We just got back from a week visiting the neighbor to the south. We had
a wonderful time and ate very well. First stop was Portland. Saturday
we had dinner at South Park, which was okay. Sunday, after brunch at
the Heathman (where we also stayed), we headed for the Oregon Brewers'
Festival. Many microbrews from Oregon, Washington, and as far away as
Illinois. We sampled 10 different beers (about 2-3 ounces of each). SO
tried Stumptown coffee prior to hitting the Brewers' Festival and was
underwhelmed. Dinner Sunday night was at Higgins. He got the pork
sampler, while I got the lamb shank. Very tasty.

Monday it was up the Columbia to Hood River and the Columbia Gorge
Hotel. We had the prix fixe menu (his entree was steak, mine was
salmon). We saved the cheese and fruit course for the following day,
when we went to Maryhill Winery for tasting. We've had their wines
before, and were very impressed. The cheese and fruit were perfect for
dining on their patio.

Wednesday we headed for Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood. The hotel was
built as a WPA project during the Depression. The architectural details
are amazing. The lodge has excellent dinners, both in the dining room
and in the Ram's Head Bar. We did some hiking on and around the
mountain, although the SO was unimpressed by the photographic
possibilities: "It's a giant slag heap." Timberline is a year-round
ski and snowboard resort, so we amused ourselves by watching a steady
stream of snow bums head up and down the slopes. I managed to get in a
few laps in the pool one afternoon.

On our way back through Portland, we stopped at Bob's Red Mill. This is
a huge flour and grain purveyor on the west coast. I picked up a few
provisions for baking. Earlier in the trip, we stopped at Powell's and
drooled over cookbooks. Yes, I bought two on sale. (One advantage of
shopping in Oregon--no sales tax.)

It's good to be home.

Cindy

--
C.J. Fuller

Delete the obvious to email me

Cindy Fuller > wrote in
news:cjfullerSPAMORAMA-A620CE.21361602082008@70-3-168-
216.area5.spcsdns.net:


>
> Monday it was up the Columbia to Hood River and the Columbia Gorge
> Hotel.


Looks like lots of fruit tree (?) orchards around that place.


> We had the prix fixe menu (his entree was steak, mine was
> salmon). We saved the cheese and fruit course for the following day,
> when we went to Maryhill Winery for tasting. We've had their wines
> before, and were very impressed. The cheese and fruit were perfect
for
> dining on their patio.


Nice outlook from there too :-)

I wouldn't mind spending some time leaning on the 'Brunswick Bar'!!

http://www.maryhillwinery.com/gallery.asp


The 2005 Syrah sounds absolutely great!!



>
> Wednesday we headed for Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood.



Did you see Bigfoot??


>The hotel was
> built as a WPA project during the Depression. The architectural
details
> are amazing. The lodge has excellent dinners, both in the dining room
> and in the Ram's Head Bar. We did some hiking on and around the
> mountain, although the SO was unimpressed by the photographic
> possibilities: "It's a giant slag heap." Timberline is a year-round
> ski and snowboard resort, so we amused ourselves by watching a steady
> stream of snow bums head up and down the slopes. I managed to get in
a
> few laps in the pool one afternoon.
>
> On our way back through Portland, we stopped at Bob's Red Mill. This
is
> a huge flour and grain purveyor on the west coast. I picked up a few
> provisions for baking. Earlier in the trip, we stopped at Powell's
and
> drooled over cookbooks. Yes, I bought two on sale. (One advantage of
> shopping in Oregon--no sales tax.)
>
> It's good to be home.
>


The trip sounds great and the area is one that I will eventually get to,
and explore.


--
Peter Lucas
Brisbane
Australia


If we are not meant to eat animals,
why are they made of meat?

On Sat, 02 Aug 2008 21:36:16 -0700, Cindy Fuller
> wrote:

>we headed for the Oregon Brewers'
>Festival. Many microbrews from Oregon, Washington, and as far away as
>Illinois. We sampled 10 different beers (about 2-3 ounces of each).

Hey, don't you have children???? What were they doing this weekend,
huh?


--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

sf wrote:

> On Sat, 02 Aug 2008 21:36:16 -0700, Cindy Fuller
> > wrote:
>
>
>>we headed for the Oregon Brewers'
>>Festival. Many microbrews from Oregon, Washington, and as far away as
>>Illinois. We sampled 10 different beers (about 2-3 ounces of each).
>
>
> Hey, don't you have children???? What were they doing this weekend,
> huh?
>
>
*Chuckle* lots of 'german descent' in oregon, this 'vonstifel' is from
there, and attended a few 'beer gardens' back in the day, the
Scandinavian days in Junction City was nice and iirc one in Beaverton
stood out.
--
JL

On Sat, 02 Aug 2008 21:36:16 -0700, Cindy Fuller
> wrote:

Earlier in the trip, we stopped at Powell's and
>drooled over cookbooks. Yes, I bought two on sale. (One advantage of
>shopping in Oregon--no sales tax.)

