The Gorge Magazine - Spring 2019

SPRING 2019 thegorgemagazine.com

LIVING AND EXPLORING IN THE COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE

Where Art Happens

Go behind the scenes during the Gorge Artists Open Studios Tour

Hiding in Plain Sight A revealing geology tour of the Columbia Gorge

The Hands That Feed Us A farm-to-table photo essay celebrating diversity

Visit Historic Downtown

TROUTDALE the gateway to the gorge TAKE EXIT 17 OFF I-84

Visit our many Specialty Shops, Art Galleries, Antique Shops, Fine Restaurants, and more!

Taste of Village

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CONTENTS : FEATURES

p.50

Hiding in Plain Sight

A geology tour of the Gorge offers a trip through time — and dramatic origin tales of its most iconic features

By Gregg Herrington

p.60

THE HANDS THAT FEED US A photo essay by Laurel Sparks

Bigstock

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SPRING 2019 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

Visit Klickitat County Where The Sun Meets The Rain

Photo by Darlisa Black

MARTIN’S GORGE TOURS

RIVER DRIFTERS

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

Perfect for families, groups, and friends with trips for all ages and abilities. Guided rafting on the White Salmon, Deschutes, Clackamas Rivers, and more! Last minute reservations okay. For updates and specials follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

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800-972-0430 • riverdrifters.net

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THE LYLE HOTEL The Lyle Hotel Restaurant & Bar is a historic railroad hotel newly renovated with nightly stays & dinner serving local beers, wines and cider in the heart of wine country.

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FEAST MARKET

RESTAURANT, MARKET & DELI Serving sustainable meat & seafood, salads, sandwiches, local produce, espresso, kombucha, beer, wine, full bar. Now offering an expanded dinner menu in our new location with Mt. view patio seating.

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EXPLORE KLICKITAT COUNTY, WASHINGTON AND THE NORTH SHORE OF THE COLUMBIA RIVER GORGE! VISITOR INFORMATION CENTER: 1 Heritage Plaza, White Salmon, WA 98672 • 509-493-3630 • mtadamschamber.com

CONTENTS : DEPARTMENTS

our gorge 12 PERSON OF INTEREST 16 VENTURES 20 BEST OF THE GORGE 24 HOME + GARDEN 28 LOCAVORE 32 STYLE + DESIGN 36 EXPLORE 38 WINE SPOTLIGHT 76 PARTAKE 82 YOUR GORGE

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12

Left, by Ben Mitchell and right, courtesy of Stave and Stone Wine Estates

outside 66

ONCE UPON A DELTA The past is part of the future at Nichols Natural Area

By Janet Cook

arts + culture 68

36

WHERE ART HAPPENS Gorge artists welcome visitors during annual Open Studios Tour

By Janet Cook

wellness 70

68 6

SPRING 2019 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

Top, by Ben Mitchell and bottom, ceramics by Maia Desfosses-Yang

HEMP MAKES A COMEBACK Gorge entrepreneurs make health foods and other products from the newly legal plant

By David Hanson

HOME ++ JEWELRY JEWELRY HOME

SINCE 1994 SINCE 1994

305 OAK STREET 305 OAK HOOD STREETRIVER DOWNTOWN DOWNTOWN HOOD RIVER 54 1-386-6188 54 1-386-6188

EDITOR’S NOTE

I

’ve lived in Hood River long enough to remember when Nichols Boat Works was still turning out vessels from its cavernous metal building at the head of Nichols Basin. In those days, the basin looked different than it does now. The dock, which today is home to the seasonal Sandbar Café, served as an actual dock for passenger boats — including the various sternwheelers plying the Columbia. That, of course, was before the flood of November 2006, when a warm, wet storm caused an ice dam on Mount Hood’s Eliot Glacier to collapse, sending a torrent of water, mud and debris down the Hood River. When it was over, an estimated 1.5 million cubic yards of sand had been deposited at the mouth of the Hood River. The formerly spindly spit had grown by 26 acres, nearly blocking off Nichols Basin from the Columbia.

In the years since the flood, the Hood River waterfront has been transformed. Development has morphed it into a thriving hub of businesses, restaurants, breweries and a hotel. It’s the nerve center of recreation in Hood River, and is a destination unto itself. But the site of the former boat works, at the south end of Nichols Basin, is being transformed in another way. A three-acre parcel abutting the basin is protected in perpetuity through a conservation easement, owned by the city and managed by Columbia Riverkeeper. The river advocacy organization has involved the community — and students from around the Gorge — in creating an undeveloped park at the site, known as Nichols Natural Area.

Last year, nearly 800 students explored the site as a living laboratory, learning about riparian habitat, testing water quality and inventorying bugs. Students and other community members have planted trees and continue to transform the area from a former industrial site to a vibrant green space. Riverkeeper works to engage diverse communities in the project, so we can all feel a sense of pride and connectedness to it. We take a look at the history of Nichols Basin, and the creation of Nichols Natural Area, beginning on page 66.

Spring brings with it one of the most-anticipated events of the season, the Gorge Artists Open Studios Tour (page 68). This year’s tour is the largest to date, with 48 artists from around the Gorge inviting visitors into their studios for an intimate look at where they work. This year’s tour includes 10 new artists participating for the first time.

This issue is filled with other interesting stories. David Hanson takes a look at hemp, newly legalized across the U.S., and some local entrepreneurs who are making products from the plant’s seeds. Ruth Berkowitz introduces us to Amy Roots, who makes a beeswax-coated wrap for food storage to help us all reduce our use of plastic. And Gregg Herrington takes us on a geology-focused trip through the Gorge, giving us the origin stories of this stunning place and many of its iconic features. Happy reading, and here’s to springtime in the Gorge. Enjoy!

—Janet Cook, Editor

ABOUT THE COVER Hood River artist Rachel Harvey created the painting on our cover, entitled, From the Depths of My Soul.

The oil on linen depicts the eastern Gorge’s Columbia Hills on an early evening in late summer, as seen from Celilo Park. “The luminosity of the hills and deepness of the shadows create an intoxicating rhythm over the top of the river’s bass note,” she said. “It reverberates through one’s chest, quickening the pulse while slowing the pace.” rachelharveyart.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.

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SPRING 2019 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

SPRING 2019 EDITOR

Janet Cook

CREATIVE DIRECTOR & GRAPHIC DESIGNER

where the Gorge gets

engaged

Renata Kosina

ADVERTISING DIRECTOR Jody Thompson

ADVERTISING SALES Jenna Hallett Nikki Bringman, Suzette Gehring, Chelsea Marr, Niki Piacente

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Ruth Berkowitz, Don Campbell, Peggy Dills Kelter, David Hanson, Gregg Herrington, Kacie McMackin, Ben Mitchell

COVER ARTIST

© Kathy Pothier Photography

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Rachel Harvey

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Paloma Ayala, David Hanson, Darius Kuzmickas, Kacie McMackin, Ben Mitchell, Laurel Sparks, Kelly Turso

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

VISIT US ON SOCIAL MEDIA facebook.com/thegorgemagazine

THE GORGE MAGAZINE thegorgemagazine.com PO Box 390 • 419 State Street Hood River, Oregon 97031

We appreciate your feedback.

Please email comments to: jcook@thegorgemagazine.com

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

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The Gorge Magazine is printed at Eagle Web Press and cover at Columbia Gorge Press.

THE GORGE MAGAZINE : SPRING 2019

9

MENS • WOMENS • KIDS • BABY • CLOTHING • SHOES • ACCESSORIES

MENS • WOMENS • KIDS • BABY • CLOTHING • SHOES • ACCESSORIES

OUR GORGE person of interest p. 12 ventures p. 16 best of the gorge p. 20 home + garden p. 24 locavore p. 28 style + design p. 32 explore p. 36 wine spotlight p. 38

A kitchen makeover creates flow and function for a Hood River family. p. 24 Darius Kuzmickas / KuDa Photography

THE GORGE MAGAZINE : SPRING 2019

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Brigit Cheshire

OUR GORGE : PERSON OF INTEREST

Kit Garoutte

The versatile musician hits a new high in music and life

T

here’s a moment in a 2016 performance with popular Gorge performer Moe Dixon when guitarist Kit Garoutte, himself held in the highest regard in these parts, taps a pedal and elevates the notes of his acoustic guitar solo into something soaring and surreal.

Dixon’s “Sweet Coyote Guitar” is an aching slice of a lonely life, played out in the sweet and melancholy reverb of St. Peter’s Church in The Dalles, where the duo played a sold-out concert in the fall of that year. Dixon laid out the song in his rich voice and supple guitar, but Garoutte, from the first note of the solo, like a sudden updraft under a bird’s wing, lifts the piece to a new passionate place, before setting it back down in a soft and sweet pianissimo, as Dixon’s voice takes the tune back over.

Ann Fleming 12 SPRING 2019 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

Kit Garoutte

STORY BY DON CAMPBELL • PHOTOS BY BRIGIT CHESHIRE, ANN FLEMING AND KIT GAROUTTE

A lifelong musician, Garoutte — son of a cowboy father and musically inclined mother — has built a satisfying career that stretches from his youth in La Grande, Ore., and a short stint in Idaho, to the hustle of earning his bones, honing his chops, and building a musician’s life in among the finest players in Portland, to humbler yet remarkably busy and creative days smack dab in the middle of a surprisingly vibrant Gorge music scene.

Kit — his given name, and a take on his grandfather’s name of Kip — is a musician’s musician, one who has carved a musical path to playing what’s in his heart. His fingers are deft and agile, and he plays what the song requires — not his ego — with soulful self-assurance.

Garoutte, 65, has worked through nearly every imaginable musical situation. Following the urging of his mom, he started piano at age 4, tooted the ubiquitous and mandatory recorder in grade school, and played upright bass in the sixth grade

Brigit Cheshire

before taking up the trumpet in junior high and the baritone in high school.

Nerves plagued him during those early years.

“I would get so nervous,” the affable, goateed musician says. “At a piano recital with 50 people, I’d get really, really nervous.”

Understandable, but a funny thing happened.

In his early teen years, he started dabbling in guitar, which his parents had gotten for him (like nearly every teen of the era). At age 17, he heard Leonard Bernstein, of all people, talk about a hot young duo called Simon and Garfunkel. “The guitar took on a whole new meaning,” Garoutte says.

He tackled the songs of Credence Clearwater Revival, the Rolling Stones, and even Black Sabbath, started a band, and, he says, “First time in front of an audience — no nerves!”

He’d found his musical happy place. From there his musical insatiability waltzed him through a variety of style: blues, R&B, soul and funk, covers and originals, and into the complex and improvisational world of jazz. From his move to Portland in 1973 and beyond, he’s worked with a cadre of great players in various bands and levels of whatever qualifies as success in the music world. Players like Scott Casey, with whom he formed a longtime

Kit Garoutte started playing the piano at age 4, and has been a musician ever since. He was given a guitar as a teenager and never looked back. He plays throughout the Gorge and beyond in solo, duo and band settings.

musical partnership, master bassist Dave Captein, drummer Carlton Jackson, multi-instrumentalist, composer and Leon Russell sideman Gary Ogan, even a stint with soul singer Linda Hornbuckle, and scores of others. He worked the most popular rooms in the city, sought record and performing deals in Seattle, and, through the school of hard knocks, learned the art of variety in his playing.

“I played a little of everything,” he says, “just to get gigs.”

And while he was good enough to chase the dragon of a big-time music career, he felt no such rush or desire. “You know, the main reason you get into rock music,” he says with a smile, “is to get chicks.

But I wanted to compose. I wanted, by the time I hit 60, to be as good as I wanted.”

Not to say there haven’t been struggles. At age 40, Garoutte hit a burnout phase. “I had a sort of meltdown,” he offers. “I disliked music. I was doing too many casuals,” meaning he’d take any and all work that came his way – a blessing and a curse for a musician. “I had to let it go.”

He headed back to the high lonesome country of La Grande, enrolled in Eastern Oregon University and studied business and art. Garoutte met and befriended a professor at his school, Matt Cooper, who played keyboards and cajoled him into coming out for the occasional gig, which he did off and on for

THE GORGE MAGAZINE : SPRING 2019

13

OUR GORGE : PERSON OF INTEREST five or six years. “No rehearsals,” he says, but it helped him re-learn that music wasn’t about impressing people, but more about being musical — which was, in essence, his lifelong pursuit.

After graduation in 1999, he headed back to Portland and worked for a time in computers at a friend’s start-up company. Batteries recharged, it was time again to make a move. When his brother moved to Underwood, across the mighty Columbia from Hood River, he saw a chance to grow once again, and in 2011 moved to the Hood River/White Salmon area, quickly finding a warm and inviting music scene that fed him.

Garoutte, in the years since that relocation, has hit a new high in his life.

In addition to playing satisfying gigs around the Gorge in solo, duo and band settings, he serendipitously found the love of his life, as well as a newfound interest in fine art. In a chance meeting at the Columbia Center for the Arts, where he was performing, a woman named Ann Fleming approached him as he was warming up.

“I want your right hand,” she said, admiring what it could do with a guitar.

“I said, ‘Okay, if you want to practice three hours a day.’” Something clicked and the pair has been inseparable. “Imagine meeting your soul mate at 60,” he says.

Fleming is an accomplished artist in her own right, and the pair, along with several other artists, has established The Gallery 301 in downtown Hood River. Fleming sparked a reemergence of Garoutte’s interest in fine art, inspiring him to take up abstract painting, which he finds not only creative, but, like his music, freeing and relaxing, and occasionally lucrative. And, returning the favor, Garoutte learned the ukulele, in which Fleming had an interest, and taught her to play.

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Kit Garoutte is an artist as well as a musician. Above is a work titled, Roll it Your Way.

Garoutte still practices three hours a day. “I always made a living playing music,” he says, and continues to perform regularly around the region, at the pair’s gallery on first Fridays, Tuesdays at the Tarwater Tavern in White Salmon, Wash., the Pines Tasting Room in Hood River, The Dalles’ Rivertap, and upcoming shows at the Maryhill Winery and elsewhere.

And he still plays shows with Moe Dixon, with whom he shares a musical kinship, a friendship, and the urge to keep pushing themselves — and each other — musically.

“I am focusing now,” he says, “on what is really cool.”

In other words, a life well lived.

For more information, go to kitgaroutte.com.

Don Campbell is a writer and musician. He lives in Mosier and Portland and is a frequent contributor to The Gorge Magazine.

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SPRING 2019 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

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OUR GORGE : VENTURES

Sealing the Deal Amy Roots draws on her past to create a product for the future STORY BY RUTH BERKOWITZ • PHOTOS BY BEN MITCHELL

A

my Roots, six months pregnant and sporting a tattoo of her grandfather on her left side, was working 12-hour shifts at Capische, an upscale seafood restaurant in Maui. While cleaning the kitchen one night, she was asked to banquet wrap the fish, a technique used by many restaurants. Instead of skimping with the plastic wrap, as she would have liked, Roots had to use rolls of it to cover the food.

