Hurry down to Hood River, Oregon | Meanderings by Mindy Stern

My shoulder season visit to Oregon began in early November on the top of Mount Hood. Driving north, down Highway 35, it was overcast and drizzly as we passed orchards, u-pick farms, wine tasting rooms, and farm stands en route to Hood River. Clouds obscured Mount Adams on the Washington side of the Columbia River. As the sky cleared, a giant rainbow appeared, casting Hood River (HR) in a golden glow. Thanks to the wind tunnel created by the Columbia River Gorge, HR has become a mecca for wind-sports like kitesurfing, wing foiling, land sailing, and windsurfing.

The walkable downtown has tourist-oriented boutiques carrying everything from sporting goods to lingerie, artwork, jewelry, and fine dining at Celilo, known for locally-sourced food and wine. A new Waterfront Park was designed to be accessible for everyone, not just the extreme sports on which HR’s economy is based. At least a dozen hotels, from the brand-new, ultra-hip Lightwell Hotel and Spa, to the four-star Columbia Gorge Hotel & Spa, provide a range of options for where to stay.

My lodging was at newly-built Camp Randonnée in Mosier, ten minutes east of Hood River. This property has four free-standing units, each with a roomy, locked shed for storing sports equipment, ultra-modern, “Scandinavian-style” architecture, king-sized bed, quality linens, and a fully-equipped kitchen. Mosier’s Main Street has a coffee shop and the Wagon Social Club, a refurbished Citroën truck serving cheese plates, small bites, beer and wine. On weekends you can order Mexican comfort food from another food truck, super-popular La Vaquita. Around the corner, Mosier Company, or “MoCo,” is where locals gather for live music, drinks, burgers, salads, and a kids’ menu. Hiking and biking trails can be accessed from the center of town, and it’s a birdwatcher’s paradise as home to great blue herons, bald and golden eagles, and ospreys. From chairs placed nearby, you can observe an osprey couple on their nesting platform.

Mosier is home to multiple wineries and tasting rooms. Idiot’s Grace, opened in 2002, pioneered grape growing, earning the region AVA designation – American Viticulture Area – for both sides of the Columbia River. On their 52 acres, Idiot’s Grace grows twenty-six varietals. Two of their wines are standouts: Eulalia – combining Marsanne and Roussanne grapes, and Dolcetto – a blend of Barbarella and Barolo.

One of the highlights of this weekend was a special dinner called a “Gathering Menu” at Analemma Wines, where eighteen lucky people got to mingle and enjoy Chef Mark DeResta’s food and wine pairings. DeResta is a local legend who created a food program at the Best Western that’s so good, you have to reserve for brunch, lunch, or dinner at Riverside, the hotel’s restaurant. Now at Analemma, he’s created a fabulous menu featuring sourced-from-a-few-miles-away ingredients. The wines are so good, I splurged on two bottles of Petit Manseng, a southwestern French grape.

Back in Hood River, I met with the owners of Solstice Wood Fire Pizza, Cafe and Bar, facing the Waterfront Park. They use pear wood to fire up their ovens, and have a menu of seasonal items like award-winning Cherry Orchard Country Girls pizza, and Siragusa pear salad.

“Everything is here!” they said. “Foraging, fruit, native fishing, all in abundance.” Yet, over 50% of school kids in this agricultural haven are on free or reduced lunch. A community effort including several of the area’s leading chefs created the Gorge Grown Food Network, which facilitates farmers markets and sends food trucks to rural areas, providing fresh produce to needy families. And that’s not the only grass roots effort to address food scarcity among some families in The Gorge. MoCo is a donation hub for a program started by a now-retired Mosier Community School teacher. The “Backpack Program” supports needy students by discretely sending lightweight, nutrient dense foods home in their backpacks. Bravo. The Columbia River Gorge is much more than a mere a tourist destination. It has real heart and soul.

The 35-mile Hood River County Fruit Loop drive begins just south of The Gorge. I wish I could have visited more of the farms, cherry and apple orchards, and vineyards with their tasting rooms, picnic grounds, and gift shops. Next time, I’ll devote more time to exploring these beautiful properties.

Yes, there will be a next time. I’m already planning a return visit to Hood River during Spring shoulder season. The orchards will be bursting with apple and pear blossoms. And Cherry Orchard Country Girl pizza awaits.

Meanderings is an award-winning travel column by Mercer Island resident Mindy Stern. For more essays, or to comment, visit www.mindysternauthor.com.