Dear Friends:

We ran across the following article while surfing the Internet recently. It’s by a New York Times Travel writer and offers an extensive overview of Hood River.

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No Ill Wind in Hood River

By SUSAN G. HAUSER
New York Times

On a sunny afternoon in May, I was strolling through the weekly Saturday Market in Hood River, OR., when a great gust of wind came swooshing through the parking lot where it is held. The vendors selling produce and crafts seemed well prepared. A few stretched out their hands to secure a precarious item or two, but most of the goods were already properly weighted or tethered.

I know this wind well; many years ago, when I hit this point on the Columbia River Gorge, my little VW Bug began to resemble Dorothy's house in ''The Wizard of Oz.'' For a moment or two, I was flying.

I can't recommend that weightless sensation to drivers of small vehicles, but in the last 20 years, thousands of windsurfers have made the pilgrimage to Hood River, around an hour east of Portland, so that they too could fly. Thanks to that mighty wind barreling through the gorge, Hood River is considered one of the best windsurfing sites on earth and now is attracting practitioners of the next generation of solo, high-speed water sports, kiteboarding, which uses parachute like kites as sails.

Both windsurfers and kiteboarders are featured at the annual Gorge Games each July, with competition for prize money in those sports and others, including kayaking, mountain biking and trail running.

Across the street from the Saturday Market, the local brewery, Full Sail, has a fine vantage point of the action on the river from its tasting room and adjoining deck. From there, it looks as if a swarm of colorful dragonflies is hovering above the choppy waves. It's just the usual view on a sunny day in Hood River: scores of surfers riding the waves and flying through the air, their sails and kites billowing in the wind.

Windsurfing continues to breathe life into Hood River, aiding the economy and giving the town of about 6,000 an increasing level of sophistication. This once-pastoral farming and logging community now has a half-dozen or so fine restaurants, mostly because some of the food-conscious athletes, attracted by the quality of life, decided to make it their home.

One is Maui Meyer, a world-class windsurfer and a writer for American Windsurfer Magazine, who happens to have trained as a restaurateur at Cornell University. He first rode the waves here in 1984; in 1992, he opened the Sixth Street Bistro and Loft, serving Pacific Northwest fare, featuring seafood and local produce with Pan Asian touches. Other than the dining room at the Columbia Gorge Hotel, it was the first local restaurant to offer sophisticated fare.

Following in his footsteps were Brian McNamara, originally from Philadelphia, who opened Brian's Pourhouse, also serving Pacific Northwest fare, in 1998, and Mark DeResta from Rhode Island, who a year ago opened Abruzzo Italian Grill.

Mike Caldwell was the only local boy to join the foodie pantheon. After working as headwaiter at the restaurant of the Columbia Gorge Hotel and as a winemaker at one of the two Hood River wineries, he and his wife, Shawna, opened three highly rated restaurants starting in 1998. Two remain: the North Oak Brasserie (northern Italian and southern French) and Stonehedge Gardens (steak and seafood).

As Mr. Caldwell, who comes from a family of loggers, will testify, it took awhile for the local residents to accept the changes brought about by the well-heeled sportsmen who began flocking to Hood River to windsurf, fly-fish or ski year-round at nearby Mount Hood. ''We're very fortunate that the sport of choice is very high end,'' he said.

But the orchardists are getting into the act.

''We have farmers here that go back for generations and they windsurf,'' Mr. Caldwell said. ‘‘and the best mountain biker in town is Craig McCurdy,'' an owner of McCurdy Farms.
Many of the farms are part of what is known as the Fruit Loop, an assortment of Hood River Valley fruit orchards, roadside fruit stands, country markets, wineries and even an alpaca farm that open their operations to visitors. Members offer sights, tastes and activities that would tempt a windsurfer to park his or her board for the day, hop on a mountain bike and follow the 35-mile route from farm to farm through stunningly beautiful country.

By bike or car, the Fruit Loop route offers magnificent views. Snowy Mount Hood rises 11,239 feet about 30 miles to the south, and beyond the thousands of acres of orchards to the north lies Mount Adams (12,276 feet), another snowy peak of the Cascade Mountain Range, across the Columbia River in Washington State. In between is the Hood River Valley, home to more than 300 fruit farms, nearly all family owned for generations.

In April, the multitude of trees is bursting with small white blossoms and framed by the two huge, white-mantled mountains.