All that plastic made her feel uncomfortable, especially because of research she had done in college about the effects of plastic bags and bottles on the ocean. Roots loved working in the restaurant, but abhorred the waste that went with it, and she vowed to shift gears once she had her baby.

What could she do?

She started thinking about the most influential person in her life: her grandfather, Thomas Walser. A pilot in World War II, Walser settled in Southern California and held a variety of jobs, from accordion music

16 SPRING 2019 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

teacher to bus driver to beekeeper. Walser created a magical garden where Roots and her cousins spent hours running among the poppies and Jacaranda flowers, building fairy houses and snacking on the pomegranates and avocados. Tucked away in the far corner of the garden were more than 20 beehives.

“It was my own little wonderland,” said Roots.

When the honey was ready to harvest, the family gathered in Grandpa’s overflowing garage — the kind that’s filled with everything but cars. Roots vividly remembers her grandfather, adorned in his protective white bee suit, having just smoked the bees away from their hive. He would hold up the wooden frames and carefully detach the honeycombs with a hot knife. When it got messy, and it always did, her grandfather would rip up one of his old cotton t-shirts and wipe the beeswax with the scrap of cloth, which he later used to cover his jars.

Roots kept thinking about her grandfather’s wax-coated scraps. “He was ahead of the times,” she said. “He composted before it was cool and never threw anything away.” He had such a powerful influence on her that after he died from

prostate cancer, Roots had a tattoo inked on the left side of her ribs based on a note she found while cleaning out his junk drawer. On the back of Walser’s yellow business card, he had written: “Amy and I are at the park flying a kite. OXOX.” He always signed his letters that way, reversing xoxo, Roots said, holding her shirt partway up to show off the tattoo of the two of them flying a kite. Roots was about 3 when Walser wrote the note, and now the childhood memory serves as a constant reminder of her grandfather and his message to persevere, like you do while flying a kite, but also to have fun in life and be free.

In the spring of 2016, Roots ordered a brick of beeswax from Amazon and started playing with it. She hoped to make something similar to the ripped t-shirts her grandfather used, something that could replace the plastic wrap in our kitchens. Beeswax has historically been used to preserve many things. Ancient Egyptians used it in mummification and cheesemakers often coat their cheese with it to retain moisture and prevent mold while aging it in caverns. Why not use it in place of plastic to store and preserve food?

“First I grated the wax, then melted it on fabric,” Roots said. “The beeswax made the fabric sticky

Amy Roots pulls one of her wraps off the griddle she uses to apply her beeswax concoction, opposite top. With a brush, she applies the wax, above, which forms a coating on the cloth that helps preserve food.

and water resistant, but beeswax alone doesn’t attach completely to the fabric and crumbles off.” To cement the wax and make it behave like clingy and pliable plastic wrap, Roots experimented with different types of resin from tree sap, and decided on damar resin. She tried organic cloth and hemp cloth, opting for organic cloth because hemp was too stiff. She tried using a pancake griddle to apply the wax concoction to the fabric.

She still wasn’t perfectly happy with the product; she was aiming for something softer. Her mother, a massage therapist, suggested adding jojoba oil used in massages. The oil mixed with resin and beeswax made the infused fabric softer, and also added antibacterial benefits.

Testing her product, Roots wrapped pieces of apples and papayas, looking for a perfect seal. She

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THE GORGE MAGAZINE : SPRING 2019

17

Amy Roots stamps one of her wraps with her logo. She started Roots Wrap while seeking a way to preserve food without using plastic.

continued to be amazed by the preservative effect of beeswax. Sometimes she would forget about half an apple she’d wrapped, only to find it weeks later, still crunchy and fresh-tasting.

Roots had the right ingredients and now just needed to determine the correct proportions. Too much beeswax and not enough resin and oil made the cloth stiff and hard to work with. Not enough and it wouldn’t make a good seal. She found that when wrapping food, the warmth of her hands when applying the wrap helped it hold its shape and create a seal.

Roots knew she finally had the right proportions when she wrapped a cup filled with water and flipped it upside down without spilling any liquid. She had successfully created a reusable, sustainable alternative to plastic wrap. She called her product Roots Wrap.

Roots started selling her wraps online through Etsy. She also went to the farmers market and sold it to Cultivar, a zero waste store located on Hawaii’s Big Island.

That was three years ago. Since then, Roots and her husband and son moved to Hood River, where she found a local source for beeswax and has continued to sell her product online. She also sells her wraps at the farmers market and at Twiggs in downtown Hood River.

Ruth Berkowitz is a lawyer, mediator and writer. She lives with her family in Hood River and Portland and is a frequent contributor to The Gorge Magazine.

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18 SPRING 2019 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

photo by blaine franger

The wraps can be cleaned with gentle soap and cool water (hot water might melt the wax) and last for about 18 months if used daily. After that, customers can return the wrap free of charge for a second coating. Unlike plastic, which stays around for hundreds of years, the wraps compost easily and can be thrown away or, better yet, used as fire starters.

“I feel great about my product, and love that I’m helping others reduce their footprint,” said Roots, a self-proclaimed hippie who leads a low-waste life, using cloth diapers, shopping mostly at the farmers market and at second-hand stores. She’s even been known to dumpster dive and in her spare time peruses Hood River’s Buy Nothing Facebook page.

The personal note Roots attaches to each one of her Etsy orders best sums up her philosophy.

She handwrites a quote borrowed from British Antarctic explorer and environmentalist Robert Swan: “The greatest threat to our planet is the belief that someone else will save it.”

For more information, go to facebook/rootswrap.

photo by blaine franger

Welcome to the view from here.

Bill Irving

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OUR GORGE : BEST OF THE GORGE

Maryhill Museum

1

Maryhill Museum of Art opens its 79th season on March 15 with exhibitions highlighting work from its permanent collections. The exhibit Melange: Works on Paper, includes more than 40 prints, drawings and watercolors by noted Northwest artists Rick Bartow, Betty LaDuke, Richard Thompson and Henk Pander, as well as a lithograph by Thomas Hart Benton. A new rotation of Théâtre de la Mode will be on display, as well as work new to the museum’s collection in the museum’s Indigenous Peoples of North America Gallery. maryhillmuseum.org

Mamma Mia!

2

The Columbia Gorge Orchestra Association’s Stages theatre ensemble brings Mamma Mia! to the Wy’east Middle School Performing Arts Center in March. The lively musical celebration of Abba’s timeless music and the enchanting tale it tells will have audiences singing along.

Performances are March 8, 9, 15, 16, 22 and 23 and 7:30 p.m., and March 10 and 17 at 2 p.m. gorgeorchestra.org

Hood River Music Month

3

This multi-week celebration of Hood River’s diverse music scene, held during March, includes everything from classical, jazz, acoustic, indie, rock and bluegrass performances to musicals, films and lectures. Events take place at various Hood River venues, including wineries, breweries, cideries, pubs, theaters, hotels and restaurants. Many of the events are free and family-friendly. hoodriver.org

20 SPRING 2019 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

Double Mountain Party

4

Double Mountain Brewery & Taproom hosts its 12th anniversary party on March 16. The all-day event is family-friendly until 8 p.m. Musical headliner is the Jeff Austin Band.

Other music acts include Smith/McKay All Day, The Van Rontens, Don and the Quixotes, and Matt Coughlin. The party spills into the street in front of the taproom, with an enclosed tent. doublemountainbrewery.com

Courtesy of Cycle Oregon

Cycle Oregon

5

Back for its second year, Cycle Oregon’s GRAVEL ride is based in the historic farming town of Dufur this year, May 17-19. Limited to 500 riders, the ride lets cyclists experience the challenges and scenic beauty of gravel road riding while being fully supported, Cycle Oregon-style.

The route features a combination of gravel and paved roads where riders can explore the stunning expanses of high prairie and the forested foothills of Mount Hood. Both long and short courses are available. cycleoregon.com

Spring Rafting

6

The 2019 whitewater rafting season kicks off with Wet Planet Whitewater’s first scheduled trip on the White Salmon River April 1. With the water flowing high in springtime, the rapids feed into one another, creating a continuous, thrilling ride. Spring rafting with the Husum-based outfitter also includes the Wind River, with challenging Class IV and V rapids, in April and May, and the Klickitat River, providing the longest spring trip — and only runnable while water levels permit, usually through May. wetplanetwhitewater.com

Courtesy of Wet Planet Whitewater

THE GORGE MAGAZINE : SPRING 2019

21

OUR GORGE : BEST OF THE GORGE

Cider Fest

8

The Hood River Hard-Pressed Cider Fest, now in its 5th year, comes to the Hood River Valley on April 20. More than two dozen local and regional cideries will be on hand, with more than 50 ciders on tap. The daylong family-friendly event features a lineup of local music and a kids’ activity area. In case of spring showers, the tasting area is in a covered hall. hoodriver.org

Japanese Heritage Garden

Sandi Rousseau

7

The Japanese Heritage Garden in Hood River marks its 10th anniversary on May 17 with a celebration at the garden, located on the grounds of the Oregon State University Extension Office. The garden was built to honor Japanese immigrants who were instrumental in the development of the Hood River Valley’s agricultural foundation, and were interned during World War II. Sadafumi Uchiyama, curator of the Portland Japanese Garden and designer of the Japanese Heritage Garden, will speak at the event. There will be short readings of memories of those who were at the internment camps, and the Portland Taiko drummers will perform. extension.oregonstate.edu/hoodriver

Austin Smith/Bear Boot Productions

THE ANDREW’S EXPERIENCE

Skylight Drafthouse Theater “Outstanding Luxury Theater” First run films, great beer selection, create a gourmet pizza = perfect night out.

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Andrews has been a staple in the Gorge since 1991. The reason?

Great pizza! House-made crust, stretched and tossed to order. Our signature sauce made with Italian herbs and just a touch of heat.

A perfect blend of three cheeses. A wide array of toppings, including house-made sausage with herbs and fennel, roasted red peppers, and caramelized onions, just to name a few. Come in and enjoy our casual atmosphere and try our other offerings — including fresh salads, calzones, stromboli, and crispy baked chicken wings. We also have beer on tap and a large selection of wine.

107 Oak Street, Hood River | AndrewsPizza.Com | 541-386-1448 ON-LINE ORDERING | EAT IN | TAKE OUT | DELIVERY

22

SPRING 2019 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

Andrea Johnson/Maryhill Winery

Discover Klickitat County Washington the north side of the Columbia River Gorge

STAY PLAY ENJOY 4

4

KLICKITAT COUNTY WASHINGTON Finish a beautiful driving loop tour with a visit to our premium wineries, museums, colorful shops, farmers markets, and festive restaurants. Oh, and meet some of the friendliest folks around.

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Enjoy a scenic whitewater rafting excursion, kiteboarding or windsurfing, world-class fishing, cycling trails, or star-gazing at the Goldendale Observatory…Klickitat County has it all!

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Farmer’s Markets

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OUR GORGE : HOME + GARDEN

Kitchen Makeover

A long-awaited remodel exceeds expectations STORY BY JANET COOK • PHOTOS BY DARIUS KUZMICKAS / KUDA PHOTOGRAPHY

D

oug and Michele Beaman moved into their house on Hood River’s Westside in 2003, with their young son and another baby to come. The home was spacious and its location ideal, but it had some quirks in the way of many 1980s-era homes. Among them, the kitchen had angled walls, and a pocket door was the only thing joining the kitchen to the dining room. There was fluorescent lighting and a lot of ‘80s oak.

But they knew the time wasn’t right for a remodel. “When you have little kids and a dog, remodeling isn’t on the top of your list of things to get done,” said Michele, a pediatric emergency room doctor

Courtesy of Neil Kelly

24 SPRING 2019 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

at Randall Children’s Hospital in Portland. “Plus, you don’t necessarily want new things.” Over the years, they’d tossed around ideas for a kitchen remodel, but never got much further than that.

Finally, last year, as some of their appliances were beginning to fail — including their refrigerator — they knew the time was right. They contacted Neil Kelly, a Portland-based design/build remodeling and home improvement company.

The Beamans had hired the company years ago to replace windows in a previous home they’d owned, and were impressed by the quality and service they’d received.

They began working with Neil Kelly designer Karen Richmond. Michele outlined her family’s main goals for the kitchen, which were to open it

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Doug and Michele Beaman’s kitchen got a complete remodel to modernize it and help maximize views, opposite top. The range was moved off of the island, which was expanded and made into two tiers.

Along with the kitchen, the home’s fireplace was updated with a new surround, above.

up to the dining room and provide more seating at the island. “The dining room was so closed off that we didn’t really use it,” she said. “And the island could only accommodate two chairs. There are four of us.”

Richmond created a plan to move the stove off the island, where it had been located, and enlarge the island by making two tiers — a counter area and a seating area with room for four. The sink was also moved in order to take advantage of the view of Mount Adams.

Along one of the angled walls, where some cabinets had been, was the ubiquitous kitchen counter where things seemed to always land — and stay.

“We decided to place a wall of tall units there,” Richmond said. It created a much cleaner look as well as lots of useful space, including a pantry and an enclosed work area with a charging station.

The wall and pocket door separating the kitchen and dining room were removed, creating a bigger opening into the dining area, as well as a counter accessible from both rooms.

Michele found Richmond’s help in pulling all the details together invaluable. “I walk into everybody’s kitchen, and I love their kitchen,” Michele said. “I’m not that fussy.” But with her work and commute (Doug, an orthopedic surgeon, also commutes to Portland) and two active teenagers, one thing she doesn’t have is a lot of spare time. “I can’t spend all day in a Portland lighting store,” she said. “Give me three choices and I’ll be able to pick something out of those.”

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THE GORGE MAGAZINE : SPRING 2019

25

OUR GORGE : HOME + GARDEN

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26 SPRING 2019 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

An inset above the range complements the rest of the backsplash tile, above left. Two of the home’s bathrooms were also remodeled, above right. Below, the new kitchen island was expanded to make room for more seating.

Richmond, who has been an interior designer for 41 years — 26 of them with Neil Kelly — got it.

When she could, she picked out a few choices for Michele to choose from. In other cases, she met Michele at stores where she could help her quickly make decisions.

“She met me and we went through the tile store,” Michele said. “She met me at the appliance store.

She met me and we picked out the sink and she knew what faucet would work with it. It was incredibly helpful.” Richmond even recommended something that has turned out to be one of Michele’s favorite features: an instant hot water dispenser.

“Our kitchen is opposite in our house from the water heater, so it always takes a while to get hot water,” Michele said. “I love that gadget!”

