a background in ecology, Martin also teaches mindfulness and leads hikes where participants are guided through mindful practices, meditations and sensory exercises designed to enhance their connection with nature. She’d come up with an idea for a “slow hiking audio trail,” where users could listen to the guided practices on their own via audio files. But she needed locations where she could put them.
Reed and Martin happened to be meeting for something else when they found themselves discussing their separate, like-minded projects. “It was really fortuitous,” Martin said. The two put their heads together and Audio Trails was born. CGTA got a grant from State of Washington Tourism that included adding accessibility information at trailheads as well as stories to foster a greater understanding of the area’s past and present. “It’s about building a sense of place, deepening your understanding of the area,” Reed said.
Martin had connections to a diverse array of community members throughout the Gorge from her previous work as founder of Cascade Mountain School, a high school program based in Trout Lake with an emphasis on place-based education. She drew on these connections to choose subjects with deep knowledge related to the Gorge and to the specific trailheads where the stories would go. Over the span of a few months, she interviewed 33 people, eventually compiling more than 100 stories.
The grant covered five trailheads in Washington: Steigerwald Lake, Fort Cascades, North Bonneville, Catherine Creek and the Klickitat Trail. Reed and Martin worked with the multiple agencies involved in managing each location to pick which stories would be relevant, and to place the QR codes appropriately along the trails.
At each location, QR codes on the trailhead sign give users information on accessibility and trail safety, as well as a slow-hiking audio file narrated by Martin. The first of the trail’s stories is also there. As users continue on the trail, they’ll come upon QR codes placed on posts, trees and benches, each with a different story. Each trail has up to 18 stories lasting one to six minutes.
While Audio Trails is part of Accessible Gorge (the trail information and stories are audio-based to accommodate the vision impaired), the stories are meant to be enjoyed by anyone using the trails. Each story has also been translated into Spanish.
With the initial five trails done, the goal is to grow the program to include more trails in Washington and expand it to Oregon. Reed said CGTA is also looking at developing Audio Trails for transit, including the Columbia Gorge Express. “It would be a great opportunity to center visitors into the Gorge experience,” she said.“That sense of place is really important, giving that depth for both locals and visitors to be able to appreciate the area,” she said. “It’s a key piece of sustainable tourism.”
To learn more, go to accessiblegorge.com.
Miguel Viveros Chavez enjoys Audio Trails at Steigerwald Lake National Wildlife Refuge, left. Above, Sophia and Ella Stromquist at Fort Cascades Trail.
Christine Walker and James Reed on the North Bonneville Discovery Loop.
Explore The Dalles: Your Next Must -Visit Destination
Embark on an unforgettable adventure in The Dalles, Oregon - a hidden gem steeped in history, culture, and outdoor excitement. Whether you're seeking the thrill of the great outdoors, the charm of historic sites, or the taste of locally crafted delicacies, The Dalles offers a rich tapestry of experiences that will leave you yearning for more.
Follow in the Footsteps of Legends
Step where Lewis and Clark camped twice on their historic journey. Discover the captivating history that has shaped The Dalles, from ancient times to modern day. Our town is a living museum, brimming with stories and sites that echo the past.
Taste the Sweetest Cherries
Explore The Dalles: Your Next Must -Visit Destination
Relive History
Stroll through The Dalles' historic downtown, where every building has a story. Visit our museums, including the National Neon Sign Museum, and marvel at the floating wood floors in our historic ballrooms. Don’t miss the oldest bookstore in Oregon, where creaking wooden floors and the smell of old books create an enchanting atmosphere.
Experience Live Music
Dubbed "Little Music City," The Dalles is a hub of live music, with performances almost every night at local pubs, restaurants, and venues. Enjoy the region's best talent in a cozy, intimate setting, making every evening a special occasion.
Indulge in the juiciest, sweetest cherries you’ll ever taste, right from the cherry capital of the world. The Dalles' fertile land also produces top-quality wheat, grapes, cattle, and sheep, offering a true taste of Oregon's agricultural bounty.
Simply Sunsational!
Dive into Adventure
The Columbia River, running along our northern edge, is a paradise for anglers and water enthusiasts. Hunt for lurking monster sturgeon in the deep, or enjoy fishing for a variety of species. Our waters also invite you to kayak, paddleboard, and jet ski, promising endless waterborne fun.
Savor Local Flavors
Explore our vibrant food scene, where food trucks serve up diverse delights and restaurants offer fresh, locally sourced cuisine. Sip on fine wines at Sunshine Mill & Winery, housed in a historic flour mill, or enjoy the latest brew at Freebridge Brewing, located in the historic Mint Building.
Discover Unique Attractions
Embrace the quirky side of The Dalles with Bigfoot lore and endless adventures, it all adds a touch of fun to your visit. Explore our three courthouses that serve as a museum, a mason lodge, and our actual courthouse for Wasco County ~ each with its own unique history and charm. And don’t forget to check out the local shops and eateries that are part of the East Gorge Food Trail, offering the finest in local fare.