Fruit Loop visitors can tour orchards and pick their own fruit in summer and fall, depending on what's in season.
Hood River is one of the largest pear-growing districts in the world, especially winter pears, so look for plenty of Anjou, Bosc and Comice pears in the fall. Bartletts ripen in late summer, along with peaches and Gravenstein apples. Several varieties of cherries ripen in July and August, and more varieties of apples in September and October.

Many of the farms and roadside stands also sell homemade jams, jellies and other products. On the edge of town, McCurdy Farms offers a rather unusual product: eau de vie de poire, pear brandy made by Portland's acclaimed Clear Creek Distillery and containing a pear in each bottle.

The bottles are placed over budding pears in early May, removed in August with full-grown pears inside and filled with brandy distilled from the mash of local Bartlett bears. They sell for $80 each ($32 sans pear).

Many of the fruit growers sell their products at Hood River's Saturday Market, from mid-May to mid-October, and at the many fruit-related festivals that fill the calendar. There's the Blossom Festival in April; the Pear and Wine Festival in May, and Cherry Days in July, as well as the county fair at the end of July. Gravenstein Apple Days are in August and the Harvest Fest is in October.

Another way to see the fruit-growing areas is to ride the Mount Hood Railroad. From the Craftsman-style 1911 train station in downtown Hood River, next to the restored 1912 Hood River Hotel, it makes four-hour round-trip excursions through the valley and into the foothills of Mount Hood, passing numerous orchards. Dinner and brunch trips are available on weekends.

Downtown Hood River, which rises steeply from the Columbia River to an area called the Heights, has numerous historic buildings built from 1893 to the 1930's. Many of these now house the trendy shops and galleries that cater to the young, sophisticated, athletic set.

Another unique tourist attraction in town is the International Museum of Carousel Art, in a former bank. It contains about 120 carousel animals from the collection of 750 of Duane and Carol Perron.

There are horses galore, many carved by Charles Looff. The oldest animal is an 1876 blue heron; the most rare is an 1885 sea horse carved by the Dentzel Company.

Just west of downtown is the Spanish-style Columbia Gorge Hotel, sitting on a bluff next to a 208-foot waterfall that gushes to the river below. The hotel was built in 1921 to provide lodging for the adventurous motorists who were steering their Fords through the gorge on the Columbia River Highway, completed in 1915. It is an elegant, antique-filled hotel, famous for its filling, five-course farm breakfast.

A popular event downtown is First Friday, when the shops stay open late to showcase work of local artists and musicians. Among them is a fine bookstore, the Waucoma; a large cookware shop called Annz Panz; and numerous coffee bars, jewelers and galleries. In addition, there are lots and lots of stores selling or renting athletic equipment.

Those needing a mountain bike can choose from four shops. There are even more for windsurfers, whose names (Storm Warning, Second Wind, Big Winds, Windance, Windwing, Windwear, Airtime, Shred Threads) reflect the reverence for the wind that roars down the river like a locomotive.

In the old days, local residents didn't think that much about the wind. It was just something that gave the occasional VW Bug driver an unexpected thrill. Now, more Hood River denizens recognize the roar of the wind as the sound of their community being revitalized.

The derisive jokes about boardheads have stopped, too, as more orchardists have taken up the sport. At Flerchinger Vineyards, visitors to the tasting room can even raise a glass of Bordheauxd Red.


















A picturesque place to play in the snow, ride the wind or pick some fruit.

Getting There

Hood River is an hour's drive east of Portland along the spectacular Columbia River Gorge on Interstate 84.You can also take the slower scenic route partway, along a 24-mile stretch of the historic Columbia River Highway (Route 30), from just east of Troutdale to a few miles after Multnomah Falls. For more information, including a list of festivals, call the Hood River County Chamber of Commerce, (800) 366-3530, or see www.hoodriver.org.

Where to Stay

The Columbia Gorge Hotel, 4000 Westcliff Drive, (800) 345-1921, fax (541) 386-9141, www.ColumbiaGorgeHotel.com, was built in 1921. This elegant Spanish-style hotel has 40 rooms and beautiful gardens overlooking the river.

The Hood River Hotel, 102 Oak Street, (800) 386-1859, fax (541) 386-6090, www .HoodRiverHotel.com, is a charming, European-style hotel with a fine restaurant, Pasquale's. The 41 rooms are furnished with antique reproductions.

Beryl House Bed and Breakfast, 4079 Barrett Drive, (541) 386-5567, fax (541) 387-8833, www.berylhouse.com, is a 1906 farmhouse four miles south of downtown surrounded by a working pear orchard. There are four guest rooms and two shared baths.