Along with the kitchen remodel, the Beamans updated a couple of bathrooms and had a new front entry door and transom window installed, as well as a new fireplace surround.

But the kitchen is the centerpiece. “I love the openness of it, and the color scheme,” said Michele, who even thinks it has made her a better cook. “I walk into everybody’s kitchen, and I love their kitchen.

Now I walk into my kitchen, and I love my kitchen!”

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OUR GORGE : LOCAVORE

Local Thirty A new film follows Parkdale farmer and cookbook author Andrea Bemis as she strives to eat locally STORY AND PHOTOS BY DAVID HANSON

I

n the pre-dawn blue, Andrea Bemis, her husband, Taylor, and brother, Adam, follow hoof tracks behind a Trout Lake dairy barn. Alpenglow warms Mount Adams’ summit, visible above the roofline. Andrea squeezes through the corral opening and introduces herself to the fourth-generation dairyman, Jesse Pearson, a lean man with an easy gait. He calmly ushers a few dozen beige Jersey cows into the barn. Within a half hour, Andrea’s squeezing udders and warm milk is dripping from Taylor’s beard. It’s all part of the plan.

You could say it’s splitting hairs for a vegetable farmer like Andrea Bemis to worry about eating more locally. For seven months of the year, her six-acre backyard would embarrass a grocery store produce section.

28 SPRING 2019 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

Kale, broccoli, turnips, corn, potatoes, squash, arugula and more extend in a rooted rainbow visible through her kitchen window. The Bemises’ Tumbleweed Farm produce sells at the Hood River farmers market, area restaurants and to over 50 CSA members from Parkdale to Portland. But Andrea, who is also a recipe developer, celebrated blogger and cookbook author, wasn’t satisfied.

“I’ve long considered myself a locavore,” says Andrea, “but one look into my cupboard and I quickly realized the origins of some of my staple ingredients were suspect. I decided to challenge myself to source all my ingredients from within 200 miles for one month. Some obvious questions popped up: if I cut out avocados and almonds, could I find the same beneficial fats from something grown closer to my home? What farmers or foragers are providing it? But mostly I wondered if I could understand more about our local food system.”

She convinced Taylor and her summer farmhand (aka brother) Adam Lieberg and his wife, Rebekah Rafferty, to join in what she called the “Local Thirty” challenge. Then she convinced me

Andrea and Taylor Bemis enjoy an afternoon with Tim and Keely Jefferies at their Grass Valley cattle ranch, opposite top. Andrea displays a matsutake mushroom, inset, and shares wine with Syncline winemaker James Mantone and assistant winemaker Novella Klein, bottom. Dairyman Jesse Pearson, above, at his fourth-generation dairy farm in Trout Lake.

Aubrie LeGault

Dinner (Daily) 5pm-close Lunch (Fri/Sat/Sun) 11:30am -3pm

and my brother, Michael Hanson, to make a film that would document her field trips to meet other food producers within the 200-mile radius — folks like James Mantone at Lyle’s Syncline Winery, Katrina MacAlexander at Parkdale’s Mt. View Orchards, mushroom forager and owner of Bingen’s Blue Bus Cultured Foods, Colin Franger, Trout Lake dairyman Jesse Pearson, and Grass Valley beef ranchers, Tim and Keely Jefferies.

The Local Thirty project quickly evolved into more than just a shortlived recipe experiment. It became a way for Andrea to share her story of connecting with other people dedicated to growing, foraging, raising, and even slaughtering food the right way.

“I liked meeting folks going against the grain,” says Andrea. “They’re all small-scale and doing things the harder way, which often correlates to being the more ethical, sustainable way. Committing to eating local means you have to get creative and a little uncomfortable with what’s available. Maybe you’re eating a lot of borscht in the winter time, which is a little depressing.

But that makes the fresh stuff in the springtime more enjoyable.”

Between late-season farming chores and creating local recipes, Andrea (and sometimes Taylor, Adam and Rebekah) ventured away from Tumbleweed on field trips to meet and film other food producers. Tim and Keely Jefferies, Grass Valley beef ranchers and Andrea’s neighbor at the Hood River farmers market, invited us to their off-grid ranch set deep in a gulch with 40-mile views across the hidden Deschutes River valley to Mount Hood. We toured the ranch, ate grass-fed burgers and learned about the Jefferies’ deep connection to their animals and the land.

When a weather window opened, we drove west to Ilwaco, Wash., where a large portion of American albacore tuna is caught on big, slow boats, then shipped to Asia on bigger boats to be canned before returning to the U.S. for sale. Conversely, Barrett Ames and his partners at Tre Fin Tuna captain their yellow sportfishing boat into the Pacific like a hot buttered rocket. They fish maniacally for a day, sometimes hauling in as many as 200 albacore on hook and line, before returning home to process the catch and deliver it to Portland chefs and markets within 24 hours of being caught.

Andrea joined the boys for a dawn crossing of the treacherous Columbia River Bar. She kept her stomach down and hauled in tuna one-third her weight. Back on land that evening, she drank beer, ate six-hour-old sashimi

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THE GORGE MAGAZINE : SPRING 2019

29

Visit our

OUR GORGE : LOCAVORE

Tasting Room

Andrea Bemis takes a break while tuna fishing on the Pacific with the Tre Fin Tuna crew, based in Ilwaco, Wash.

TASTE SHOP ENJOY! OPEN DAILY 12 - 6 304 Oak St., Suite 3, Hood River, OR TastingRoomHRD@hrdspirits.com 541-716-5276 2018 Hood River Distillers, Inc. Hood River, Oregon USA, www.hrdspirits.com Stay in control.®

30 SPRING 2019 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

and listened to sea stories at the Tre Fin basecamp. Now she and Taylor are members of the Tre Fin Community Supported Fishery: quarterly deliveries of tuna steaks caught honestly.

“I don’t want to sound cheesy, but these folks are suddenly at the table with you or in your cupboard,” Andrea says. “You drink your coffee with the dairy’s cream and you remember walking into the barn at dawn with Jesse. We refer to it as Tim and Keely’s beef, not just burgers.”

She adds, “You don’t have to go on a grand tour like I did, but you can meet food producers at markets or even online. Once you look around, you realize there’s so much available. I just heard about a guy making soy sauce in Lyle! Not to sound preachy, but this is how people have eaten forever. Our grandparents ate like this. The seasons meant something and you knew the people providing the food on your table.”

Andrea Bemis’ farm stories and recipes can be found at dishingupthedirt.com Her film, Local Thirty, can be downloaded at www.localthirty.com 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.

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APLAND JEWELERS Designers, goldsmiths, and craftsmen, we make and repair in our state-of-theart workshop. Ken Apland brings 38 years of experience as a goldsmith and gemologist, so whether you need to have old jewelry redesigned, an heirloom restored, or an entirely new design made we can create it using reclaimed metals and responsibly sourced gems.

HOOD RIVER COFFEE ROASTERS Hood River Coffee Roasters sells coffee to the public! Yes, the same flavorful and fresh coffees that we offer to fine restaurants, grocery stores, espresso bars and business offices is available to you, too. We are proud to be the Gorge’s premier roaster since 1990. Open MonThu, 9am-5pm and Fri, 9am-3pm.

216 Oak Street • 541-386-3977 info@aplandjewelers.com

1310 Tucker Rd • 541-386-3908 hoodrivercoffeeroasters.com

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HOOD RIVER JEWELERS

Visit the Western Antique Aeroplane and Automobile Museum to see one of the largest collections of still-flying and still-driving antique vehicles in the USA. With over 3.5 acres of indoor display space, our collection is not just full of history, they are full of LIFE! Open daily from 9am-5pm. Special events on Second Saturdays.

We are artists and professional jewelers.

If you are looking for something special, we can custom design it. We work with silver, gold, platinum and more. We can use your stone or work with you to find the perfect stone for your needs. Hood River Jewelers also carries colored gemstones, pearls, diamond jewelry and designer collections.

1600 Air Museum Road • 541-308-1600 waaamuseum.org

415 Oak Street • 541-386-6440 hoodriverjewelers.com

THE GORGE MAGAZINE : SPRING 2019

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OUR GORGE : STYLE + DESIGN

Putting Nib to Paper Calligrapher Kristen Martinez brings her own style to the ancient art STORY BY PEGGY DILLS KELTER • PHOTOS BY KELLY TURSO

I

n 1949, Reed College professor Lloyd Reynolds began teaching the art of calligraphy at the college.

Soon, artists were flocking to the school to learn this 2,000-year old art form. Seventy years later, the Pacific Northwest is still considered a mecca for artists who put pen to paper, transforming mundane writing into fine art.

Artist and calligrapher Kristen Martinez of Lyle, Wash., addresses envelopes for a living. Receive one of her envelopes in the mail, and know that the sender considers you a very special person. Her elegant writing is a personal adaptation of the historic style of calligraphy known as Copperplate.

32 SPRING 2019 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

Martinez’s path to becoming a calligrapher for hire was indirect. She studied art in college, focusing on many different mediums with an emphasis on black-and-white photography. While in a glass blowing class, she met her future husband, Dylan Martinez, a science major and an advanced student in the medium of glass.

After graduating from the University of Wisconsin-River Falls, the couple headed to New Zealand with little more than backpacks and their visas.

They hoped to spend a year there, although they had a limited amount of money in their pockets.

Martinez admits, “When we were in Nelson, New Zealand (a small town on the South Island), I was so terrified — I thought ‘What did we just do?’ We plopped ourselves on the other side of the world with no plans! I’m a very planned person.” Eventually, Dylan found work with a glass artist, and Kristen, a life-long student of dance, got a job working in retail for Lululemon.

The couple returned to the United States so that Dylan could pursue a master’s degree in

Kristen Martinez is a self-taught calligrapher, doing most of her work in the historic style known as Copperplate. She names her fonts after places she’s traveled.

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glass from Ball State University in Indiana. Martinez moved up the corporate ladder at Lululemon, eventually managing a store in Indiana. The job was very stressful, filled with long commutes, business trips and the pressure of managing 50 people. When a friend suggested they take a oneday calligraphy workshop, Martinez at first said, “No, my handwriting is terrible!” but decided one workshop on a Sunday afternoon might just be a relaxing antidote to her high- pressure job.

Most of the other students in the workshop were brides-to-be who wanted to learn calligraphy for their weddings. “I had just gotten married — I never would have taken on the task of learning calligraphy for my wedding invitations!” Martinez recalls, laughing. “I thought they were crazy.”

Martinez was intrigued when she learned that the instructor was employed full-time as a calligrapher. “I had no idea you could make a living doing something like that,” she says. That workshop proved to be life-changing. When her husband earned his master’s, Martinez quit her job at Lululemon and started her business.

Unlike many calligraphers who study with master calligraphers for decades, Martinez is almost entirely self-taught. The one-day workshop made her realize she had a natural affinity for the art form. She intrinsically understood what master calligrapher Jacqueline Svaren writes in her book, Written Letters — 29 Alphabets for Calligraphers. “Writing is a matter of kinetic energy.

Help the hand learn where to go. Just as in learning any skill you should practice every day.” Svaren goes on to say, “Tension kills the calligraphic dance. Y’gotta let go! Get the swing. Find the beat.” Martinez loves the rhythm of taking pen to

THE GORGE MAGAZINE : SPRING 2019

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A CHILDREN’S BOUTIQUE (& MOMMY TOO)

“Little Style with Little Prices” Kristen Martinez works out of her home studio in Lyle, Wash. She studied art in college, and began doing calligraphy after taking a workshop with a friend.

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paper, writing for hours at a time. Where others might find this drudgery, she finds it energizing.

Some of Martinez’s tools are the same as those used by calligraphers for millennia — a pen handle that holds a nib at an oblique angle, and a bottle of ink. Other tools are decidedly 21st century, including a “slider writer,” a writing surface with a laser that replaces having to draw lines. She uses a word processing program to help her anticipate proper spacing on envelopes, and sometimes integrates her calligraphy with computer-generated typography. When she needs assistance with technical issues, she heads to “SkillShare,” an app with thousands of classes.

With Dylan’s masters’ program completed, and their businesses taking off via the Internet, the couple began searching for a place to call home. They knew they wanted mountains and trees nearby. Dylan was lured to the Northwest’s thriving art glass community. They explored Bellingham and Seattle, but the couple considered themselves “small town” people. They’d heard about the Gorge, and were intrigued. Serendipitously, on their scouting trip in 2017, they learned that a glass studio in White Salmon needed a new occupant. Within 24 hours of seeing the space, the couple committed themselves.

Most of Martinez’s clients find her through the website for her business, Sprig and Fern Studio (named after a small tavern in New Zealand where the couple spent time dreaming about their futures) and on Instagram. She also has an Etsy site. The majority of her work is addressing envelopes for weddings. Some addressing jobs are more complicated than others, especially when they are being mailed to countries around the globe with entirely different address requirements. She’s also been known to create chalkboard signs for local businesses, as well as personalized gift tags, place cards, and more. She’s even designed lettering for tattoos.

While requests from far-away bridal couples continue to flow in, Martinez is also enjoying making connections throughout the Gorge communities.

She plans to send local vendors hand-lettered, one-of-a-kind mail introducing herself and her business. Judging from the reactions she gets when people view her art, it’s unlikely that any of these breathtaking samples of her unique and elegant calligraphy will end up in a recycling bin.

For more information, go to sprigandfernstudio.com.

Peggy Dills Kelter is an artist and writer who lives in Hood River. She’s a frequent contributor to The Gorge Magazine.

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SPRING 2019 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

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Courtesy of Dwinell Country Ales; Inset: Courtesy of Freebridge Brewing

OUR GORGE : EXPLORE

Dry No More Brewers in The Dalles and Goldendale find their niche at the east end of the Gorge STORY BY BEN MITCHELL • PHOTOS BY BEN MITCHELL AND COURTESY OF BREWERIES

O

ver the past 10 years, the Gorge has become an increasingly well-known and appreciated beer destination, spurred by the establishment of breweries like Double Mountain, Everybody’s, Logsdon, pFriem, Solera, Thunder Island and Ferment. These newer breweries, of course, came after longtime stalwarts Full Sail and Big Horse, established in the late 1980s, and Walking Man Brewing, which opened in 2000.

Up until recently, the eastern half of the Gorge was largely left out of this trend, with the brewing scene nearly as dry as the climate. Over the past three years, however, craft brewing has caught on at the east end of the Gorge. Since 2016, three breweries have opened their doors –– two in The Dalles and one in Goldendale –– giving locals more options for after-work (or play) beers, as well as giving visitors an extra reason to hang around in town after going kayaking, biking, hiking, or wildflower peeping. While the west and central Gorge get a lot of attention, there’s plenty brewing on the dry side of the region.