What did you buy?

Christine, cookbook addict

In article > ,
PeterLucas > wrote:

> Cindy Fuller > wrote in
> news:cjfullerSPAMORAMA-A620CE.21361602082008@70-3-168-
> 216.area5.spcsdns.net:
>
> > Monday it was up the Columbia to Hood River and the Columbia Gorge
> > Hotel.
>
> Looks like lots of fruit tree (?) orchards around that place.

[Cindy's infamous SO responding}

Yes indeed, we saw lots of orchards. Very nice, reasonably priced fruit
in the local markets, too. The farmers in this area promote tourism
with a brochure that describes a driving tour through the roadside
stands in the region. It's called the "Fruit Loop". A little bit of
humor there, since in the US, there is a breakfast cereal of the same
name, famous for silly ads targeting children.

> > We had the prix fixe menu (his entree was steak, mine was
> > salmon). We saved the cheese and fruit course for the following day,
> > when we went to Maryhill Winery for tasting. We've had their wines
> > before, and were very impressed. The cheese and fruit were perfect
> > for dining on their patio.
>
> Nice outlook from there too :-)
>
> I wouldn't mind spending some time leaning on the 'Brunswick Bar'!!
>
> http://www.maryhillwinery.com/gallery.asp

The outdoor patio at Maryhill is very pleasant, with tables under
vine-covered arbors, and a bar overlooking the Columbia River. The
location of the winery is a bit surprising. In this area, the land
surrounding the river is very arid and barren, not what you would expect
for a farm. But there are some substantial plantings on the property,
and I could see soaker hoses between the rows. I suspect Maryhill buys
grapes from other vineyards, too

> The 2005 Syrah sounds absolutely great!!

That was one of the wines that we tasted, and we bought a bottle.

> > Wednesday we headed for Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood.
>
> Did you see Bigfoot??

No, just a few ground squirrels, elk, and deer. And lots of dead skunks
in the middle of the road.

> > We did some hiking on and around the
> > mountain, although the SO was unimpressed by the photographic
> > possibilities: "It's a giant slag heap."

I was comparing it to Mt. Rainier, which is one of our favorite day trip
destinations from Seattle. Rainier is much more photogenic than Mt.
Hood, with more variation in terrain and ecosystems. The steep slopes
and big glaciers provide stunning images. Rainier is a better choice
for hikers and shutterbugs. Hood is the choice for skiers.

--
Julian Vrieslander

Julian Vrieslander > wrote in
news:julianvREMOVE_THIS_PART-B02553.14020803082008@70-3-168-
>
> [Cindy's infamous SO responding}


Gidday Cindy's infamous SO!!


>
> Yes indeed, we saw lots of orchards.


They're very noticable on Goggle Earth.

The hotel you stayed at it rather quaint too :-)

The Wah Gwin Gwin Falls is right on the grounds??

I also noticed another winery just south of the hotel you stayed at. The
Cathedral Ridge Winery.
It's in the block between Frankton, Post Haven and New Haven Drive.

Their reds would want to be pretty damn good for the prices they're
asking!!

http://cathedralridgewinery.com/stor...pg1-cid36.html



> Very nice, reasonably priced fruit
> in the local markets, too. The farmers in this area promote tourism
> with a brochure that describes a driving tour through the roadside
> stands in the region. It's called the "Fruit Loop". A little bit of
> humor there, since in the US, there is a breakfast cereal of the same
> name, famous for silly ads targeting children.


Yeah, we have the same sugar laden cereal here. I've never bought the
stuff, after tasting it at a friends house.

I think the first time my kids were able to have the stuff around was
*after* they moved out of home.


>>
>> I wouldn't mind spending some time leaning on the 'Brunswick Bar'!!
>>
>> http://www.maryhillwinery.com/gallery.asp
>
> The outdoor patio at Maryhill is very pleasant, with tables under
> vine-covered arbors, and a bar overlooking the Columbia River. The
> location of the winery is a bit surprising. In this area, the land
> surrounding the river is very arid and barren, not what you would expect
> for a farm. But there are some substantial plantings on the property,
> and I could see soaker hoses between the rows. I suspect Maryhill buys
> grapes from other vineyards, too


Yep.

http://www.maryhillwinery.com/ourwine.asp

"We contract with growers all throughout the lower Columbia Gorge. From
east to Alderdale area in the Horse Heaven Hills to Yakima Valley near
Grandview and up near Mattawa in the Wahluke Slope on the Columbia River,
we work closely with select premier vineyards to produce wine showcasing
the rich and pleasurable flavors of this unique growing region."