Come and Explore Today
1-800-255-3385
www.ExploreTheDalles.com
The Dalles awaits you with open arms and endless possibilities. Whether you're here for the history, the adventure, or the taste of local flavors, you'll find a welcoming community ready to share its treasures. Make The Dalles your next must-visit destination and create memories that will last a lifetime.
Sturgeon: The Real River Monster
story by DAVID HANSON • photos ovided
Finding the Common Thread
THE SENSE OF PLACE SERIES CELEBRATES ITS FIFTEENTH SEASON OF CURIOUS, ENGAGING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT THE GORGE
AS THE SOLD-OUT CROWD SETTLES INTO THEIR SEATS at Hood River’s Columbia Center for the Arts, Sarah Fox, director of the Sense of Place (SOP) lecture series, takes me into the green room to meet the night’s speaker. Mushroom forager and educator Amy Peterson is relaxed, sitting beside her husband. Her hiking pants are a bit dusty. She came here directly from foraging for matsutakes, the topic about which she is going to speak. ere’s no hair and makeup or last-second prep. Fox o ers Peterson a snack, but there’s just
one chocolate sample left in a small bowl — Fox’s daughters had passed through a few minutes prior, Peterson tells us. We move along; it’s almost showtime. is is the rst show of SOP’s fteenth year. Fox greets the crowd and previews the upcoming season. e six topics cover the tangible, ranging from matsutakes to volcanic mudslides to mountain biking. Before she turns it over to Peterson, a third generation Japanese American, Fox screens a short lm that pro les Homer Yasui, a local matsutake legend who recently passed away. It’s a classic Sense of Place touch. Tonight isn’t
LINDSAY CORNELIUS
BUCK JONES
LARA VOLSKI
GARY PAASCH
ARTHUR BABITZ RICHARD (DICK) IVERSON
AMY PETERSON
DOUG THIESIES
SARAH FOX
Sarah Fox, above, hosts conversations with a variety of guests this season, all pictured at left Paloma
just about Peterson or mushrooms. Like the mycorrhizal network beneath the matsutake, there’s a subtle, deeper connection to be made with the cultural history of Japanese Americans in the Gorge.
ey call it a lecture series and I guess it is in a traditional sense. But lecture feels a bit academic. Both the series founder, Amanda Lawrence, and now Fox, who has been director for ve years, have imbued SOP with a laid-back, Gorge vibe. e one-and-a-half-hour events feel like sitting in someone’s living room while a particularly knowledgeable person tells good stories, sometimes with props, photos, videos, dancing and often spurred by Fox’s
MATSUTAKE! COMMUNITY, CULTURE, FOOD: MATSUTAKE MUSHROOMS! (松茸/マツタケ) with Amy Peterson, matsutake forager | OCT 16
infectious secret sauce: curiosity. I like to imagine it this way: a Ted Talk, personi ed, leaves the after-party of tinkling champagne glasses in Silicon Valley and catches an Amtrak north, hopping o in Bingen and then waving down a sherman for a dusky ride across the Columbia River before walking up Cascade Avenue — a bit haggard but refreshed by the wind and river spray — to tell some stories.
SEASON 15
DOORS 6PM SHOW 7PM IN-PERSON & LIVESTREAMED HOOD RIVER, OR SENSEOFPLACEGORGE.ORG
GEOLOGY ALIVE UNDERSTANDING GEOLOGIC HAZARDS IN THE GORGE with Dick Iverson, USGS Scientist Emeritus | NOV 13
THE WOLF NEXT DOOR
A COMMUNITY PERSPECTIVE ON THE RETURN OF WOLVES with Lara Volski, Phd Student of Human-Wildlife Interactions at Univ. of Washington | DEC 11
skinnies & singletrack MORE THAN SKINNIES & SINGLETRACK: A HISTORY OF MOUNTAIN BIKING IN POST CANYON with Gary Paasch, mountain biker & trail-builder | Doug Thiesies, Hood River County Forester | Arthur Babitz, County Commissioner & mountain biker | JAN 15 of salmon & basketball
beyond the scrub
A CONVERSATION WITH BUCK JONES | member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Res., Columbia River Inter-Tribal Fish Commission, National Indian Athletic Assoc. Hall-of-Fame | FEB 12
NEW ATTENTION ON OREGON WHITE OAKS & WHY THEY MATTER with Lindsay Cornelius, Manager of the East Cascades Oak Partnership at Columbia Land Trust | MAR 12
The Sense of Place series kicked o its 15th season in October with mushroom forager and educator Amy Peterson, above and right, whose topic was matsutake mushrooms. Host Sarah Fox listens along with the audience.
Kyle Ramey, both images
e idea began in Trout Lake where Amanda Lawrence was training young AmeriCorps volunteers, most of whom had recently arrived in the Gorge for natural resource jobs.