36 SPRING 2019 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

SEDITION BREWING COMPANY

Ben Mitchell

Driving east from Hood River, the first spot you’ll hit in downtown The Dalles is Sedition Brewing Company. The brewery occupies the former site of the historic Stadelman Ice House. Sedition co-owners Aaron and Kelley Lee paid tribute to that in their previous fermentation business endeavor on the site, Maison de Glace Winery, which literally translates to “ice house” in French (Kelley’s family also used to work in the building when it functioned as an ice house). The Lees eventually made the switch from wine to beer, and after much anticipation, the brewery opened to thirsty customers in 2016.

Aaron Lee says it’s been a fun challenge to introduce customers to new styles of beer in The Dalles, and he says he feels like “there should have been a brewery here for years.” He’s been buoyed by the response to his and other breweries in the east part of the Gorge, both from locals and tourists.

“I think there’s a growing beer scene here,” Lee says. “It’s in the very early stages, but I hope it continues to grow and more people will come east.”

The old ice house makes for a large and spacious tap room with high ceilings and plenty of seating, especially along the massive concrete bar that is the centerpiece of the brewery. Sedition has several beers on tap, including a wide range of IPAs — a session, American, fresh-hop, hazy, and golden ale.

Also featured are a dry-hopped blonde and an oatmeal stout. Sandwiches, burgers, salads, and other pub grub are available to order. New styles of beer will be forthcoming this year, as will poker nights and cocktails mixed with regionally produced spirits.

DWINELL COUNTRY ALES

SEDITION BREWING COMPANY 208 Laughlin Street, The Dalles 541-296-2337 facebook/seditionbrewingcompany

FREEBRIDGE BREWING Courtesy of Dwinell Country Ales

Courtesy of Freebridge Brewing

Just two blocks up the street from Sedition is Freebridge Brewing, owned by Steve Light and Laurie Petroff-Light. Like Sedition, Freebridge also opened in 2016 in a former historic industrial building in downtown The Dalles. The building was originally constructed in the mid-19th century to mint gold for the U.S. Treasury (it now produces “liquid gold,” Freebridge’s website wryly notes). The name Freebridge is a reference to a free bridge (as opposed to a toll bridge) over the nearby Deschutes River that operated during the pioneer days. Family lore states that Laurie’s maternal great-grandmother likely walked over the free bridge on the way to settling in what was then Fort Dalles.

Today, Freebridge concentrates on beer, of course, but specifically Northwest ales and German lagers. The brewery’s “pillar” beers feature something for everyone: a pilsner, a Helles lager, a pale ale, an IPA, an imperial IPA, a red ale, and a stout. Seasonal offerings include a Berliner weisse, an amber lager, a black lager, and a weizenbock.

Patrons can belly up to the bar, perch at tables overlooking the workings of the brewery, or lounge in comfy chairs while sampling the brews, in addition to sandwiches, salads, appetizers, and other pub fare, although Freebridge is most known for its pizzas.

FREEBRIDGE BREWING 710 E. 2nd Street, The Dalles 541-769-1234 freebridgebrewing.com facebook/freebridgebrewing

Continuing east from The Dalles, and heading north across the Columbia to the Washington side, is the newest brewery in the eastern half of the Gorge: Dwinell Country Ales, which opened in Goldendale in 2017. The name Dwinell comes from co-founder Jocelyn Dwinell Leigh’s great-grandmother, Frances Almira Dwinell, who headed west during the Dust Bowl, and settled in Washington. Leigh owns the brewery with her husband, Justin Derek Leigh.

As the name suggests, the brewery primarily focuses on farmhouse ales and wild ales. The brewery features an extensive beer list, updated online often, and recently included multiple styles of farmhouse ales, wild ales, and pale ales, as well as darker beers. In February, Dwinell released bottles for the first time, featuring three barrel-aged farmhouse beers (apricot, cherry, and Sangiovese). Dwinell rotates through its beers often, and doesn’t have a core lineup, as evidenced by the roughly 70 beers they have produced since opening a year and a half ago (the entire lineup can be viewed under the “Past Beers” section on their website).

The taproom has plenty of seating and a collection of board games and cards for entertainment, as well as a spacious beer garden to enjoy during the warm months. Bar snacks are available, but Dwinell doesn’t have a kitchen, so patrons may bring in outside food, or patronize the rotating food carts outside the brewery (check the website for availability first).

In a city that doesn’t have much in the way of eating or drinking establishments, the buzz in Goldendale was huge prior to Dwinell opening, and resulted in their initial run of beer club memberships selling out before the doors even opened. While Jocelyn notes that the brewery is bringing more people into Goldendale, including tourists hopping off US 97 to check out the taproom, she says she especially appreciates the local support, and views Dwinell as a communal space for the city.

“It’s really cool seeing all these different people who might not know each other in the community get together and interact,” Jocelyn says.

DWINELL COUNTRY ALES 206 W. Broadway Street, Goldendale 509-773-3138 countryales.com facebook/countryales

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

THE GORGE MAGAZINE : SPRING 2019

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OUR GORGE : WINE SPOTLIGHT

Mylan Wines

Benjamin Wasby offers a taste of the Gorge — and the globe — at his Hood River tasting room STORY AND PHOTOS BY BEN MITCHELL

T

he Columbia River Gorge American Viticultural Area (AVA) is known for its myriad growing conditions and grape varietals, so much so that the Columbia Gorge Wine Growers Association bills it as “a world of wine in 40 miles.”

However, there’s still a huge world of wine outside the Gorge, and that’s where Benjamin Wasby comes in.

Wasby, 32, is the winemaker, owner, and tasting room manager at Mylan Wines, a Gorge winery that opened a tasting room in downtown Hood River last spring, co-located with the Blaine + Bethany Photography Gallery. (Full disclosure: I am a regular patron and wine club member of Mylan Wines.)

38 SPRING 2019 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

For the past few years, Wasby, who lives in White Salmon, has been producing his small-batch, singlevarietal, natural wines in the Gorge –– everything from a pet nat, to a Cab Franc, to an orange wine –– and selling them online or to vendors in Portland and the Gorge. And while his new tasting room finally gives him a physical location to pour his own label, Wasby also uses the unique spot to showcase equally unique wines from all over the world.

Every weekend, Mylan Wines features a different themed tasting, importing bottles from a specific country or region: in the past year, Wasby has taken his tasting room guests’ palates on tours of Sardinia, the Canary Islands, Argentina, Slovenia, Georgia (the country), the Rhone Valley, and the Iberian Peninsula, just to name a few.

WA Tasting Room Magazine

Benjamin Wasby at his tasting room in downtown Hood River, above and opposite inset, and at Davidson Hill Vineyards, one of the local vineyards from which he sources his grapes.

It’s one of the many parts of his job that Wasby, who mans the Mylan tasting room bar, enjoys.

“Whenever I can bring a customer in here and show them a wine that they never even knew existed, that’s when my geekdom totally turns up all the way,” he says.

The wine bar at Mylan, located at the back of the homey gallery, is a testament to this geekdom. A large chalkboard dominates the back wall and features a bounty of information on Mylan’s winemaking process, as well as maps and notes on the weekend’s featured wine region. In the top left corner of the board is a chalk drawing made by Wasby of Game of Thrones character Tyrion Lannister with the quote: “That’s what I do. I drink and I know things.”

Nerding out on wine started early for Wasby, whose oenological roots run deep. His mother’s side is from the Ardeche region of southeast France and has run an agricultural estate there for generations, producing peaches, pears, and yes, wine (the name Mylan, pronounced “me-lahn,” was his great-grandmother’s middle name).

Though he was born in Fort Sill, Okla., and moved around the U.S. as an “army brat” before his family eventually settled in Georgia, Wasby occasionally got the chance to visit the ancestral farm in France as a child.

“That’s a part that’s deep inside of me –– seeing these big farms and these amazing agricultural places, and knowing that’s where I came from, and that’s who I am,” he explains. “My love of agriculture, in general, came from that.”

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THE GORGE MAGAZINE : SPRING 2019

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OUR GORGE : WINE SPOTLIGHT

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Mylan Wines features selections from a variety of international wine regions, as well as Wasby’s own wine, including, from left, his Pamplemousse, an orange wine; a Viognier; and a Pinot Noir.

2882 Van Horn Drive, Hood River info@mthoodwinery.com / 541-386-8333 Photo by Jennifer Gulizia

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40 SPRING 2019 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

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His paternal grandparents helped foster Wasby’s budding interest in wine, and for his 16th birthday, they took him, at his request, to Napa Valley to sample America’s most famous wine region (“I grew as much of a beard as I could at the time,” Wasby notes). It was a “life-changing experience” for Wasby, as the trip to Napa inspired him to one day have his own wine label. “Every other step I took, whether consciously or subconsciously, took me closer to that dream,” he says.

Around that same time, he got a job at a restaurant in Atlanta, learning from a master sommelier about food and wine pairings. By age 20, he was selling wines at an Atlanta wine shop, and by 22, was working for a wine distributor, managing a territory that covered northeast Georgia and parts of Atlanta, “selling wine to anyone who would listen to me.”

Another trip to the West Coast proved again to be a life-changing experience for Wasby. Visiting his uncle in Portland, Wasby tasted around the Willamette Valley. On the last day of the trip, his uncle took him to taste in the Gorge, visiting places like Cor, Domaine Pouillon, Syncline, and The Pines.

Wasby had never heard of the Gorge before, but like so many others, he fell in love with the area, and the wine. Within a year, he and his wife, Kendra, had moved to the Gorge, settling in Lyle.

“When I came to Hood River, when I came to White Salmon, that’s when I was like, this is home.

This is our place,” he recalls. “This has all the beautiful scenery you would want, the people are the right disposition, it has a growing wine scene.”

Wasby jumped into that wine scene, working for Domaine Pouillon and Pheasant Valley, then helping Hiyu get off the ground. At Hiyu, vintner Nate Ready gave Wasby a space to start making his own wines, and Mylan Wines was born.

OUR GORGE : WINE SPOTLIGHT Benjamin Wasby pours French wine for customers at the tasting room, which shares space with the Blaine + Bethany Photography Gallery.

With French winemaking in his DNA, Wasby is partial to working with those varietals and isn’t much for blends, but he is most concerned with making “natural wine.” He notes that the term “is a spectrum,” and for him, means no sulfur, no chemical interventions, and little mechanical intervention.

“Everything is hand-harvested, foot-trodden,” he explains.” Fruit comes from Gorge vineyards like Davidson Hill (Hood River), Moody Tollbridge (The Dalles), Oak Ridge (Husum), and Underwood. Wasby leases space for crushing and fermentation.

Carrying on tradition, winemaking is a family affair, with the Wasbys’ young children helping out by crushing grapes and designing labels for the “Petit Pamplemousse” orange wine, so-named for its grapefruit-like notes. His mother also helped design the Mylan logo.

The 1,200 cases of wine Wasby produced this past year have been going fast, and Wasby says he’s been “overwhelmed” by the response since the tasting room opened. Importing wines has helped supplement his own supply, and Wasby uses his experience as an importer/distributor to primarily source wines from small, family-run outfits like his own, staying away from, as he puts it, “gigantic corporate wines.” Most of the wines at Mylan, imported or otherwise, retail in the $10 to $25 range.

And while winemaking is important to Wasby, that’s not his favorite part of the job. It’s being behind the bar, pouring wine, talking with people, and hearing their stories.

“Wine to me is a vessel by which you can take an experience with a group of people and just accentuate it further,” he explains. “To me, this place is far more about the people who come in here. I just want people to come in here and have a great time.”

For more information, go to mylan.wine.

Ben Mitchell is a writer and filmmaker who lives in Hood River.

He is a frequent contributor to The Gorge Magazine.

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THE GORGE MAGAZINE : SPRING 2019

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Home & Garden RESOURCE GUIDE

S

TO THE GORGE

pring is when we turn our attention to our homes and gardens. With nature renewing herself all around us, it seems the perfect time for sprucing up our own “nests.” Whether you’re building a new house, planning a full home remodel or just doing a makeover of a room or two, there are many ways to get help with planning and carrying out your vision from architects, interior designers, materials showrooms and home improvement stores right here in the Gorge. And if this is the year to finally create the landscape or garden of your dreams, there are plenty of local landscape designers, garden stores and plant nurseries to help you along the way. We think you’ll find this resource guide helpful, and the advertisers here eager to help you on your home improvement journey. With springtime’s longer days and nicer weather, it’s a perfect time to get started on your project. Good luck and have fun!

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studiocbc.com THE GORGE MAGAZINE : SPRING 2019 45

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THE GORGE MAGAZINE : SPRING 2019 49

Hiding

in Plain Sight A GEOLOGY TOUR OF THE GORGE OFFERS A TRIP THROUGH TIME — AND DRAMATIC ORIGIN TALES OF ITS MOST ICONIC FEATURES

BY GREGG HERRINGTON

Millions of years in the making

Bigstock

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he towns, rivers, valleys and hills in the 100-mile-long Gorge offer much in the way of sightseeing, shopping, dining, wine tasting, boating, hiking, biking and wind sports.

But the Gorge offers stunning geological features as well. Most are the result of natural earth-changing activity over millennia — from “uplifting” of the earth’s crust which caused earthquakes and buckling that built mountains, to floods, landslides and erosion.

The foundation of the Gorge as we see it today was built on three earth-changing events, beginning some 40 million years ago with the relatively slow UPLIFTING that created the Cascade Range. Then, about 17 million years ago came the Columbia River Basalts. Huge narrow slits or “fissures” in the ground burst open in what is today eastern Washington and Oregon and western Idaho. RIVERS OF THICK MOLTEN LAVA poured out of the earth and oozed relentlessly across much of the Northwest between the young Cascade Range and the Rocky Mountains and down what is now the Columbia River Gorge, eventually cooling and hardening.

The cycle repeated itself more than 300 times, most of that in the first two million years. These layers of black basalt form much of the bedrock between the Cascades and the Rocky Mountains.

Much more recently in geologic time, between 18,000 and 15,000 years ago, during the earth’s last ice age and before humans arrived in

the Pacific Northwest, a 2,000-foot-high lobe of ice extending from Canada blocked the Clark Fork River near today’s Sandpoint, Idaho. The river backed up well into western Montana, creating Glacial Lake Missoula, which held more water than Great Lakes Erie and Ontario combined.

Eventually, the ice dam gave way and the wall of water roared high, hard and fast across northern Idaho to present-day Spokane, then west and south across eastern Washington to the Columbia River, tearing up the landscape along the way. The water was still 400 feet deep when it reached Portland-Vancouver. According to Richard Waitt of the U.S. Geological Survey in Vancouver, this DAM-AND-FLOOD sequence repeated itself about 90 times in 3,000 years.

Together, these prehistoric events helped form many of the features we see everyday when we drive through the Gorge — features hiding in plain sight.