As for the actual location of the vineyard (ie, the terrain), the general
consensus is that if the vines have to struggle to survive, they produce
better berries (fruit). I've seen vineyards that look like it's nothing but
rocks!! But it's the soil that the roots eventually get to that is the key.


>
>> The 2005 Syrah sounds absolutely great!!
>
> That was one of the wines that we tasted, and we bought a bottle.


Lucky bugger!!


>
>> > Wednesday we headed for Timberline Lodge on Mount Hood.
>>
>> Did you see Bigfoot??
>
> No, just a few ground squirrels, elk, and deer.


Apparently that area is renowned for Bigfoot sightings. Might be something
to do with all the wineries in the area :-)


> And lots of dead skunks
> in the middle of the road.


Ewww!!

The northern part of Tasmania is like that. Roadkill every 6 feet. I drove
between Launceston and Devonport, and the roadkill smell was quite
overpowering most of the time.


>
>> > We did some hiking on and around the
>> > mountain, although the SO was unimpressed by the photographic
>> > possibilities: "It's a giant slag heap."
>
> I was comparing it to Mt. Rainier, which is one of our favorite day trip
> destinations from Seattle. Rainier is much more photogenic than Mt.
> Hood, with more variation in terrain and ecosystems. The steep slopes
> and big glaciers provide stunning images. Rainier is a better choice
> for hikers and shutterbugs. Hood is the choice for skiers.
>


Yes, you certainly live in a beautiful part of the world. If I was going to
live over there, around your neck of the woods is high on my list of
priorities.

Besides which, I've been a Seahawks fan since the early 90's :-)

Still got the old style cap, too.

http://i35.tinypic.com/16lw5dd.jpg




--
Peter Lucas
Brisbane
Australia


If we are not meant to eat animals,
why are they made of meat?

In article >,
Christine Dabney > wrote:

> On Sat, 02 Aug 2008 21:36:16 -0700, Cindy Fuller
> > wrote:
>
> Earlier in the trip, we stopped at Powell's and
> >drooled over cookbooks. Yes, I bought two on sale. (One advantage of
> >shopping in Oregon--no sales tax.)
>
> What did you buy?
>
> Christine, cookbook addict

Nick Malgieri's Baking Around the World and a NW cookbook. I'd had my
eye on the former cookbook for some time, since I like Malgieri's recipe
style and everything I've made out of How to Bake came out great.

Cindy

--
C.J. Fuller

Delete the obvious to email me

In article >, sf wrote:

> On Sat, 02 Aug 2008 21:36:16 -0700, Cindy Fuller
> > wrote:
>
> >we headed for the Oregon Brewers'
> >Festival. Many microbrews from Oregon, Washington, and as far away as
> >Illinois. We sampled 10 different beers (about 2-3 ounces of each).
>
> Hey, don't you have children???? What were they doing this weekend,
> huh?

Our four-legged children were taken care of by a neighbor. As my nephew
once observed, my kitties are my kids. We have no two-legged human
children.

Cindy

--
C.J. Fuller

Delete the obvious to email me

In article > ,
PeterLucas > wrote:

> The hotel you stayed at it rather quaint too :-)
>
> The Wah Gwin Gwin Falls is right on the grounds??

Yes, that is the waterfall on the grounds of the Columbia Gorge Hotel.
It's quite the scenic spot, with well-tended gardens, ponds, and
resident ducks. This hotel is popular for weddings - ceremonies are
often staged outside, with the river gorge in the background.

> I also noticed another winery just south of the hotel you stayed at. The
> Cathedral Ridge Winery.

There are many wineries in Washington and Oregon. Washington's wine
production is only exceeded by California. Alas, visiting more than one
winery in a day is tough for us, because we don't like the
taste-and-spit routine, and we have fairly low tipsy thresholds.

--
Julian Vrieslander

On Sun, 03 Aug 2008 21:05:53 -0700, Cindy Fuller wrote:

> In article >, sf wrote:
>
>> On Sat, 02 Aug 2008 21:36:16 -0700, Cindy Fuller
>> > wrote:
>>
>>>we headed for the Oregon Brewers'
>>>Festival. Many microbrews from Oregon, Washington, and as far away as
>>>Illinois. We sampled 10 different beers (about 2-3 ounces of each).
>>
>> Hey, don't you have children???? What were they doing this weekend,
>> huh?
>
> Our four-legged children were taken care of by a neighbor. As my nephew
> once observed, my kitties are my kids. We have no two-legged human
> children.
>
> Cindy

how many legs do they have? i hear the max is maybe two-and-a-half (for
the xy variety).

your pal,
blake
** Posted from http://www.teranews.com **

Julian wrote:

> lots of dead skunks in the middle of the road.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IdKno60jFlw

Bob