“We were asking interns from New York or Alabama to help manage trails or forests in the Gorge,” Lawrence says. “We were charging them to care for a place they didn’t know. Yes, you can like being outside, but the bigger goal is connection.”
Quickly Lawrence turned to local experts to provide informational outings and trainings for the interns: visits to old teepee sites with a Forest Service archaeologist, a dam tour, a Native American berry-gathering walk.
Simultaneously, Lawrence was hosting town-hall style meetings for the non-pro t Columbia Gorge Earth Center. Before a discussion on windmills, Lawrence asked the starkly divided participants if they felt like their minds were open to change by the end of the discussion. No hands went up.
“It was good,” says Lawrence. “It was a moment of pensiveness. Blind spots are blind for a reason. It became clear that we should create a place to share the common threads we all care about in a way that isn’t threatening.”
e series began outdoors at what is now e Ruins, and within two years it was selling out. Lawrence was open to any ideas, and the possibilities seemed endless in a place like the Gorge. After the Condit Dam was removed from the White Salmon River, they created a “show” with Yakama Fisheries representatives that included a guided rafting trip down the lower White Salmon to see and feel the river recovery.
Eventually, Lawrence, who was running the series as a side gig to a full-time executive director role, moved on and SOP was turned over to Fox, who had been producing Hear in the Gorge, a podcast series that originated as a complement to the SOP talks. Fox was an obvious choice with a background in eld reporting and interviewing as a producer with Oregon Public Broadcasting’s Oregon Field Guide and Oregon Art Beat. She also has a charismatic stage presence that is authentic and disarming, yet just polished enough to give credence to SOP’s free-wheeling, localsonly version of the Ted Talk.
The Sense of Place lecture in January is about the history of mountain biking in Post Canyon. November’s lecture was about understanding geologic hazards in the Gorge.
Elle Ossello
Dick Iverson
Explore More... on the northshore of the Columbia River Gorge in sunny Klickitat County
BEST WESTERN PLUS HOOD RIVER INN
Welcome to the perfect base for exploring the Columbia River Gorge. River view guest rooms, dining and drinks at Riverside, heated shoreline pool, spas, sauna, shoreline path, seasonal packages.
800-828-7873 • hoodriverinn.com
1108 E. Marina Way • Hood River
DANIELA PULIDO’S MOBILE NOTARY
Convenient Mobile Notary Services that comes to you. Get your important documents notarized quickly and e ciently. I travel to your home, o ce, or anywhere of your choosing. Specializing in real estate closings, legal forms, and more. 509-637-5266 Danielams.pulido@gmail.com
STERLING CONSTRUCTION
BUILDING
DREAMS WITH PRECISION
We specialize in remodels, carpentry, ooring, & general repairs, delivering top-notch cra smanship for residential and commercial projects. Quality, integrity, and customer satisfaction. 541-288-8384
sterlingconstructionllc.com
MARYHILL WINERY
WinePressNorthwest’s “2015 Paci c Northwest Winery of the Year”, 50+ award-winning wines, tasting room, Tuscan-style terrace with views of Mt. Hood and Columbia River, Bocce, and gi s.
877-627-9445
maryhillwinery.com 9774 Hwy 14 Goldendale
CONSCIOUS NECTAR
Conscious Nectar is an Ayurvedic health center, focusing on holistic wellness through herbal remedies and body therapies. Visit us for spice blends, massage, facials, Ayurvedic oil-based therapies, steam therapy, and more!
509-310-8878 • consciousnectar.com
181 W Jewett Blvd • White Salmon
ANTIQUES & ODDITIES
Visit the largest antique store and mall in the Columbia Gorge with 10,000 square feet of vintage, antique and collectible items. Open 7 days a week 10am to 4pm.
509-493-4242
211 W. Steuben St. • Bingen Find us on Facebook
BELL DESIGN C o.
Providing civil engineering & land surveying services throughout the Columbia River Gorge and beyond. Water • Sewer • Wastewater Structural • Geotechnical • Roads Boundaries • Construction • Short Plats
509-493-3886 • belldesigncompany.com
900 W Steuben • Bingen
HOOD RIVER HOBBIES, LLC
Come play with us! We have something for everyone at your local family-owned hobby and game store. Board games, toys, models, cra s, kites, discs, RC vehicles and more! Come nd a new hobby or a unique gi .
541-386-1223 • hoodriverhobbies.com
110 - 4th St. • Downtown Hood River
“ ere’s no better place to have these conversations than the Gorge,” Fox says. “We’re this in ection point in so many ways. From the wet forests, over mountains, to arid grasslands. Mount Adams, down to the river, and back up to Mount Hood. Culturally, politically. So the universe is saying we should be having these types of conversations right here.” Sense of Place is not about the hottest news. ere’s no algorithm or metrics analysis to determine what sells. Topics come to Fox through the grapevine or more formal Request For Proposals. Covid forced the series online, and Fox has maintained the digital presence since in-person shows resumed in 2022. e streaming episodes are free in perpetuity and have more than doubled the audience.