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Sandy River

The Sandy River, which begins on the southwest flank of Mount Hood, empties into the Columbia River at the mouth of the Gorge near Troutdale.

The land under I-84 there and on the river side of the freeway is not original to that site, nor is the Columbia’s path here. Lahar sediments (volcanic debris including rocks, ash and sand) were carried down the Sandy from Mount Hood and deposited in the Columbia. The deposits created a delta built out from the Sandy’s original mouth at presentday Lewis and Clark Park that displaced the river, leaving a visible bend in the Columbia north, then back again.

In 1792, explorers in British Capt. George Vancouver’s expedition discovered the Sandy and named it Barings River. But on Nov. 3, 1805, as the Lewis and Clark Expedition was headed for the Pacific, the explorers tried crossing the deep-sand delta on foot, prompting them to name it Quick Sand River. That name stood until sometime between 1845 and 1850 when it was renamed the Sandy River. That name has stuck — so far.

Tom Pierson, a retired U.S. Geological Survey specialist on the Gorge, notes, “In the late 1700s the bed of the Sandy was as much as 75 feet higher than it is today. Oxbow Regional Park is built on that old river floodplain.”

2

Crown Point and Rooster Rock

stands in its namesake state park. Rooster Rock was once part of Crown Point, but thanks to the powerful Missoula Floods and the resulting landslides, the rock spire broke off and slid to its present home.

There’s no trail to the top or even to the base of the rock, which stands 180 feet high.

3

The towering basalt cliff called Crown Point and the iconic Vista House visitors center atop it, which opened 100 years ago, are in plain sight for miles up and down the Gorge and accessible from the Historic Columbia River Highway. But below, at river’s edge just off I-84, Rooster Rock 52

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Latourell Falls

Unlike the higher, super-popular Multnomah Falls on I-84, Latourell Falls off the Historic Columbia River Highway is relatively hidden. The lower falls plunge 224 feet and the two-tiered upper falls, invisible from the trailhead, drop 120 feet.

The cliff behind the lower falls features vertical basalt columns that formed during the lava’s century-long cooling period millions of years ago. Golden lichen is prominent farther up the cliff on subsequent flows of Columbia River basalt lava. (For information on trails to the top of lower and upper falls, go to oregonhikers.org.)

4

Bigstock

Cape Horn

A couple of miles east of Crown Point on the Washington side is Cape Horn, a massive basalt cliff providing motorists a spectacular view east to Beacon Rock and beyond. Cape Horn provides perhaps the best drive-up viewpoint on the Washington side of the Gorge. But, in a sense, it is hidden in plain site. Because Washington Highway 14 is mostly two lanes and winding as it makes its way through the Gorge, it is the road less Carleton Watkins, 1867 traveled compared to I-84 in Oregon. The eye-popping Cape Horn viewpoint offers only a pullout lane with room for maybe half-dozen cars while traffic whizzes by just a few feet away. However, hikers on the Cape Horn Loop Trail have plenty of parking nearby as well as a great view. (For information, go to wta.org.)

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LynTopinka/ColumbiaRiverImages.com

Hiding in Plain Sight

Skamania Landslide Complex

The Washington side of the Columbia Gorge is a breeding ground for landslides that have drastically altered the topography and shifted the course of the Columbia River. Geologist Tom Pierson says there have been more than 200 different slides near the Columbia River in western and central Skamania County. A west-end example is the Skamania Complex of multiple slides that created the low-lying, relatively flat terrain extending from the base of Cape Horn east for several miles along the river. But the most notable slide in the Gorge was farther east at Cascade Locks. Read on.

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In Case You’re Wondering... WHY ARE THERE MORE WATERFALLS ON THE OREGON SIDE? There are about four dozen waterfalls in the Gorge, mostly in the western half on the Oregon side. Among those visible or accessible from or near I-84 or the Historic Columbia River Highway, from west to east, are Latourell, Bridal Veil, Wahkeena, Multnomah, Oneonta, Horsetail and Starvation Creek.

But on the Washington side, landslides have buried or collapsed the south sides of mountains, leaving huge volumes of rock and soil sloping down toward the Columbia River and flattening out, eventually becoming home for meadows and forests. As a result, streams on the Washington side, such as Rock Creek just west of Stevenson, “pick their way down through the debris to the river,” says Pierson. But because of fewer slides on the Oregon side (due to bedrock that’s tilted away from the river) and the catastrophic Missoula floods “that tore away rock along vertical fractures in the basalt, the Oregon side is dominated by cliffs and steep faces over which streams have plummeted ever since.”

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Slow down and enjoy

Multnomah Falls

The 620-foot-high Multnomah Falls is the state’s most popular natural attraction and includes a path to the top and more trails. Hidden in plain sight from below are the puffy “pillow basalts” at the top of the cliff face, in contrast to the smoother lower portion of the cliff face.

Over millions of years, layers of volcanic basalt were laid down.

Eventually a lake or swamp formed at the top. When subsequent hot basalt flows hit the water, the puff-like “pillows” resulted as the lava cooled. (For information on trails by the falls, go to oregonhikers.org.)

the views of the Columbia Gorge from our backdoor •Waterfall viewing, hiking, biking, sailing and more

•Indoor pool and spa

•Complimentary hot breakfast

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Beacon Rock

This hulking monolith on Washington Highway 14 lies about five miles west of Bonneville Dam. Its summit is 580 feet above the ground and 850 feet above sea level. Arguably one of the two best-known natural features in the Gorge (along with Multnomah Falls), Beacon Rock is the core of a 57,000-year-old extinct volcano.

The cinder cone around that core was washed away by the ice-age Missoula Floods.

A switchback trail with guard rails offers a 1.8-mile round trip to the summit’s great views without need of climbing equipment.

735 Wanapa St. •Cascade Locks, OR 97014 bwcolumbiariverinn.com • 1-800-595-7108 Each Best Western ® branded hotel is independently owned and operated.

Bonneville Landslide

Stay & Play in The Dalles Free SuperStart® breakfast U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 2006

Eric Prado

The most spectacular landslide in the Gorge was the Bonneville slide, circa 1450. Huge slabs of Table Mountain in Washington and other nearby peaks broke loose and slid down around today’s Stevenson, Wash., creating a dam more than 200 feet high. The slide created a temporary land route across the Columbia River that was the original “Bridge of the Gods” used by Native Americans. The blockage dammed the Columbia, which backed up more than 50 miles for several months until it cut a new course a mile to the south.

Landslides are still occurring in the area. On Feb. 26, 1999, the Hot Springs Landslide at North Bonneville, Wash., caused a rupture and explosion of a natural gas pipeline. Recurring slide action throughout the Gorge continually damages highways and hillsides, sometimes threatening homes.

All Guest Rooms are Smoke Free High Speed Wireless Internet Microwave • Refrigerator Cable/HBO Guest Laundry Pool • Pet Friendly 609 Cherry Heights Road The Dalles OR 97058 541-296-6888

www.super8.com

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Hiding in Plain Sight 9

Twin Sentinels

Shellrock Mountain, 2,068 feet high, hugs I-84 a few miles east of Cascade Locks, its rock talus blocked from the freeway by substantial fencing.

Across the river in Washington, a mile or two downstream, is Wind Mountain at 1,906 feet. The two peaks are said to have an unseen connection LynTopinka/ColumbiaRiverImages.com well below the surface of the Columbia.

Here, in 1916, is how Ira A. Williams of the Oregon Bureau of Mines and Geology described the relationship between Shellrock Mountain and Wind Mountain: “Between these two crumbling sentinels the Columbia’s waters hurry, as if, one might imagine, they had courteously stepped apart to let the river pass.

But we can scarcely attribute to them so much civility, and particularly, knowing the Columbia as we do, we are certain that it instead, when the occasion arose, forced its own way across . . . what had been an unsurmountable (sic) barrier. Wind and Shellrock mountains today are but the tattered stub ends of a onceconnected rock mass, with which . . . the Columbia promptly proceeded to deal in its own implacable way.”

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Gregg Herington

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Volcanic lava flow site

“Highway-construction road cuts are a geologist’s best friend,” says Lloyd DeKay of the Ice Age Floods Institute, Columbia Gorge Chapter.

Two natural low spots opposite each other in a road cut along I-84 just west of Hood River mark the route of an extinct flow of molten lava that had a violent meeting with standing water. The hot lava exploded into the black rock blobs and fine orange gravel still visible 1.5 miles west of Exit 62.

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Town on a gravel bar

Cacophony

The Klickitat River originates on Gilbert Peak in the Goat Rocks Wilderness and flows south 96 miles to the Columbia River at Lyle, Wash. The Klickitat is one of the longest undammed rivers in Washington. The gravel extending into the river — and unseen beneath the town — was deposited by the massive Missoula Floods, which slowed when reaching a narrower stretch of the Columbia Gorge and backed up.

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Rowena Slump Blocks

An array of layers

A hill alongside Washington Highway 14, a quarter-mile west of the White Salmon River, displays a variety of deposits. Dark volcanic basalt flows are at the top, possibly from Underwood Mountain (another extinct volcano). At the bottom are several layers of fine gravel deposited by the Columbia River as its course shifted. The layers in between are thought to be deposits from a debris flow, called a lahar, which originated with an eruption of Mount Hood. According to the USGS, the Lahar “crossed the Columbia River, and flowed several kilometers up the White Salmon River on the Washington side. . . . Its deposits must have dammed the Columbia River at least temporarily.”

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Visit in springtime for the wildflower show, featuring grass widows, yellow bells, camas and balsam root.

SPRING 2019 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

Lloyd DeKay Gregg Herington

Coyote Wall

Coyote Wall lies three miles east of Bingen, Wash.

According the U.S. Forest Service, the wall is “a massive formation of columnar basalt,” and ranks as one of the Gorge’s most recognizable features. Miles of mountain biking and hiking trails sit atop the wall.

The power of the Missoula Floods is evident in the dramatic rock formation topped by Rowena Crest. The dark basalt spires just to the east were attached to the main promontory until the floods roared down the Gorge some 90 times in 3,000 years and separated them from the cliff. High above traffic whizzing by on I-84 between Hood River and The Dalles, Rowena Crest offers quietude and spectacular views into Washington and up

G R O U P & C U S T O M T O U R S AVA I L A B L E

In Case You’re Wondering...

WHY ARE LANDSLIDES MORE PREVALENT ON THE WASHINGTON SIDE OF THE GORGE? Geologist Tom Pierson explains: “Hard basalt bedrock on both sides of the Gorge is slanted or ‘dipping’ southward and underlain by weaker, poorly cemented, volcanic sand and gravel. That’s why massive landslides keep sliding south toward the river from the Washington side when conditions are wet enough. Landslides that do occur on the Oregon side have more of a toppling or tumbling action.”

Experience the Columbia River Gorge like never before... from the seat of an electric ‘pedal assist’ bicycle

the Columbia River. The magnificent viewpoint and adjacent hiking trails — part of the 231-acre Tom McCall Preserve — are accessed via the Historic Columbia River Highway from I-84 Exit 69 at Mosier and Exit 76 at Rowena.

Folding and tilting Millions of years ago, repeated massive flows of molten basalt erupted out of the ground in presentday northeast Oregon and southeast Washington near the Idaho border. The lava spread for hundreds of miles, providing flat layers of bedrock throughout much of Washington and Oregon east of the Cascade Range and down the Columbia Gorge.

Please visit SOLRIDES.COM or call 503.939.4961 for reservations and tour calendar

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USGS

Stark examples of Columbia River Basalt flows can be seen west of Lyle, Wash., where thick basalt layers have remained level for millions of years. But a few miles farther east, the basalt has been victimized by the earth’s uplifting, folding and faulting. Such tilted or “diving” layers of basalt are seen throughout the Gorge but are especially evident in the eastern half.

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Gregg Herrington

413 Oak St. • Hood River • 541.308.0770 • Mon-Sat 10-6; Sun 11-5 THE GORGE MAGAZINE : SPRING 2019

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Wine Country

The three dozen wineries in the bi-state Columbia Gorge wine-producing region may not seem to have anything to do with geology, but they exist because the Columbia Gorge has Maryhill Winery/Andrea Johnson earned a reputation for producing an extraordinary array of wines in a small geographic area. The geology, geography and climate all contribute to the Columbia Gorge AVA’s ability to grow more than 30 premium grape varietals within a 40-mile span — one of the most diverse wine growing regions anywhere on earth.

Debby Phaneuf of the Columbia Gorge Winegrowers Association cites a range of factors: vineyard elevations; volcanic activity; east-to-west climate changes; original soils combined with various other soil types deposited by the Missoula Floods; and different “aspects,” or compass directions, that slopes face. This “world of wine in 40 miles” — the Winegrowers Association mantra — is a modern-day legacy of the earth-changing events that shaped the Gorge over millions of years.

Hidden, but remembered and mourned The Native American fishermen, 18 their nets, spears and platforms hanging over the roaring Columbia, and their historic village, are no longer part of this place 14 miles east of The Dalles. The once sprawling and thundering Celilo Falls — more than 20 feet high in places — sit silent under 60 feet of calm United States Army Corps of Engineers, circa 1957 water. After completion of The Dalles Dam, on March 10, 1957, this icon of Northwest history and Native American culture and livelihood for more than 10,000 years was flooded within five hours as water backed up behind the dam.

The falls were carved by the Missoula Floods, whose repeated swirling currents rushing through basalt narrows created a 12-mile stretch of holes, chutes and drops. The falls were the sixth-largest by volume in the world, and were an important Native American gathering place for regional tribes and those from as far away as the Great Lakes, the Southwest and the Northwest Coast.

Gregg Herrington is a former reporter and editor for The Associated Press and The Columbian newspaper in Vancouver, Wash., where he lives.

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Photo: Rob Denning

GOLDENDALE GOLF CLUB A semi-private golf course with great views of mountains and wildlife. Green Fees under $45 with cart. Please call for more information or a tee time. Keith Johnson - PGA Pro 509-773-4705 • goldendalegolf.com 1901 N. Columbus • Goldendale

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

509-773-5842 ponderosamotelgoldendale.com 775 E .Broadway • Goldendale

SWEET HOME DESIGN & CONSTRUCTION LLC We are custom builders. Our work is built to last. What can we build for you?

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MARYHILL MUSEUM OF ART See American and European painting, a gallery of works by Auguste Rodin, a Native American collection, outdoor sculpture garden, café and museum shop – all in a beautiful setting overlooking the Columbia Gorge.

509-773-3733 • maryhillmuseum.org 35 Maryhill Museum Drive • Goldendale

MARYHILL WINERY Wine Press Northwest’s “2015 Pacific Northwest Winery of the Year”, 50+ award-winning wines, Tuscan-style terrace with views of Mt. Hood, Bocce, picnicking, live music every summer weekend from 1pm-5pm, tasting room, gift shop.

