Three Pacific Northwest cities you need to visit
Each has its personal distinct character and relative benefits: Hood River is dwelling to beer and cider-swilling adrenaline-fueled adventurers, Astoria performs the colourful hostess with a wealthy historical past, and Walla Walla has wine, nice meals, and house. close to devoted to Native American heritage. . At the Tamástslikt Cultural Institute about an hour southwest in Pendleton, Ore., you can hint the tribal genocide precipitated by the Corps’ passage and finally have a good time the ultimate years of the Native American revival.
Choose one, two or all three of those cities, with a watch on the season. Hood River and Astoria are wonderful in the summertime and fall, or if the spring is gentle. Walla Walla is right within the spring and fall, however scorching in the summertime. Hood River provides snowboarding and different snow adventures on close by Mount Hood within the colder months, however beware Clark earlier than braving an Astoria winter.
“… it rained all last night, we are all wet… the wind blew with such violence that I expected every moment to see the trees uprooted… Oh! how unpleasant is our condition,” he wrote in his diary on November 28, 1805.
As Oregonians, my spouse, Mica, and I do not let a little bit rain dampen our journey plans. We watch the climate and look ahead to getting behind the wheel because the magnificent Columbia River Gorge fills the windshield.
From Portland, it is simply over an hour’s drive east to Hood River, spending some wonderful surroundings. Plan a cease at Multnomah Falls, flip round and return to the aptly named Bridge and cease for lunch at Cascade Locks on the Brigham Fish Market, the place supervisor Terrie Brigham Price has landed many of the catch.
“I’ve been fishing up and down this river since I was little,” says Price, a member of the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation.
The river represented an incredible hazard right here when Lewis and Clark’s celebration first crossed of their canoes in late 1805. In “Unbearable Courage,” writer Stephen E. Ambrose describes how Native Americans “gathered by the hundreds along shores to see white men. drown themselves…”
However, they survived the portage. Today, three locks and four dams have swept away those rapids. The river is now a playground, with kiteboarders and windsurfers running around, propelled by the breeze.
Do you like the fast lane? Paddle the middle section of the White Salmon River with Wet Planet Whitewater, where guide Alex Taylor promises we’ll get plenty wet while running rapids like Top Drop and Corkscrew. He was right.
Or pedal an electric assist bike along the scenic Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail and on to Mosier with Sol Rides.
Later, loosen those sore muscles with a dip at the Society Hotel in Bingen, which opened in 2019. Rooms are utilitarian, but the free pools and sauna will recharge worn-out batteries.
If the slow lane is more your speed, steer toward the Hood River Fruit Loop, where the aroma of fresh lavender from Hood River Lavender Farms will fill the drive, then stop for a bite and cider at White House Gorge. End the day with the Grateful Feast tasting experience (beer, cider, wine, pizza and more) and views of Mount Hood at Grateful Vineyard.
Or discover how well craft beer pairs with great food at two of Oregon’s best breweries. PFriem Family Brewers has earned a national reputation for its incredible range of Belgian-influenced craft beers. Down the road, innovative brewmaster Dan Peterson and wife Jenn opened Ferment Brewing Company in 2018 and are making their mark with unique offerings like Sentinel, a saison brewed from wild yeast and Douglas fir yeast.
Or walk past the brick-and-mortar storefronts downtown, stopping at the bookstore or toy store. Grab a cone at Mike’s Ice Cream or a table on the deck at 3 Rivers Grill and dig into the seafood pasta and sausage while taking in the view of the river.
The historic Hood River Hotel, which opened downtown more than a century ago, has been lovingly restored. Start the day downstairs over delicious Scandinavian breakfast dishes from Broder Ost.
The Columbia Gorge Discovery Center and Museum, nearby in The Dalles, includes exhibits on the Corps of Discovery.
Founded as a fur trading post a few years after the Corps’ visit, Astoria later became a major 20th-century salmon-packing town before the fishery declined. These passages are captured in two valuable local museums: the Columbia River Maritime Museum and the Clatsop County Historical Society Heritage Museum.
The city is about a two-hour drive northwest of Portland, where the river meets the Pacific. The sense of history here is palpable, whether in the Astoria Column murals or the displays at the Hanthorn Cannery Museum, which commemorate a once bustling fish cannery that has since been converted into shops and restaurants.