Fox has no interest in “if it bleeds it leads” topics (though a SOP on the Rajneesh era was wildly popular). Her ability to charmingly neutralize tension has allowed her to cover some controversial topics like the timber discussion she hosted in which one party on the four-person panel had taken the other to court. is season’s mountain bike talk includes a county forester and a trail-building mountain biker. Sounds like con ict theater, but that’s the beauty of SOP: the evening’s conversation will prove their shared love of this place makes a stable bridge.
“We need more of those water-cooler access points to people who have knowledge of things that we don’t,” says Fox. “You can approach it without bringing the heat.”
Back in the Center for the Arts, Peterson wraps up her discussion and Q&A. In true show-and-tell fashion, she invites the crowd to the table where she has assembled a variety of mushrooms, mostly matsutakes foraged earlier in the day from somewhere on Mount Hood. Having just learned of the two vastly di erent tell-tale scents of a good matsutake, audience members put their noses to the test.
“I can smell the cinnamon in this one,” I overhear one person say.
“Ooh, this one’s dirty socks like she talked about,” says another to her friend. “Here, wanna smell?”
To learn more, go to mtadamsinstitute.org.
David Hanson is a writer, photographer and video producer based in Hood River. Find his editorial and commercial work at ModocStories.com and weddings at CascadiaStudios.com.
The March Sense of Place lecture will be on Oregon white oaks, above. Sarah Fox, host of the series for the past five years, brings an authentic, charismatic stage presence to the event, which runs monthly from October to March.
Kyle Ramey
Doug Gorsline
3391 Avalon Dr. | Hood River, OR
Dividable Buildable Lot
1.31 acres outside city limits in the urban growth area. Currently there are 7 manufactured homes, 3 owned and rented by seller & 4 owned by individuals.
$1,500,000 | RMLS# 24145467
Karen Andazola 541-490-3364
14 Fir Tree | White Salmon, WA
Nestled Among Trees Above The WS River
This 3 bed/2 bath well cared for 1992 Fleetwood double-wide set on 3.34 park-like acres is just waiting for you to make it your own. It sits above the White Salmon River over a feature known as Triple Drop.
$575,000 | RMLS# 24521205
Buena Vista Ct #2 | Goldendale, WA
Mount Hood View Property
This 5-acre level property with a beautiful wooded backdrop is a blank slate ready to be developed. Underground power is at the property line, to be well, to be septic. Standard septic perc test conducted in 2021.
$85,000 | RMLS# 24611631
Home
A rare one owner 2 BD 2 BA home, custom built in 2011 with over 200 ft. of Low Bank Hood River Frontage right out your front door. This idyllic paradise is situated on 3.39 secluded acres only about 10 min from Hood River.
$1,500,000 | RMLS# 24294702
Tanawashee Subdivision | Mosier, OR
Columbia River & Gorge View Lots
Views of the Columbia River ,Washington Hills ,The syncline & some with views all the way to the HR Bridge. 6 lots available
$299,000- $379,000 | RMLS# 22687716
Ruth Chausse
Karen
Out for Delivery: Your Grocery Haul
IN THE FALL OF 1982, 16-year-old David Stelzer woke up to dozens of federal agents swarming his family’s farm near Dufur. “They took everything of value, everything they thought they could sell — tractors, cars, farm equipment,” he said. “They even put a lien on my father’s income and bank accounts.” The agents believed his family
owed taxes relating to a mobile home park property they owned in Yakima, Wash. It took four years to resolve the situation, but in the meantime, they had to figure out how to survive.
Stelzer dropped out of his junior year of high school and worked as a farm hand for a neighbor, earning $4 an hour. After a month, the teenager realized he needed to do more to help his family stay afloat. For the next four years, Stelzer negotiated with the neighbor to work for free if he could borrow their farm equipment on evenings and weekends. This trade enabled his family to continue growing and harvesting organic wheat.
To supply customers, savvy Stelzer loaded his Chevy LUV pick-up with grain and drove from Portland to Seattle, making many stops in between. A customer in Ellensburg, Wash., asked Stelzer if he could pick up nuts and spices and bring them back with him on his next visit. “I did this as a favor, but quickly realized there was a need,” he explained.
As word spread that Stelzer could deliver grain and other goods along his route, orders grew. The young entrepreneur organized drop points to distribute the items. He recognized that selling his own product plus other quality goods could become a viable business. In January 1988, now 21 and newly married, Stelzer and his wife, Kimberly, compiled their first catalog, six pages in total. Little did they know that they had just launched what would one day be a multi-million-dollar company.
story by RUTH BERKOWITZ • photos courtesy of AZURE STANDARD
Give where you live, love and learn
The Gorge Community Foundation helps donors create charitable endowment funds to support the causes you care about and projects that inspire you. Since 2003, the Foundation has made over$4.7 million in grants. You can start an endowment fund now with a tax-deductible contribution or include the Gorge Community Foundation in your estate plans.