877-627-9445 • maryhillwinery.com 9774 Hwy 14 • Goldendale

DWINELL COUNTRY ALES Visit our family-friendly tasting room and beer garden to sample unique, seasonal beers with a distinct sense of origin. We’re dedicated to using local ingredients and an elegant blend of yeasts to create beers that defy traditional styles.

509-773-3138 • countryales.com 206 W. Broadway Street • Goldendale

CENTRAL KLICKITAT PARKS SWIMMING POOL DISC GOLF & TRAILS & RECREATION DISTRICT of the public pool and host for COMMUNITY GARDEN Home community events and youth sports.

YOUTH SOCCER Swim lessons, community garden, a disc golf course and park with walking YOUTH FOOTBALL trails are all a fun and active part of the CKPRD. Come out and play! centralklickitatparksandrec.com 401 N. King Street • Goldendale

GOLDENDALE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE Contact us for local knowledge!

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GOLDENDALE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE AND VISITOR CENTER CONTACT INFO: 903 E. BROADWAY, GOLDENDALE, WA 98620 - 509.773.3400 - www.goldendalechamber.org

Experience Skamania County, Washington!

MARTIN’S GORGE TOURS Guided tours for individuals, groups, families, or couples. Including waterfalls, wildflowers, wineries, breweries, trail hikes, scenic drives and more.

Sit back and relax as we explore the hidden treasures of the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area.

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PACIFIC GHOST FORESTRY SERVICES

GORGE-TO-TABLE COOKING CLASS Prepare a farm-fresh meal in our 1911 craftsman kitchen and experience the real-food story of the Gorge’s small family farms and food artisans. No experience necessary.

541-351-5247 • RootsFarmacy.com Stevenson

GATOR CREEK GARDENS

Specializing in timber cruising & appraisal (volume & value). Harvest operation planning & management.

Forestland management planning.

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

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509-427-0010 • gatorcreekgardens.com 51 Hot Springs Avenue • Carson

UNDERWOOD PARK & COMMUNITY CENTER

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SUBWAY

TACOS PEPE CATERING

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SKAMANIA COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: 167 NW Second Avenue, Stevenson, WA 98648 • 800-989-9178 • skamania.org

COLUMBIA GORGE INTERPRETIVE CENTER

CARSON RIDGE LUXURY CABINS

The first human imprints in the Gorge were left by the Indian cultures that flourished here for thousands of years. Explore the natural and cultural history of this beautiful region. Open daily 9-5.

Rejuvenate at our romantic getaway cabins. Soak in a spa tub with lavender bath salts. Enjoy a relaxing in-cabin massage. Dream it and we’ll work to deliver it.

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BEST WESTERN PLUS COLUMBIA RIVER INN Stunning views, spacious guestrooms on the Columbia River at the Bridge of the Gods. Close to waterfalls and outdoor activities. Complimentary hot breakfast, pool, spa, fitness room.

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509-427-7777 • CarsonRidgeCabins.com 1261 Wind River Rd. • Carson

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

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BRIDGE OF THE GODS SHUTTLE

GORGE BLUES & BREWS FESTIVAL

Private comfortable transportation for up to 7 passengers to the airport, wineries, breweries, white water rafting, and more. Destination and daily private driver services. Advanced booking appreciated: call, text or email.

June 21-22, 2019 Two days of live blues music, local craft brews and wine, fabulous food and onsite camping on the Stevenson waterfront.

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gorgebluesandbrews.com 800-989-9178 Stevenson

CARSON HOT SPRINGS RESORT & SPA

CAPE HORN ESTATE VENUE AND EVENT CENTER

Enjoy the benefits of our mineral rich water by soaking in our public pool or private tub, get a massage, golf, dine, or stay the night for the ultimate spa experience.

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503-307-0333 • capehornestate.com 81 Woodard Creek Rd. • Stevenson

SKAMANIA COUNTY CHAMBER OF COMMERCE: 167 NW Second Avenue, Stevenson, WA 98648 • 800-989-9178 • skamania.org

Oscar Lujano-Madrigal, line cook at Solstice Wood Fire CafĂŠ, preps locally sourced pears for lunch service. He was born and raised in Hood River. His family is from a rural farm in Santa Rosa, Yucatan, Mexico.

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THE

Hands That Feed Us PHOTOS BY LAUREL SPARKS

LAUREL SPARKS GREW UP ON A PEAR ORCHARD IN PINE GROVE where, as a child, she often helped in the fields alongside her uncle’s crew. When she got older, she worked for years as a line cook in area restaurants. These two experiences inform Sparks’ worldview. The lifelong artist and photographer wanted to shine a light on the hard work that goes into the food we all eat. The result is a farm-to-table photo series called The Hands That Feed Us. She began working on it last spring, photographing seeds being planted and trees being pruned. She continued photographing through the summer growing season and fall harvest — always focusing her lens on the hands and the work they were doing. She returned to where she’d once worked at Riverside Restaurant at the Hood River Inn, where chef Mark DeResta opened the kitchen for her. She also photographed gorgeous finished plates of food, each a culmination of the work of many hands. “Through my photographs,” Sparks said, “I hope people realize that many things in our country — and our most important thing, food — is grown and cultivated and cooked by all kinds of people.” An exhibit of The Hands That Feed Us will be at the Columbia Center for the Arts during May and at Windermere Hood River during June. sparksflyartistry.com

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Gerardo Elias, “Lola,” executive sous chef at Riverside Restaurant, makes fresh gnocchi for dinner service, left, and showcases locally sourced mushrooms, below. He is from Michoacan, Mexico, and has been cooking professionally in Hood River for 28 years. Rebeccah Winner, right, enrolled Yakama Tribal Member, owns Northwest Fish Hogs and is one of the only female fishermen in the area. Her family has fished the “Big River” for many generations. “We hold our salmon sacred and will continue to pass on our traditions to future generations,” she said.

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Wild salmon is plated on a bed of house-made gnocchi with pan roasted brussels sprouts, butternut and delicata squash, Riverside Restaurant.

PHOTOGRAPHY BY LAUREL SPARKS

Commercial Photography & Business Headshots Portrait & Lifestyle

Columbia Gorge Community College is an equal opportunity educator and employer.

SPARKS FLY ARTISTRY

Cooking with Kathy: The Food of Portugal Just one of many community education classes available at CGCC. Explore today!

www.cgcc.edu/ community-ed sparksflyartistry.com

Find us on Facebook and Instagram

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Micaela Rose Ballinger, left, a farmer at Stepping Stone Farm, delivers fresh vegetables to local restaurants. Her ancestors were also farmers, coming to the U.S. from Germany and Ireland in search of the American Dream. George Swyers, right, sorts pears at George Swyers Orchards, Inc. A third-generation farmer born and raised in the Hood River Valley, his mother’s family was originally from Ireland. Chris Ellson, below, lead pizza maker at Solstice Wood Fire CafÊ, cuts a pear pizza fresh from the oven. He was born in the Columbia Gorge from German, Polish and Scottish ancestry.

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13th Annual

GORGE ARTISTS OPEN STUDIOS Year-round Guide to Art In the Gorge Visit the studios of local artists | May 3, 4 and 5 2019 10am-5pm gorgeartists.org

LAURIE BALMUTH Paintings & Prints lauriebalmuth.com

SUZANNE KROL BOLLER Contemporary Realism suzannekb@me.com

JINX GRISWOLD Acrylic on Wood jinxgriswold.com

RACHEL HARVEY Oil Paintings rachelharveyart.com

CHRISTINE KNOWLES Pastel Artist christineknowles.com

BRAD LORANG Fabricated Metal Art bradlorang.com

CATHLEEN REHFELD Oil Paintings cathleenrehfeldart.com

CHARLENE RIVERS Acrylic on Canvas charleneriversstudio.com

DIANE ROLNICK Acrylic on Canvas instagram.com/lola rolnick/

MICHAEL STEWART Carved Fossils & Corals msblackcoral@gmail.com

KRISTIE STRASEN Weaver textilespluscolor.com

DONNA WOODS Acrylic, Oil & Pencil @offtharip

Visit gorgeartists.org or facebook.com/gaos.tour. Find tour books for this free event online and area Chambers of Commerce, Columbia Center for the Arts in Hood River and The Dalles Art Center.

Paloma Ayala

OUTSIDE

Once Upon a Delta

The past is part of the future at Nichols Natural Area History Museum of Hood River County

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ong before Nichols Boat Works came to be on the Hood River waterfront in 1939, lending its name to the basin that would live on long after it, the area was an ever-changing river delta where the Hood River flowed into the Columbia. Braided channels snaked through sediment piled up over millennia at the confluence of the two rivers. The main channel flowed through what would one day be Nichols Basin.

Native Americans long used the mouth of the Hood River for fishing and hunting. When the Lewis and Clark Expedition came through in

History Museum of Hood River County

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STORY BY JANET COOK • PHOTOS COURTESY OF COLUMBIA RIVERKEEPER AND HISTORY MUSEUM

1805, they found a Native camp near the confluence of the two rivers called Waucoma, which meant “place of the big trees.”

“It was full of cottonwood and oak trees,” said Arthur Babitz, Hood River’s former mayor and an amateur historian who is the author of the popular Historic Hood River photo blog. “It was very marshy and grassy.” As the town was settled and grew in the late 1800s and early 1900s, the delta and its main channel served as the river transportation hub for the town.

“If you look at where the train station is now, directly across the tracks from the station is where the steamers would dock, and also the ferries to White Salmon and Underwood,” he said. As part of digitizing the History Museum of Hood River County’s photo archives, Babitz has found lots of photos of daily life on and around the delta from the area’s early days.

“There were all these different types of commerce,” he said. “This was Hood River’s front door for so many years.”

Fluctuating seasonal water levels on the Columbia — as much as dozens of feet in the days before Bonneville Dam — necessitated a moveable dock. In high water, the shallow-bottomed steamers and ferries would make their way in and out among the stands of trees clumped in the main channel.

That era came to an end in the 1930s with the construction of Bonneville Dam. Crews came through prior to the dam’s completion in 1937 and cut down all the trees on the delta in preparation for the rising water.

Not long after water behind the dam inundated the delta, Mark Nichols established his boat works on the waterfront, in 1939. As more dams were built on the Columbia, shipping increased, with barges carrying lumber and wheat down the river, and petroleum upriver. Nichols began building tugs for the barges, then the barges themselves, and also fishing boats and ferries. Nichols Boat Works later built the renowned sternwheeler Columbia Gorge.

In the early 1960s, the Army Corps of Engineers built Nichols Basin in what was the first of the Port of Hood River’s waterfront improvement projects. “They laid the rock that form the jetties that form the basin,” Babitz said. On the east side is what is now the kite spit. Fill that was pulled out to form the

Both photos courtesy of Columbia Riverkeeper

basin was put on its west side, “making a small dry area which was the start of the waterfront land fill,” he said.

Business at Nichols Boat Works slowed in the 1990s and the company closed in 1998, leaving the basin quiet. “It became sort of a lazy backwater,” Babitz said.

Then, in the mid-2000s, things began to change yet again on this waterfront land. The fiveacre parcel where the boat works had been was re-zoned from industrial to commercial. Naito Development of Portland purchased the property in early 2007 with plans to build a hotel, retail development and condominium complex.

The economic downturn put Naito’s plans on hold, but the attention had awakened recreationists to the merits of Nichols Basin. “When it became controversial, people realized the recreational value of it and started using it,” Babitz said.

“It was a good quiet area to do non-wind sports.”

Naito returned in 2011 with a new development proposal that included installing a cable park in the basin. Opposition was swift and coalesced into the group Friends of the Hood River Waterfront, which spearheaded several lawsuits over the next few years as development plans morphed to comply with various legal rulings.

Finally, in 2014, plans for a hotel and commercial building were approved. As part of the final settlement, a three-acre parcel of riparian area at the south end of the basin was placed into a conservation easement, owned by the city and managed by Columbia Riverkeeper, a Hood Riverbased river advocacy group.

Since then, Columbia Riverkeeper has worked to create a “passive” park at the site, known as Nichols Natural Area. “It’s protected in perpetuity as a low-impact, non-developed park for fish and wildlife habitat,” said Lorri Epstein, water quality director for Columbia Riverkeeper and coordinator for the project. From the get-go, Riverkeeper wanted to use the project as “a tool for community engagement,” said Epstein. Its goals include education, restoration of the site, and inclusion of diverse communities in the project.

Riverkeeper has developed age-appropriate curriculum to make the site an outdoor classroom for kids from around the Gorge in grades K-12, and even community college students. Last year, nearly 800 students engaged in projects at the site, ranging from monitoring water quality to assessing riparian habitat.

School groups and community members have worked on restoration, removing invasive species and planting cottonwood trees, which eventually will tower once again over the area.

Nichols Natural Area, at the head of the basin, opposite top, serves as a living laboratory where kids assess riparian habitat and monitor water quality, above. Before Bonneville Dam was built, the waterfront was a large delta, opposite inset, plied by river boats, bottom.

The small cottonwood cuttings planted three and four years ago are already a few feet high. “Planting parties this year will fill in the understory,” Epstein said.

Riverkeeper’s community organizer, Ubaldo Hernandez, works to engage the Latino community in the project. He’s helped recruit Latinos to be part of the project’s “leadership team,” a group of about a dozen community members who help create the project’s goals and vision. “We want to give them a sense of belonging, and help them feel more connected to the area,” Hernandez said.

Ultimately, the Nichols Natural Area is meant to be a place where community members of all walks can feel a sense of belonging to their “home ecosystem,” said Epstein. “We hope it helps everyone in the community feel a little more connected with the river.” Just as they did when it served as Hood River’s front door.

The Gorge Owned Sense of Place Lecture Series hosts “Shifting Sand: A Journey Through Time at the Columbia’s Nichols Boat Basin,” at 7 p.m. March 20 at Columbia Center for the Arts (gorgeowned.org).

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ARTS + CULTURE

Where Art Happens Gorge artists welcome visitors during annual Open Studios Tour

STORY BY JANET COOK • PHOTOS COURTESY OF ARTISTS

O

ne of the most anticipated spring traditions in the Gorge takes place May 3, 4 and 5 with the 13th annual Gorge Artists Open Studios Tour. This year’s tour is the largest one to date, featuring 48 artists from around the Gorge showcasing a variety of work including painting, printmaking, clay, jewelry, glass, photography, illustration, pastels, textiles, metal work and more. Artists’ studios will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day.

“The Tour has grown and evolved in exciting ways in the past several years,” said Leah Hedberg, an artist and board member of Gorge Artists Inc., the nonprofit organization that oversees the tour. “There is a sense of comfort and tradition because it’s an established event, and also fresh momentum as the community of artists working in the Gorge seems to be growing and thriving.”

