Oregon: May 2013, Days 1 & 2

The last time I saw my son Cory and his girlfriend Molly was at Christmas when they came to New York.  One of the opportunities of retirement is the ability to travel on a whim.  With that in mind, I decided to fly out and visit them during the first week in May.  Since I would be flying, I would have to travel solo.  My trusty Golden Retriever travel companion, Zoey, would have to stay home with her "cousin" Bailey Sipher at Justin and Amy's place.

Zoey with her "cousin" Bailey Sipher

I flew out on Wednesday, May 1st.  The trip was uneventful.  I took a flight from Syracuse to Chicago.  After a two hour layover in Chicago (which is a good thing because I had to walk a mile from one gate to the next) I had a four hour flight to Portland, Oregon.  The planes were full, cramped and crowded.  But I guess thats the tradeoff to have the ability to eat breakfast in Syracuse and have lunch in Oregon.  I always choose window seats, and the view coming into Portland was stunning.  The final leg of the flight paralleled the Columbia River Gorge and off to the north in the state of Washington, Mount Rainier and Mount Adams were covered in brilliant white snow.  I tried to take a picture, but the quality of the photo wouldn't due justice to the view.  I did find a link on the web of someone who did capture the scene from an airplane.  I rented a car in Portland, and made the three hour drive to Cory's home in Roseburg.

Molly had to work Thursday, but Cory had the day off.  We and I decided to take a hike to the Callahans, a range of rock outcrops that is a favorite of local climbers.  In fact, both Cory and Molly climb here too.  The trail was a steep one, but the view from the top was worth it.

The Callahans rock outcrops as seen from the parking area.

View from the top.

Cory looking at some of the clear cut logging in the distance.

An example of the many climbing faces.

  We got back to the house about noon, and Molly texted that she could get the afternoon off.  We went to lunch, and then hit a couple of wineries for tastings.  The first was Rustle Vineyards.  Cory is a member, so the tastings were free, and the service was exquisite!  We tasted four wines, while sitting in an outdoor courtyard.  There were several groups of people tasting, but each group was served individually, and four different foods were served with each tasting.  Of course, the wine isn't exactly cheap.  Cory, as a member, could get a 20% discount, which softened the blow.  We bought several bottles in the $24 range.

Courtyard at Rustle Winery.

Enjoying a tasting with Molly.

Then we moved on to HillCrest Vineyards, the oldest Estate Vineyard in Oregon, and the birthplace of the first Pinot Noir in Oregon.  The winery only sells their wine out of their shop.  It cannot be bought in stores.   HillCrest is owned by the DeMara family, and the tasting was conducted by Mr. DeMara.  We were the only ones there at the time, so the tasting was long, informal, and very informative.  I even got to teach Mr. DeMara about maple syrup.  He had no idea how it was made, and in fact thought it came from the tree in the form of a liquid much like honey.  He offered to trade male syrup for wine next time I visited.  Molly is a member of HillCrest, so we got the 20% discount and bought a few bottles.  Again, it was not cheap.  I'm starting to learn that good craft wine costs a few bucks more than the mass produced generics.

We ended the day by grilling some steaks.  It was so warm and nice, that we ate outside on the deck.  Another hike and some more tastings tomorrow.  On Saturday we plan to drive to Bend, Oregon and spend a couple days exploring.  The weather forecast for the next few days is sunny and in the 80's.  Can't beat it!!  Stay tuned.......