History comes alive at nearby Fort Clatsop, a reconstruction of where Lewis and Clark’s party wintered in 1805-06. Here, rangers dress in period clothing every day from late June through Labor Day and through Christmas week, depicting the daily routine of the Corps and their dreary winter.
“Their garments are actually rotting off their our bodies,” said Zachary Stocks, an interpretive park ranger.
You can hike the 6.5-mile (one-way) Fort to the Sea Trail, or loop the 2.4-mile trail around Coffenbury Lake a short drive away at Fort Stevens State Park, which also has extensive bike trails.
Nothing right here appears to transfer at a hurried tempo.
From your room at the luxury-designated Cannery Pier Hotel & Spa, newly renovated in 2022, watch the giant car-carrying ships crawling ahead bound for Portland.
You can borrow a hotel bike and pedal along the seafront or stroll through the downtown shops, including Finn Ware, a nod to the region’s old Nordic connections. Drive past the colorful hillside homes, park your car, walk up the steps of Astoria’s colonnade and launch a balsa wood glider into the wind.
Surprise yourself with delicate sauteed mushrooms or fried shishito peppers from Busu, a hole-in-the-wall Japanese-influenced takeout, linger over seafood at Silver Salmon Grill or dig into a Caprese panini at Gaetano’s Market & Deli. You can sit inside or outside and enjoy a craft beer at the Astoria Brewing Company Taproom or the Fort George Brewery and Public House.
Among the drink newcomers are Blaylock’s Whiskey Bar, with its towering liquor library just steps away, and Galactix, a vintage taphouse/arcade in a futuristic Star Wars setting.
In the fall, the rolling hills surrounding Walla Walla, about four hours east of Portland, glow with ankle-deep harvested wheat. Yellow gold is interspersed with green vineyards filled with grapes awaiting harvest and their future home inside a wine bottle.
When Joan Monteillet was rising up right here within the Sixties, she mentioned, “it was only a Podunk city surrounded by wheat farms.”
That accolade came as we sampled a selection of the soft, delicate sheep’s and goat’s milk cheeses that she and her husband, Pierre-Louis Monteillet, have perfected over the past 25 years at Monteillet Fromagerie.
The area’s food scene has evolved over that period to keep pace with Walla Walla’s growing reputation as a wine lover’s destination. More than 120 wineries call the Walla Walla Valley home today, more than double the total in the early 2000s.
The downtown area is thriving, with restaurants, shops and more than 30 wine tasting rooms. One of the few that also houses a production winery is the wonderful Seven Hills Winery, housed in a century-old wooden mill. As we sampled a series of strong reds — merlot, cabernet sauvignon, a Bordeaux blend and petit verdot — winemaker Bobby Richards went through it, his mind on the impending harvest planning.
“We’re in excessive gear, prepared to make the leap,” he mentioned.
Also in town, and mixing art with wine, is Foundry Vineyards, with a large patio and gallery space. The Walla Walla Valley is divided into six winemaking districts that even reach a bit into Oregon; the options are many, and we enjoyed Reininger, L’Ecole No 41 and Pepper Bridge Winery.
Dining options are varied, from hearty home-style breakfasts at Maple Counter Café, to handmade pastas at Passatempo Taverna to the Southern flavor (think summer corn and barbecue pork neck) of Hattaway’s on Alder .
To be simply transported with a meal, stop for heavenly tacos (short ribs, brisket, marinated pork, and more) at AK’s Mercado. Chef/owner Andrae Bopp’s attention to detail includes importing corn from southern Mexico and grinding it locally into tortillas.
A short drive from the city, the Inn at Abeja offers a peaceful retreat on a 38-acre farm, with luxurious surroundings (imagine Norman Rockwell’s vision of a turn-of-the-century farm), fine dining and the opportunity to sip 2014 Cabernet Sauvignon on your porch.
Remnants of Lewis and Clark’s journey remain nearby. At the Fort Walla Walla Museum, a diorama demonstrates the Corps exchanging gifts with a Native American chief. About 45 minutes northeast of the city, Patit Creek Campsite’s metal silhouette sculptures represent members of the party, a constant reminder of their demise.
Pulaski is a author based mostly in Portland, Ore.