This year’s tour includes 10 new artists who are participating for the first time. The tour is a juried event, with artists representing the highest quality work available from the region. The 48 artists’ studios are located throughout the Mid-Columbia, from Cascade Locks to The Dalles and from Parkdale to Trout Lake.

The tour kicks off May 2 with an opening gala at The Dalles Art Center. There will be information on studio locations and a sneak preview

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Making History Come Alive…

VISIT OUR HISTORIC Hood River Photo Blog: historichoodriver.com DISCOVER culture and history through fresh, engaging exhibits, and exciting programs EXPLORE hands-on activities and educational displays for families and children of all ages

300 East Port Marina Drive • Hood River hoodriverhistorymuseum.org • 541-386-6772 Follow us on Facebook and Twitter OPEN: Monday-Saturday, 11am-4pm

Left to right: Ceramics by Aimée Brewer, jewelry by Judy Larsen, painting by Suzanne Krol Boller, textiles by Gorge Handweavers, painting

by Elizabeth See and glassworks by Dylan Martinez.

of art to be found on the tour. The center, which was a founding sponsor of the tour when it first launched, will celebrate by hosting a sampling of the finest art from the region in a variety of mediums throughout the month of May. Visitors will find many kinds of studios along the tour, from cozy, creative rooms to expansive spaces with breathtaking views. “What all the studios share in common is the hospitality of a personal experience where visitors are welcomed into the process of materials and stories of making,” Hedberg said. Ultimately, the Open Studios Tour is a celebration of the Gorge, the place where the art is created. “The natural world is a powerful influence on the art and culture that originate here,” she added. “The dramatic beauty of Gorge landforms, flora and fauna make it an inspiring and rewarding place for artists to live.”

The tour is free and self-guided. For more information, including a map, go to gorgeartists.org.

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Courtesy of Hemp Northwest

WELLNESS

Hemp Makes a Comeback Gorge entrepreneurs make health foods and other products from the newly legal plant

STORY BY DAVID HANSON • PHOTOS BY DAVID HANSON, COURTESY OF HEMP NORTHWEST AND BORING HEMP CO.

Hemp is the standard fiber of the world. It has great tensile strength and durability. It is used to produce more than 5,000 textile products, ranging from rope to fine laces, and the wood “hurdes” remaining after the fiber has been removed contains more than seventy-seven percent cellulose, and can be used to produce more than 25,000 products, ranging from dynamite to cellophane.

Popular Mechanics, February 1938

Courtesy of Hemp Northwest 70

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Courtesy of Hemp Northwest

few months after Popular Mechanics magazine lauded hemp as the “New Billion Dollar Crop” in 1938, the U.S. government outlawed it, deeming the versatile Cannabis plant guilty by association with the nearly identical marijuana plant. Almost a century of American farmer knowledge around the cultivation and processing of hemp went into the dustbin. That has officially changed.

On Dec. 20, 2018, just before the government shutdown, President Trump signed into law the U.S. Farm Bill. Among many other things, the bill legalized the cultivation of hemp, a hearty plant that grows on every continent except Antarctica. With the new farm bill, Oregon farmers and retailers, some based in the Columbia River Gorge, are tapping in.

“We imagined hemp as the next big thing, the new apple of the Pacific Northwest,” says Tonia Farman, a Hood River resident who started Hemp Northwest with her husband, Gregg Gnecco, in late 2017. Farman, whose dad was a cucumber farmer in Washington (aka “The Pickle King”), and Gnecco had spent the last decade working with cancer survivors, emphasizing healthy diets and extolling the benefits of hemp seed food products.

Both images courtesy of Hemp Northwest

Tonia Farman, opposite top, checks hemp plants in a Washington field, where she buys hemp seed from the Colville Tribe. Jackie Richter, opposite middle, is the conservation director for Colville Confederated Tribes, the only licensed hemp grower in Washington. Above, Hemp Northwest’s cold press, and the company’s Queen of Hearts hemp seed coffee.

Anticipating a change in the law and seeing a market for the product in the Northwest, Farman launched her own product line: hemp seed oil, hemp hearts, hemp protein and a hemp coffee blend. Making hemp-based products is similar to creating oils, powders and proteins from other seeds like sunflowers. The challenge was connecting the dots between farmers growing for seed and a viable market.

“Before the law changed, all our hemp was imported from Canada and some from China,” Farman says. “Everyone in Oregon is growing for marijuana flower. It’s the gold rush in that market. Not many people want to grow for seed. It’s not necessarily difficult, but you need a combine and a lot of acres.

We had a really hard time finding farmers. So we went to the Midwest where they can only grow hemp seed for food products (it’s not legal to grow for marijuana flower). We have great relationships with farmers in Minnesota, North Dakota, Montana, and a few in Washington and Oregon.”

This isn’t hemp’s first rodeo. The plant was pre-adapted to grow in manure piles around early human settlements, and hemp clothing remnants trace back 6,000 years. The seeds arrived for European cultivation between 1000 and 2000 BCE. From the mid-1800s into the early 20th century, hemp thrived in the U.S., mostly grown in Kentucky in many of the same fields that later supplied the tobacco industry. Everything was great until the 1938 Marijuana Tax Act prohibited hemp production in the U.S. (a contemporary bill similarly ended Canadian production). Although hemp can now legally be grown in all 50 states, it’s still complicated. Just a quick look around the Gorge reveals the different uses of the plant.

Hemp Northwest uses hemp grown like wheat, in big fields, harvested with a combine, the seeds separated and gathered to be processed into edible products rich in Omega-3 proteins and healthy fats. Hemp seeds contain all essential amino acids and more protein than flax or chia seeds.

Hemp grown for seed is strictly regulated to maintain its distinction from the marijuana plant. Industrial hemp must contain less than 0.3 percent THC, the chemical compound that produces the psychoactive “high” associated with marijuana. Other upstart hemp businesses, such as Wholesale Organic CBD Oil, based in the former Grass Valley elementary school in Sherman County, press the hemp plant into CBD oil, a product increasingly popular as a tincture and ointment for pain relief.

Nobody plans for an emergency, but WE DO! When the unexpected happens, the compassionate staff at Skyline Hospital’s Emergency Department

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Courtesy of Boring Hemp Co.

WELLNESS

Barry Cook, left, owner of Boring Hemp Company, shows Senator Jeff Merkley mature hemp plants at his farm. Cook’s son, Sam, grows hemp in Parkdale, where he cultivates a hemp seed adapted to generate high yields of CBD oil.

MUSCULOSKELETAL SPECIALISTS • REGENERATIVE MEDICINE

Offering the nation’s most advanced stem cell and platelet procedures for common joint injuries & degenerative conditions

541-386-9500 • 1010 10TH ST HOOD RIVER, OR 97031 3601 KLINDT DR SUITE 200 THE DALLES OR 97058 6542 SE LAKE RD SUITE 100 MILWAUKIE OR 97222

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Hemp is not marijuana, the plant grown for its THC properties to be sold as a medical or recreational drug. Marijuana is not federally legal, though it has been legal in Oregon since 2014 and numerous farmers grow it commercially in the Gorge. As opposed to hemp’s cultivation in giant wheatlike fields, marijuana is generally grown on smaller plots, with plants spaced as widely as on a Christmas tree farm. The marijuana farming and processing business in Oregon got real big real fast, creating a glut of product and a business challenge for many start-ups hoping to tap into the gold rush.

Parkdale resident Sam Cook is carving out another niche altogether.

Cook, who holds a masters in ecological restoration, grew up on a family farm in Boring that raised berries, Christmas trees and nursery plants.

“My dad (Barry Cook) is a bit of a cowboy entrepreneur, and my brother was growing medical marijuana in California for 10 years,” Sam tells me as we walk among dry, snow-covered stalks on his two-acre hemp field this winter. “When it became legal to grow hemp in Oregon in 2015, we went for it. But not for marijuana. We got the state’s 13th permit to grow hemp for seed and for CBD oil.”

Now there are almost 600 hemp growers in Oregon. There’s a 5,000acre operation in Hermiston and some sizeable plots in the Tygh Valley.

Cook, on his small plot in Parkdale and on the larger family farm in Boring, develops a feminized seed for hemp adapted to generate high yields of CBD oil. He also travels across the country consulting with upstart hemp farmers, as far as Tennessee and New York.

“It’s still not completely straightforward,” he says. “Certain states — Washington, Montana, North Dakota — still have strict regulations about where their hemp seed can come from. But otherwise, we ship seeds all over the country now.”

The final frontier for modern hemp’s use in industrial products, as prophesized in the 1938 Popular Mechanics article, remains elusive. Fiber in the stalks has myriad uses, but for now the infrastructure to manage it doesn’t exist.

“Right now the vast majority of our stalks and stems don’t get used for industrial purposes,” says Cook, as he peels apart a dried hemp stem to reveal long fibers and a soft white inner core. “Processing for industrial uses is hard to find in Oregon.”

Federal legalization was just an initial step. Farman continues to wrestle with the challenges of a (re-)emerging industry. For confusing legislative reasons, there’s only one licensed hemp grower in Washington state, the Colville Tribe. Farman has partnered with them to buy hemp seed from their 120-acre farm. Despite the flourish of news around the plant and the hemp industry, it’s still a new frontier in a lot of ways.

Meet our new optometrist, Dr. Audrey Lukey

WELCOME DR. LUKEY David Hanson

Indian Creek Family Eye Care welcomes Audrey Lukey, O.D., to our practice.

“The Colville Tribe bought a new combine,” Farman says. “We went up there for the first planting, in the middle of the season, and at harvest. They didn’t really know what they were doing and neither did we, so it was really collaborative. The knowledge about growing hemp has been lost over the last two generations. All the farmers are learning it again.”

For more detailed information, go to hempnorthwest.com.

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.

Dr. Lukey received her Doctor of Optometry (O.D.) degree from Illinois College of Optometry and holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from Augustana College. She speaks basic Spanish and is experienced with the latest in vision technology.

COMPREHENSIVE EXAM & CONTACT LENSES • DIABETIC EYE CARE • TREATMENT OF EYE DISEASES • EMERGENCY SERVICES SURGICAL CO-MANAGEMENT DR. LUKEY IS NOW ACCEPTING NEW PATIENTS

Please call to schedule your appointment today

541.386.1700

Dr. Rebecca Chown, OD FAAO Dr. Audrey Lukey, OD www.icfec.com 1700 12th Street, Suite A, Hood River

Convenient care, weekend hours Walk-ins welcome Saturday and Sunday 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

541-387-1300

Providence Family Medicine Clinic 1151 May St. #201 Hood River, OR 97031

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Nich

WELLNESS

Eating for a Healthy Pregnancy GORGE GROWN PROGRAM PROVIDES FRESH PRODUCE TO PREGNANT WOMEN AND THEIR FAMILIES Gorge Grown Food Network has partnered with the Hood River County Health Department and Oregon State University to create a pilot program to provide fresh fruit and vegetables to pregnant women and their families in Hood River County.

Pregnant women and their families enrolled in the health department’s Women, Infant and Children ( WIC) program are eligible to receive a fresh produce box delivered to their homes twice a month by Hood River Organic. Each box contains a variety of fresh, seasonal fruits and vegetables with recipes and other nutritional information. Families are also offered an opportunity to attend cooking classes and other group activities. Currently, 33 families are enrolled in the program.

Women enrolled in the program will continue to receive fresh fruits and vegetables throughout their pregnancy. “Research shows that what you eat matters and can have a lasting impact on your health and the health of the entire family,” said Sarah Sullivan, director of Gorge Grown. The project, funded by grants, is part of Gorge Grown’s Veggie Rx program that has been providing fresh fruits and vegetables to Gorge residents since 2015. For more information, go to gorgegrown.com.

Every Provider.

Every Week Day.

SAME DAY

APPOINTMENTS Phones open at 7:30 am, M-F Injuries and illnesses are unpredicatable. That’s why WE HAVE A DEDICATED PROVIDER for same day appointments, and EACH OF OUR PROVIDERS HAVE SAME DAY OPENINGS.

Family Medicine

CALL 509.773.4017 317 Sanders Way, Goldendale WA

COMPLETE FAMILY CARE BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PAIN MANAGEMENT PULMONOLOGY PEDIATRIC CARE WOMEN’S HEALTH DIABETES PROGRAM

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Nichols Landing Gorge Mag 8.75x11.25 NOV2019.qxp_Layout 1 11/6/18 4:15 PM Page 1

MCMC Specialty Clinics Now Accepting New Patients!

MCMC OUTPATIENT THERAPY AT NICHOLS LANDING, formerly hood river therapy, has relocated to Nichols landing. our rehabilitation programs are specially designed by our experienced physical, occupational and speech therapists and tailored to fit your needs. our newly constructed space offers a large performance gym, with upgraded exercise equipment, overlooking the beautiful hood river waterfront. Call 541.386.2441 to make an appointment.

GORGE UROLOGY has relocated to Nichols landing

from its previous hood river location. For the past 33 years, gorge Urology has provided patient-centered, personalized care for men and women with medical conditions affecting the urinary tract and reproductive systems. the entire urology team continues to provide the highest quality urology care for the gorge community.

Call 541.386.6988 to make an appointment.

MCMC PODIATRY for foot and ankle care. dr. kathryn Jenewein, our experienced podiatrist, has devoted her career to helping people get back on their feet after illness or injury. dr. Jenewein completed her podiatric residency at legacy health system and kaiser Permanente in Portland. For the past year she’s been helping gorge residents manage and recover from arthritis, bunions, ingrown toenails, ligament and tendon disorders, and other health conditions. Call 541.308.1015 to make an appointment.

Nichols Landing overlooks the Columbia River and is right off of I-84 (exit 63) next to the Hampton Inn in Hood River.

MCMC ORTHOPEDICS AND SPORTS MEDICINE

offering comprehensive orthopedic care, sports injury treatment and prevention. whether you want to recover from injury, improve your athletic performance or lift your grandchildren without pain, our team of certified athletic trainers, physical therapists and physicians are here for you every step of the way. Call 541.308.1015 to make an appointment.

MCMC DERMATOLOGY has relocated its hood river clinic to Nichols landing. our dermatologist, dr. melinda riter, completed her internal medicine internship at stanford University before relocating to Portland for a dermatology residency at ohsU. today she is dedicated to gorge patients, diagnosing and treating skin conditions such as acne, psoriasis, skin cancer and more. If you are concerned about a new skin condition, call 541.308.1020 to make an appointment.

MCMC CARDIOLOGY delivers compassionate heart care. cardiology patients can expect open, honest communication with specialists who work alongside patients to educate them about their condition and treatment options. currently offering echocardiograms (echos) and treadmill stress tests. Call 541.308.1025 to make an appointment.