Learn more at gorgecf.org or call 509- 637-7997
GORGE COMMUNITY FOUNDATION
ey named their bulk and specialty health food distribution business Azure Standard, for the blue color which Stelzer associates with law, justice and honesty. From the beginning, Stelzer committed to selling high-quality food at a ordable prices. He saw the bene ts of a healthy diet rsthand after his grandfather, Frederick Stelzer, was diagnosed with heart disease. According to Stelzer, after changing his diet — removing sugar and white our and replacing them with fresh fruit, vegetables and a daily dose of ve garlic cloves — his grandfather's health improved signi cantly. Stelzer himself su ered from severe asthma and gut issues as a small child and says he was cured by a whole-food, non-dairy diet.
e Stelzers prioritized healthy food as they raised their own 11 children. “Health is like a three-legged stool,” Stelzer said. “On one pillar is food, the next exercise and the third leg is spiritual and emotional viewpoints. When you combine the three together you get optimum health. None of my children were ever sick and we never had to take them to the doctor.”
A high school dropout attending what he calls the “school of hard knocks,” Stelzer read constantly and was willing to take risks and pivot when needed. After creating the rst Azure Standard catalog, sales steadily grew to about 5,000 customers, mostly from the Paci c Northwest, California and North Dakota. California entered the picture because his uncle worked as a trucker in Yakima hauling Washington apples to San Francisco and Los Angeles. On his return route, he picked up products for Stelzer, including rice and nuts. North Dakota was added to the distribution list because that’s where his sister-in-law’s family lived, and they appreciated getting organic grains.
David and Kimberly Stelzer at the family farm near Dufur. The couple married in 1986 and soon created the first Azure Standard catalog. They initially stored inventory in a spare bedroom at their home.
In 1999, Azure’s orders tripled due to the Y2K phenomenon. Some people thought when clocks struck midnight on January 1, 2000, computers would fail, triggering massive power outages and widespread chaos. Although it never happened, these fears motivated people to stock up on Azure products, and their customer base rose to 40,000.
Similarly, the pandemic boosted orders yet again. On March 13, 2020, when the government declared Covid a national emergency, Stelzer didn’t think much of it. But two days later, he got a call from the company’s warehouse alerting him that they had processed more orders over the weekend than they had in the prior two months. Their customer base soon soared to more than a million.
Although crisis breeds opportunity, Azure’s success lies with its devoted customers and efficient, inexpensive delivery system. To avoid the expense of so-called last mile delivery, Azure has established 4,000
Dry goods like whole grain flours are popular items in the Azure inventory, which includes food, household items, outdoor and garden supplies, nutritional supplements, health and beauty products and more.
drop points all over the U.S., including Hawaii and Alaska, as well as a few U.S. territories — the Virgin Islands, Puerto Rico and Guam. Customers on the West Coast don’t pay for shipping, but those farther away incur a flat rate shipping charge, making it affordable for ordering heavy bulk grains and frozen or refrigerated items.
In the Gorge there are a number of drop sites, including the three brick-and-mortar Azure stores, in Hood River, The Dalles and Dufur. Drop sites across the county exist in a variety of places including parking lots, churches and retail stores. Each location must be accessible for the 18-wheeler truck.
Naturopathic Medicine & Primary Care • Medical Weight
Thyroid Conditions • Menopause & Women's Health • Men's Health & Testosterone Replacement
Chronic Gastrointestinal Disorders • Vitamin IV Therapies & Injections
Acupuncture, Cupping & Chinese Medicine • Naturopathic Pediatrics
Customers receive an email alerting them when the truck will arrive with their packages. Some customers, especially those in the rural Midwest, drive an hour or more to pick up their delivery. One devoted customer and YouTube in uencer, Annie McElroy, mother of six and owner of Heartway Farms in Plano, Illinois, lmed herself driving to a drop center where about 50 customers anxiously awaited the truck’s arrival, then worked together to unload it.
“My favorite Azure items are their whole grain ours, organic sugar and Equal Exchange co ee,” McElroy says. “ ey also have the most amazing raw cheeses.”
is fall, Azure invited its customers to visit the Moro warehouse. I had no idea that the company I’ve been ordering oats, our and dried fruit from for years had such an enormous warehouse — 112,000 square feet, lled to the brim with 13,000 products, ranging from grains, fruits and vegetables to household items and garden supplies. Everything they sell must comply with Azure’s product standards, which includes a ban on more than 50 ingredients.
Vendors were onsite, passing out samples of kombucha, granola, nut butters and other items. Employees led us up and down the aisles, explaining their ful llment process, reuse of cardboard boxes and even delivering a bit of trivia, like how in the early days, employees ful lled orders by rollerblading the aisles of their former warehouse in Dufur, which burned down in 2022.
