Hood River, a Day of Exploration

When is the last time you spent a Saturday committed to exploring a nearby quaint town in which you live?  A day you surrender to a typical Saturday of running around and catching up on the things that you fell behind on during the week? A day you spent with your family and enjoyed healthy conversation over a light lunch? Today, I did all of these in the wind surfing capitol of the world, Hood River, Oregon.

In just over two short hours, my husband and I arrived. On the way, we took a leisurely drive along Washington’s Columbia River Gorge. In my opinion, it is one of the most wondrous picturesque scenic byways in Washington.  Located just off this scenic byway is home to Columbia-Crest winery. In 2009, Wine Spectator awarded their 95 point Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon as the #1 Wine of the Year in their annual Top 100 wines of the year edition, a first ever for Washington. If you continue down Highway 14, you will be greeted with Washington’s 2009 winery of the year, Maryhill. This winery has everything going for it, sweeping views overlooking the Columbia River Gorge, stunning sunsets and great wine. In the summer, Maryhill also offers a concert series. I personally attended one last summer and would highly recommend it.

Prior to any trip, I always do a little homework. I want to know what the town is known for, what activities are available and where can I eat. Hood River has so much to offer that you could visit seasonally and each experience would be unique and different from the other. Today, I was on a mission to explore local restaurants. One thing that draws me to Hood River is their focus to promote healthy & sustainable cuisine. They do this by supporting local farmers and buy naturally raised products and organic when available. Hood River itself is known for their 14,000 plus acres of commercial pear, apple, cherry and peach orchards. An interesting fact, Hood River leads the world in Anjou pear production and 50% of the nation’s winter pear crop comes from there as well.

Today, I found three restaurants that were on my wish list. All three buy from local farmers and ranchers and display their affiliates on their menus. Everything you eat, you know where it comes from, you know that it is fresh and you know that it is of high quality.  The first restaurant on my list was Nora’s Table. They are only open for dinner so, I am going to have to save it for a different visit. I did stop by and look in the window. It seemed to be small but cozy. All the tables were dressed with white table linens and fully set. The second restaurant, Celilo appears to be fine dining at its best. The restaurant is large, modern and full of local art-work. Celilo is also the co-founder of Sixth Street Bistro, the restaurant I went to today. I wanted to experience a casual place where the locals like to go. Sixth Street Bistro was located in an old house and has been in business for over 10 years. The atmosphere was casual. The food was super fresh and full of flavor. I had Thai beef satay in a red curry sauce. My husband had an Anjou pear and walnut salad. Both had great presentation, particularly my dish.




Beef Satay with Red Curry Sauce

 

  






Anjou Pear & Walnut Salad

 

  

I had such a great day experiencing Hood River. In addition to my restaurant focus, my husband brought his mountain bike to be adjusted at a local bike shop, we walked the streets of historic downtown and browsed through local shops. It’s hard to imagine you can do all of this in one day and still make it home by 5pm. 

Backyard I came across during my travels




Historic Downtown


 

Naked Winery-A fun wine tasting experience




Environmentally friendly brewery



 I hope this post has inspired you to get out and be adventurous, seek out something new and don’t take life’s simplest things for granted. Some of the best conversation I have with my husband is on days like this. Our minds are clear and our thoughts are fresh. If you have any new experiences to share, I would love to hear you comments. Remember, some of your best travel experiences are within a day’s drive.

Happy Trails!

P.S. Celilo is offering cooking classes if anyone is interested.