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OUR GORGE : PARTAKE

Grilled Eggplant with Harissa, Honey, Yogurt and Mint

RECIPE AND PHOTOS BY KACIE MCMACKIN

Grilled eggplants are my favorite! The smoky combination of the grilled eggplant pairs beautifully with the flavorful harissa, floral honey, tart yogurt, and cool mint.

Harissa comes in many variations, from completely mild to very, very spicy — a spice which intensifies when cooking, so ask for advice from your grocer to find one that suits your taste.

Ingredients:

• 4 medium eggplants • 1/2 cup harissa paste • 3 cups plain whole milk yogurt • 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil • 1/4 cup + 1 oz. honey • Fresh mint • Sea salt

Directions:

Slice the eggplants into quarter-inch slices. Lay them on a clean dishtowel, sprinkle them with a bit of sea salt, flip and salt the other side, cover with another dishtowel and place heavy baking sheets on top — weighing them down with cookbooks or cans. Let the eggplants sweat for about 20 minutes.

Cut hatch marks in the eggplant slices at an angle, being careful not to slice all the way through.

Combine the harissa with the olive oil, and 1/4 cup honey. Rub the eggplant with the harissa mix, placing it in a large glass dish. Cover and refrigerate for a few hours to marinate.

Heat your grill to medium-high. Grill the eggplant over direct heat until deeply browned and slightly charred in places on both sides. Set aside on a plate to cool. Reserve the marinade.

Pour 2 oz. of the marinade into a small saucepan and add 1 oz. honey. Bring to a simmer and reduce until it’s thick and syrupy.

Prepare your serving platter by spooning the yogurt, then layer the eggplant slices on. Drizzle with the harissa and honey reduction. Sprinkle with fresh mint.

Enjoy immediately.

Serves 4.

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Kacie McMackin is a food blogger, writer and photographer at gorgeinthegorge.com.

She is a frequent contributor to The Gorge Magazine.

THE GORGE MAGAZINE : SPRING 2019

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EAT + DRINK

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

541-386-1880 • bettesplace.com 416 Oak Street • Hood River

Pizzeria • drafthouse theater • arcade It’s the pizza -over 25 years of authentic East Coast thin-crust pizza

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

The “Friendliest Restaurant in Town” and a Hood River landmark since 1975. From French toast and omelets to specialty burgers and homemade soups, we’ve got you covered. Satisfy your sweet tooth with our legendary cinnamon rolls or prize-winning pies. We also offer special menus for children. Take-out menus available.

541-386-1448 • AndrewsPizza.com 107 Oak Street • Hood River

On-line ordering • Eat in • Take out • Delivery

Open daily: 11:30am-9pm

BRIDGESIDE

BRODER ØST

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

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

Stunning views next to the Bridge of the Gods – Bridgeside (formerly Charburger) still serves tasty char-broiled burgers plus an extensive menu of breakfast items, chowders, fish & chips, fresh salad bar, sandwiches, and desserts. New name, new management, but historic charm and western artifacts remain. Serving breakfast, lunch, and dinner.

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!

Gift shop • Special event room & terrace

#broderost

We look forward to serving you!

Open Daily 5:30am to 3pm

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 4-7pm, Mon-Fri. Full service bar, take-out menu, gift certificates and catering services. Open for lunch and dinner 7 days a week.

DOG RIVER COFFEE

CELILO RESTAURANT & BAR

CROOKED TREE TAVERN & GRILL 541-352-6692 • cooperspur.com 10755 Cooper Spur Road • Mt Hood/Parkdale

541-386-4502 • dogrivercoffee.net 411 Oak Street • Downtown Hood River

Celilo began with a desire to honor the bounty of this region and a commitment to a healthy and sustainable future. 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 daily from 5-6pm.

A scratch-made Northwest kitchen hidden up in the woods at the historic Cooper Spur Mountain Resort. Sourcing local and bringing freshness to the table, from the handmade burgers with house baked buns to the hand-cut steaks. Open for lunch & dinner 7 days a week with daily specials. Happy Hour Monday thru Friday 3-6pm.

Named one of ‘America’s top 10 coffeehouses’ by USA Today

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

Dinner daily from 5pm • Lunch Fri-Sun 11:30-3pm

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BETTE’S PLACE

THE ANDREW’S EXPERIENCE

SPRING 2019 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

Full service espresso bar featuring Stumptown coffee Breakfast burritos, pastries and more Caffeinating your adventures since 2004 Open: Mon-Fri, 6am-6pm & Sat-Sun, 7am-6pm

EAT + DRINK

EL PUERTO DE ANGELES III

EVERYBODY’S BREWING

FERMENT BREWING COMPANY

Authentic Jalisco Cuisine. We provide a great dining experience and freshly prepared platters delivered to your table with Mexican hospitality by our friendly staff. Enjoy good food, good folks and good times. Offering daily lunch and dinner specials served all day. Happy Hour Mon-Fri 2-5pm.

Enjoy our outdoor patio (open weather permitting).

See for yourself why Everybody’s Brewing is a locals’ favorite for the past 10 years! We brew 15 different styles of beer plus seasonal selections onsite. The menu is filled with affordable food choices made with high-quality local ingredients. The atmosphere is warm and family-friendly with a beautiful view of Mt. Hood. Live acoustic music most Friday evenings. Open 11:30am to close 7 days a week.

Ferment is a modern brewery that fuses traditional farmhouse techniques with a forward-thinking scientific approach. Born out of an appreciation for the art of fermentation, Ferment offers a unique family of beers and kombuchas that tap the wild terrain of the Columbia River Gorge for inspiration and foraged ingredients.

GROUND ESPRESSO BAR & CAFE

INDIAN CREEK GOLF COURSE & DIVOTS CLUBHOUSE RESTAURANT

541-308-0005 1306 12th Street • Hood River, on the Heights

Sun-Thu 10am-9pm, Fri & Sat 10am-10pm

509.637.2774 • everybodysbrewing.com 177 E. Jewett Boulevard • White Salmon

541-436-3499 • fermentbrewing.com 403 Portway Avenue • Hood River Waterfront

Family friendly food•Growler fills•Open 11am daily

Photos by Michael Peterson

GRACE SU’S CHINA GORGE RESTAURANT & TIGER LOUNGE 541-386-5331 • chinagorge.com 2680 Old Columbia River Drive • Hood River (Located off I-84 and the base of Hwy 35)

While visiting the Gorge…take a trip to China.

Great Szechuan-Hunan taste.

No airfare. Free Parking. Very happy family.

Great plates for more than 40 years.

IXTAPA FAMILY MEXICAN RESTAURANT

810 Cherry Heights • The Dalles 2920 W. Cascade Avenue Suite 104 • Hood River 541-386-1168 Authentic, fresh, Mexican food and full bar. Proudly serving the Gorge for over 18 years! Daily lunch and dinner specials. Mexican specialties including fresh seafood and vegetarian entries. Take out and catering available.

Open daily. Coming Soon! New Restaurant. New Location.

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

541-308-0304 • indiancreekgolf.com 3605 Brookside Drive • 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.

Located in the heart of the Hood River Valley just minutes from downtown. Breathtaking views of Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams from our covered patio. Full service bar and fabulous northwest cuisine at a reasonable price.

Your everyday vacation spot! Open to the public.

KICKSTAND COFFEE & KITCHEN

McMENAMINS EDGEFIELD

Open Daily for Lunch & Dinner. Happy Hour 3-6pm.

541-436-0016 • kickstandcoffee.net 1235 State Street • Hood River

503-669-8610 • mcmenamins.com 2126 SW Halsey Street • Troutdale (off Exit 16)

Fusion cuisine made from locally sourced ingredients.

Breakfast, lunch, dinner. Donuts made fresh daily.

House-roasted coffee. Local beer, wine & house-infused cocktails at “The Handlebar”.

With fall comes the fall harvest. The Black Rabbit Restaurant kitchen uses seasonal ingredients from Edgefield’s own gardens, grown using organic methods – herbs, vegetables, fruits and flowers that flourish throughout the property’s 74 acres. Stop by for a fresh taste.

Open daily 7am-10pm. Outdoor Patio. Fire Pit. SMORES. Kid Friendly.

Fundraisers & Special events.

Ales, wines and spirits are crafted onsite.

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EAT + DRINK

PFRIEM FAMILY BREWERS

REMEDY CAFÉ

541-386-1606 • pietrosrestaurants.com 107 2nd Street • Hood River

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

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.

Pietro’s is proud to serve the same famous original thin pizza crust and pizza sauce that has made us a Northwest favorite over the years. We use only the freshest and finest cheese and toppings. Proud to be locally owned and operated with four locations: Hood River, Milwaukie, Beaverton and Salem. Dine in, take out, online or delivery.

Open Daily: 11:30am-9pm

Open Daily 11am-10pm

Recharge at Remedy Café with organic and satisfying breakfast or lunch bowls, burritos, curry, smoothies, juices, or hot drinks. Vegan and paleo options, created from scratch from the best quality organic and local ingredients.

Kombucha on tap. Locally roasted, organic espresso.

Free WiFi. Open Mon-Fri 7am-5pm Sat & Sun 8am-5pm.

Dine-in or take out. Order ahead online or call us!

RIVERSIDE & CEBU LOUNGE

RIVERTAP PUB & RESTAURANT

SOLSTICE WOOD FIRE PIZZA

Happy Hour daily, 3-6pm

Family-owned & loved by locals!

One of a kind specialty pizzas, housemade fresh pastas, seasonal small plates & salads, & sublime s’mores.

Inspired cocktails, craft beers, wine, & ciders on tap.

Family dining & kids play area. Vegan & gluten-free options.

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

Diners seek out newly remodeled Riverside for some of the best food and views in the Gorge, and Cebu for great bar food and drinks. Fresh menus change seasonally—plus an award-winning wine list. Enjoy indoors, on the deck, or in our popular Cebu Lounge.

Cebu Lounge Happy Hours: Mon-Fri 4-6pm

gorge in the gorge

A local guide to the best food, drinks, farms, and markets! gorgeinthegorge.com

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PIETRO’S PIZZA

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

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541-296-7870 • rivertap.com 703 East 2nd Street • Downtown The Dalles (I-84, Exit 85) Late Night Happy Hour Friday & Saturday, 10-close Live Music every Friday, Saturday and Sunday We Cater

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

Heated patio seating & riverfront views!

Wood-fired & Gorge-inspired!

EAT + DRINK

541-386-3940 • stonehedgeweddings.com 3405 West Cascade Avenue • Hood River

STONEHEDGE GARDENS

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

SUSHI OKALANI

TAD’S CHICKEN ‘N DUMPLINS

“The best outdoor dining in the Gorge.” –NW Best Places We are a favorite among locals and visitors. Our cuisine is a classic, European blend that utilizes fresh, local ingredients and pairs well with our select wines. Our gardens are the perfect setting for weddings. Full-service catering available.

“Romantic setting and the best meal I had in town.”

–The Los Angeles Times

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 nightly at 5:00, closing hours change seasonally.

We are nestled on the banks of the Sandy River in Troutdale, OR–the gateway to the Columbia River Gorge. We are located halfway between Portland and Multnomah Falls.

Serving exquisite American cuisine since the 1930s. The menu includes: Seafood specialties as well as traditional steak, chicken, and pasta dishes; a full bar, and our famous home-style chicken ‘n dumplins. Open every night for dinner.

503-666-5337 • tadschicdump.com 1325 East Historic Columbia River Hwy • Troutdale

CAFÉ & GRILL THUNDER ISLAND BREWING CO

WET PLANET CAFÉ & GRILL

Thunder Island Brewing Co is an adventure-based brewery that is handcrafting creative and innovative beers in the Pacific Northwest since 2013. Thunder Island Brewing makes crushable beers inspired by a love of outdoor adventures, with a nod to local history and with a respect for all that the scenic Columbia River Gorge has to offer.

Off the beaten track, outside and delicious. From a perfect espresso in the morning with a fresh pastry, to one of the best burgers in the Gorge! Farm-to-Table menu, including freshly caught Salmon. Enjoy great food paired with local brews, cider and wines on our outdoor patio, while watching the rafters and kayakers have fun on the White Salmon River.

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!

Open daily 11:30am-6:30pm, May through September

RESERVE A PARTAKE LISTING SPACE TODAY

971-231-4599 • thunderislandbrewing.com 515 NW Portage Road • Cascade Locks

509-493-8989 • wetplanetwhitewater.com 860 Highway 141 • White Salmon (Husum)

The area’s premier lifestyle publication

YOUR PARTAKE LISTING HERE

Contact Jody Thompson for more information: 425-308-9582 • jthompson@thegorgemagazine.com 541-399-6333 • thegorgemagazine.com

Reserve Ad Space Now for SUMMER 2019!

On Stands June 7th

For advertising, contact Jody Thompson: 425-308-9582

jthompson@thegorgemagazine.com Jenna Hallett: 503-341-3671 jhallett@thegorgemagazine.com For more information, contact Janet Cook jcook@thegorgemagazine.com or 541-399-6333

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Order online at thegorgemagazine.com or call 541-399-6333

THE GORGE MAGAZINE : SPRING 2019

81

OUR GORGE : YOUR GORGE

Artist Randye Jensen was hiking on the Rowena Plateau when she found herself in the midst of a springtime super bloom of grass widows. “Everywhere I looked, the grass widows were blooming,” she said.

There was water standing in the abandoned road tracks, reflecting the pale spring sky. “What I really liked about it was all the different contrasts — the tiny purple flowers, the water in the old tracks going back to the bluff.” She calls her resulting 12 x 12 pastel, Gorged with Flowers.

THE ARTIST Randye Jensen was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, above a store that sold tombstones. After a brief stint at Brooklyn College, she headed west, eventually settling in Ashland, Ore., where she taught elementary school for 16 years. She took advantage of an early retirement to travel extensively, hiking the Inca Trail in Peru, trekking in Nepal and exploring Patagonia. Each summer, she also spent weeks backpacking in the Sierra. “I always dragged around a sketch pad,” she said. Each day she sketched where she’d been and what she’d seen. “I always remembered it more if I sketched it,” she added. She longed to take her nature sketches further and began taking formal classes in drawing, watercolor and pastel — eventually falling in love with pastel. For the past 10 years, she has studied regularly with renowned pastel artist Richard McKinley, driving to Ashland for his weekly class. Jensen has become an accomplished pastel artist in her own right, showing her work in exhibitions and galleries around the west and in New York. She divides her time between Corvallis and Lyle, Wash. For more detailed information about Randye Jensen and her work, go to randyej.fineartstudioonline.com.

82 SPRING 2019 : THE GORGE MAGAZINE

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PO BOX 34 | GLENWOOD, WA 98619 | 509.364.0031 | WWW.GOAT-ROCK.COM