In November, I drove to Dufur to meet Stelzer. e town, 15 miles south of e Dalles with a population of 631, has a main street about three blocks long. ere’s an upscale market lled with Azure products and a delicatessen, a gas station across the street, and a nearby building under construction lled with equipment for a bakery slated to open next spring and run by Stelzer’s daughter. e carob factory, opposite the gas station, bustles with employees making a variety of bars and chips. All of this is owned by Azure.
Stelzer and I talk in the company’s conference room, then take a drive to the farm in his red 2014 Tesla. Eight miles up Dufur Valley Road is the land Stelzer’s grandfather bought in 1954. He’d immigrated from Ukraine at 16 to escape the horrors of the Bolshevik Revolution and World War I, settling rst near Spokane and then moving to Vancouver before discovering the Dufur Valley, where he bought 1,200 acres for $90,000. Like many of his neighbors, he grew wheat and raised cattle.
Stelzer shows me one of their most unusual greenhouses, lled with tropical plants, pineapple, star anise, avocados, bananas and turmeric. e air inside is moist, and we chuckle about pineapples growing in the Northwest. We can see the farmhouse where Stelzer’s parents still live, the same house where Stelzer grew up, the same spot where decades ago, he loaded his Chevy pick-up with organic grain and set out to deliver it.
“Anything,” he says with a smile, “is possible.”
To learn more, go to azurestandard.com.
Ruth Berkowitz is a mediator and writer living in Hood River. She is a frequent contributor to The Gorge Magazine.
The Stelzers with three of their eleven children, above. At left, canned products from the company’s line of Azure Market Organics pack a shelf.
Enjoy our AZURE community of HOME, HEALTH, & PANTRY videos, articles, recipes & more... visit our AZURE LIFE blog on AzureStandard.com
Since 1973, our family has been raising more than organic foods; we are raising the bar for sustainable agriculture and ethical partnerships. From our family-owned organic farm and business in Dufur, Oregon, we offer nutrient rich foods made from clean, healthy ingredients. We deliver organic, non-GMO and natural groceries + 12,000 healthful products directly to you via pick-up points (“drops”) across the US.
Spiced Buttermilk Cake
Recipe and photos by KACIE MCMACKIN
This cake is comforting, cozy and delicious. The spices are familiar, but unique in this cake context. The house smelled like it was ready for the holidays as the cake baked, and I had so much fun decorating it with this winter wreath. The vanilla bean paste is optional but adds a lovely visual texture and a boost of flavor. This is a perfect cake to bring to a gathering during these chilly months.
Ingredients
CAKE INGREDIENTS
• 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 1/4 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
• 1/8 tsp. ground allspice
• 1/8 tsp. ground clove
• 3/4 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 eggs, at room temperature
• 1 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp. vanilla bean paste (optional)
• 1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
FROSTING INGREDIENTS
• 1 1/2 cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 8 oz. (1 pkg.) cream cheese, at room temperature
• 2 lb. confectioners’ sugar
• 1 Tbsp. vanilla
• 1 tsp. vanilla bean paste (optional)
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• heavy cream
Directions
CAKE: Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter and flour two 8-inch cake pans. Line the bottoms with parchment paper. Sift or whisk together the flour, baking powder, spices and salt in a small bowl. Whisk together the buttermilk, vanilla and vanilla paste in a small bowl. Cream the butter and sugar in a stand mixer using the paddle attachment. Add the eggs, one at a time, waiting until each is incorporated before adding the next. Scrape down the bowl and mix again until thoroughly incorporated. Add half of the flour mixture and mix on low speed until combined. Add half of the buttermilk mixture and mix on low speed until combined. Repeat with the second half of the flour mixture, followed by the buttermilk mixture. Scrape down the bowl and mix again until just incorporated. Divide evenly into your prepared pans and bake for about 25 minutes, until the center is springy and a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for about five minutes before turning them out to cool completely on a cooling rack.
FROSTING: Cream the butter in a stand mixer with paddle attachment until it’s light and resembles frosting. Slowly, bit by bit, add in the cream cheese until fully incorporated. Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time. Add the salt, vanilla and vanilla paste. Once incorporated, slowly increase the speed to high and beat for 3-5 minutes until frosting is light and fluffy. Add a couple of tablespoons of heavy cream to get the frosting to the desired thickness.
CAKE ASSEMBLY: Place one layer on your serving plate and frost with about one cup of frosting. Place the second layer of cake on top. Cover the cake in a thin crumb coating of the frosting. Place in the fridge for 15 minutes to set before adding the final layer of frosting. Decorate as desired!
Kacie McMackin is an avid cook, writer, and owner of Kings & Daughters Brewery. She’s a frequent contributor to The Gorge Magazine.
BACKWOODS BREWING COMPANY
509-427-3412
• backwoodsbrewingcompany.com 1162 Wind River Hwy • Carson
Backwoods Brewing is family owned and located in Carson, WA. Established in 2012, we o er delicious beers, hand-made pizzas, outdoor seating, and welcome all ages. Now featuring brunch on the weekends!