Where to Eat

Sixth Street Bistro and Loft, 509 Cascade Avenue, (541) 386-5737, serves lunch and dinner daily in the pub upstairs or in the intimate dining room downstairs. Among the offerings are ribeye steak with garlic mashed potatoes and sautéed kale.

Abruzzo Italian Grill, 1810 West Cascade Avenue, (541) 386-7779, offers dinner Tuesday through Saturday. On the menu are fresh grilled halibut over morel mushrooms and farro topped with organic arugula and white truffle oil.

Brian's Pourhouse, 606 Oak Street, (541)-387-4344, www.brianspourhouse.com, offers lunch and dinner daily, and Sunday brunch. Dinner choices include gorgonzola-stuffed pork loin with apple brandy sauce and potato pancakes.

North Oak Brasserie, 113 Third Street, (541)387-2310, serves dinner daily and lunch on weekdays in a basement bistro. The menu includes things like potato gnocchi with bacon and fontina cheese.

Stonehedge Gardens, 3405 Cascade Avenue, (541) 386-3940, has dinner daily in an 1898 home with cobblestone terraces. A specialty is seared ahi tuna with wasabi crème fraîche.

What to See and Do

At Panorama Point, visitors can see the finest views of beautiful forests, scenic Mt. Hood, and the fruit orchards of the Hood River Valley. Located just 1 mile south of Hood River on Eastside Rd off Highway 35, it is part of the Mt. Hood Loop tour.

The Mt. Hood Loop tour winds around the foot of Mt. Hood, over streams, through thickly wooded forests, and along the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area past many waterfalls including Multnomah Falls. This two-hour tour will give you a taste of the recreational opportunities available in the Hood River area.

The Hood River Fruit Loop passes by 25 member orchards, farm stands, bakeries and vineyards in and around Hood River. Information: (541) 386-7697, fax (541) 386-7315, or www.hoodriverfruitloop.com.

Lavender Farms, an encounter that will delight your senses! Over 70 varieties of different colors and aromas available for U-PICK—all certified organic! Enjoy magnificent views of Mt. Adams, Mt. Hood, and the Hood River Valley. Pick your own bouquet and take home some of their Fine Lavender Oil, shop the store for dozens of handcrafted items, lavender plants, and honey. Located on the Fruit Loop at 3801 Straight Hill Road, (541) 354-9917 or www.hoodriverlavender.com.

International Museum of Carousel Art, 304 Oak Street, (541) 387-4622, www.carouselmuseum.com is open Wednesday to Sunday afternoons. Admission: $5.

Mount Hood Railroad, 110 Railroad Avenue, (800) 872-4661, www.mthoodrr.com, offers a four-hour excursion from March to the week before Christmas. There are also dinner and brunch trips. Trains leave daily except Monday and Tuesday at 10 a.m., with a second run at 3 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.

Full Sail Brewing Company, a nationally acclaimed independent brewery located at 506 Columbia Street, (541) 386-2281, www.fullsailbrewing.com, offers 20-minute tours hourly, noon to 5 p.m. Its pub is open daily noon to 9 p.m.


Cathedral Ridge Winery (2007 Oregon Winery of the Year)
4200 Post Canyon Dr, Hood River, OR - (800) 516-8710
www.cathedralridgewinery

Pheasant Valley Winery
3890 Acree Dr, Hood River, OR - (541) 387-3040
www.pheasantvalleywinery

Quenett Winery
111 Oak St, Hood River, OR - (541) 386-2229
www.quenett.com

Hood River Vineyards
4693 Westwood Dr, Hood River, OR - (541) 386-3772
www.hoodrivervineyards.us

Naked Winery
102 2nd St, Hood River, OR - (541) 386-3700
www.nakedwinery.com

WY'East Vineyards
3189 Highway 35, Hood River, OR - (541) 386-1277
www.wyeastvineyards.com

Phelps Creek Vineyard
1850 Country Club Rd, Hood River, OR - (541) 386-2607
www.phelpscreekvineyards.com

Mt Hood Winery
2265 Highway 35, Hood River, OR - (541) 386-8333
www.mthoodwinery.com

Pheasant Valley Winery
3890 Acree Dr, Hood River, OR - (541) 387-3040
pheasantvalleywinery.com


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We hope this gives you some idea of the good life in Hood River.



Please come and visit us,
Tom & Pennie