Open daily: 11:30am-9pm
BRIDGESIDE
541-374-8477 • bridgesidedining.com
Exit 44 off I-84, Cascade Locks
Stunning views next to the Bridge of the Gods – Bridgeside serves tasty char-broiled burgers plus an extensive menu of breakfast items, sandwiches, chowders, baskets, salads & desserts. Dine-in or takeout. Serving breakfast and lunch with friendly service.
Gift shop • Special event room & terrace
CELILO RESTAURANT & BAR
541-386-5710 • celilorestaurant.com
16 Oak Street • Downtown Hood River
Celebrating over 19 years, Celilo began with a desire to honor the bounty of the Northwest. Our ever-changing menu reflects the seasonal highlights of the region’s growers and foragers. We offer the most innovative in fresh, local cuisine as well as an award-winning wine list, full bar, small plate menu, and happy hour. Open Tuesday-Saturday from 5pm
Dakota and Greg Wilkins serve the Gorge bringing the bar to you with 6 beverage taps on a classic GMC pickup. They are ready to serve your favorite beverage at your event!
Reserving now for 2025
BRODER ØST
541-436-3444 • brodereast.com
102 Oak St. Suite 100 • Hood River
Offering Nordic inspired breakfast and lunch to the gorge. Something new and exciting for the whole family to enjoy. Come try traditional recipes such as aebleskiver (danish pancakes), swedish meatballs, norwegian lefse (potato crepes) and lots more!
We look forward to serving you!
#broderost
DOPPIO COFFEE
541-386-3000 • doppiohoodriver.com 310 Oak Street • Downtown Hood River
Relax on our beautiful patio in the heart of Hood River. Enjoy a hand crafted, in-house roasted espresso drink. Serving breakfast and lunch all day: panini sandwiches, fresh salads, smoothies and fresh baked pastries and goodies. Gluten free options available. Free Wi-Fi and our patio is dog friendly. Our tables are spaced apart and disinfected after each guest.
BISTRO 1907
541-467-2277 • balchhotel.com/dine
40 Heimrich Street • Dufur, OR
Join us for casually elegant, indoor/outdoor destination dining. Features local beer and wine, seasonal fare, mountain views, and the magic and charm of the historic Balch Hotel. Found 15 scenic minutes from The Dalles, where the Gorge meets the High Desert.
First-time guests, mention you discovered us in The Gorge Magazine, and enjoy a drink on us!
CASA EL MIRADOR FAMILY MEXICAN RESTAURANT
541-298-7388 • casaelmirador.com 1424 West 2nd Street • The Dalles
Quality Mexican food prepared with the freshest and finest ingredients. Warm, friendly service and a lively atmosphere. Indulge in generous portions of flavorful sizzling fajitas, fish tacos, savory enchilada dishes and daily specials. Drink specials & Happy Hour menu from 3-6pm, Mon-Fri. Full service bar, take-out menu, gift certificates and catering services. Open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week.
EL PUERTO DE ANGELES III
541-308-0005
1306 12th Street • Hood River, on the Heights
We are open and happy to serve you. Authentic Jalisco Cuisine. We provide a safe dining experience. Enjoy good food and good times. Offering daily lunch and dinner specials, served all day. Happy Hour Mon-Fri. Outdoor dining available (weather permitting).
Open Daily 10am-9pm Dine-In or Takeout
EVERYBODY’S BREWING
509.637.2774 • everybodysbrewing.com
177 E. Jewett Boulevard • White Salmon
Beer for all! With award winning, innovative beers and a diverse food menu, a welcoming atmosphere and a beautiful view of the Columbia River Gorge, you’ll quickly discover why Everybody’s is a Gorge favorite.
Visit Website for Updated Hours | Indoor/Outdoor Dining and Takeout (Order Online or Call)
THE LITTLE SEVEN SEVEN RANCH HIGHLAND BEEF
509-767-7130 • L77Ranch.com
Grass-Fed Highland Beef from our ranch to your home. Known for flavor and tenderness, Highland Beef is higher in protein and iron than conventional beef, lower in fat and cholesterol. The L77 Ranch Shop is tucked into the woods of Lyle, WA. The impressive Highland Cattle can be viewed as you travel through the ranch. Email for a Local Price List. By appointment only.
SUSHI OKALANI
541-386-7423 • sushiokalani@gorge.net
109 First Street • Downtown Hood River
Come find us in the basement of the Yasui Building, the local’s favorite spot for fresh fish, Pan-Asian Cuisine, and a rockin’ atmosphere! Lots of rotating specials, creative rolls, and a large sake selection means you’re always trying something new! Private rooms are available for groups up to 20 people. Take-out menu available online. Open for dinner Mon-Sat at 5pm, closing hours change seasonally.
GRACE SU’S CHINA GORGE RESTAURANT & TIGER LOUNGE
541-386-5331 • chinagorge.com
2680 Old Columbia River Drive • Hood River
Voted Best Chinese Restaurant in the Gorge! Proudly serving Hood River and the Columbia Gorge since 1978. Join us for authentic Hunan and Szechuan flavors, Columbia River views, happy hour in the Tiger Lounge 3-6pm, and always friendly service.
Open Tue-Sun for takeout & dine-in service, closed Mon.
PFRIEM FAMILY BREWERS
541-321-0490 • pfriembeer.com
707 Portway Avenue, Suite 101 • Hood River Waterfront pFriem artisanal beers are symphonies of flavor and balance, influenced by the great brewers of Europe, but unmistakably true to our homegrown roots in the Pacific Northwest. Although they are served humbly, each glass is overflowing with pride and a relentless aspiration to brew the best beer in the world. We’ll let you decide.
Open Daily | 11:30am-9pm
THUNDER ISLAND BREWING CO.
971-231-4599 • thunderislandbrewing.com
601 NW Wa Na Pa Street • Cascade Locks
A popular brewery and taproom situated in the scenic Columbia River Gorge. Known for its award-winning craft beer and delicious food offerings, which visitors can enjoy while taking in the breathtaking views of the river and mountains. Well-behaved dogs are welcome on the patio. A unique experience for beer lovers and nature enthusiasts. Please visit website for current hours.
GROUND ESPRESSO BAR & CAFE
541-386-4442 • groundhoodriver.com 12 Oak Street • Downtown Hood River
Get your daily fuel for your Gorge sports and activities here! A long time locals favorite coffee house and eatery, Ground features fresh in-house roasted coffee, house made pastries and cookies with lots of gluten free options. We make our soups from scratch every day and source mostly local and organic ingredients. Nitro cold brew on tap.
RIVERSIDE RESTAURANT & BAR
541-386-4410 • riversidehoodriver.com
Exit 64 off I-84 • Waterfront Hood River
Welcome to Riverside, where you’ll find the best food, drinks and views in the Gorge. Dine indoors or outdoors on the waterfront with fresh menus changing seasonally, a wine list with the area’s best selections, and 14 taps with all your favorite local breweries. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner with the freshest ingredients grown and harvested by thoughtful, intentional local growers.
YOUR PARTAKE LISTING HERE
Contact Jody Thompson for more information: 425-308-9582 • jthompson@thegorgemagazine.com 541-399-6333 • thegorgemagazine.com
The Gorge is a mecca for great food and drink: restaurants, cafés, wineries, breweries, food carts & more. Help visitors and locals decide where to dine and drink. They’ll see your ad in print and in the online digital edition of the magazine…for one affordable price! RESERVE A PARTAKE LISTING SPACE TODAY
Artist Heather Marlow painted Snowy Marsh near a friend’s house in Odell, in the Upper Hood River Valley. Like most of her landscape works, she painted this one en plein air. “I’m a seasonal painter,” she said. “I paint the leaves in the fall, wildflowers in the spring. I love plein air painting, but this was my first and probably last plein air painting in the winter!” It was so cold, she added, “I couldn’t properly manage the pastel sticks.” She starts with a watercolor underpainting, then applies pastels over it using a technique called “broken color,” where the underlayers are exposed. “It causes your eye to blend the colors and turn it into something new,” she said. “I love how color combinations I never thought of just appear.” It captured the winter light on the snow and water perfectly.
the artist
HEATHER MARLOW started drawing and sketching as a child, and later began “playing around” with oil pastels, but life got in the way for a time. After her mother moved to White Salmon, Marlow followed in 1997. “I came in the spring and the wildflowers were out,” she said. “A month and a half later, I relocated.” She worked as a fiber artist at the Columbia Art Gallery. There, she became inspired by the pastel artists and began taking classes. It took hold, and she’s been working in the medium for a decade. She became a working artist at Art on Oak two and a half years ago. “I absolutely love the gallery,” she said. “It has me painting so much more.” And that, she added, is what makes you a better artist. Marlow will also have her work on display at Cathedral Ridge Winery in December and January alongside several other artists. @heathermarlowart on Instagram
know the pull to wander—the need to slow down, take in the view, and savor the changing seasons. While the Hood River crew seeks adventure in the south, our team of 8 stays behind this year, working together to prepare your van for the open road. From custom builds to expert service, we’re here to ensure your journey never stops. Whether you're gearing up for the next big
Cyndee is a NW native and has called Hood River home for over 20 years. Winter is a great time to reflect on the past year and get ready for the new year. If your plans for 2025 include buying or selling Real Estate, let Cyndee help you find your own “home sweet home” in the Gorge, in Oregon or Washington!
Excellent support and results. Cyndee worked very hard in insuring it all came together!! She was always there and on top of everything! Would encourage all to let Cyndee help them! Would highly recommend her. She not only knew what to do, but was a lot of fun to work with! Thank you Cyndee!
