Wining the Oregon way

Dayton, OR Oct 17 thru Oct 21, 2012

Happy Birthday Andrew - my baby is 19 today OMG.

We arrived to Oregon's Willamette Valley (rhymes with Dammit)  wine country on a beautiful day looking forward to experiencing Pinot land.    We stayed in the Willamette Wine Country RV resort which had nice big pull-thru sites.  It was situated adjacent to a piece of farmland which turned into doggie heaven.  All of the permanent residents would go out to play fetch at the same time so Zoe and Calcite made a bunch of new friends Oliver the Mastiff, Bizzie, Buddy, and Sadie all lab mixes.  We have found that we encounter so many different people along our journey, but we don't know their names so Peg and I always come up with our own fun nicknames...

Hitch Guys - taught us to back up an inch to release pressure before pulling release lever (life-saver)
Mr Trade In - his RV broke down on the road so he traded it on a brand new Fleetwood on the road
No Help Men - who tried and failed to help me back in to a tight spot in Newport
Ladies Man - who made us turn off our tv at 10:05
Grocery Girls - where we shopped every day in Graeagle (see you tomorrow)
I'm not a retired science teacher - when Peg was discussing gas mileage
Ferret Man - guy who was travelling with two ferrets and was very distressed that the showers were closed
The Creeper - had a pit bull tied up outstide his trailer and a scowl at all times
Pink girl who turned into guns and ammo - her license plate said "got ammo" and her husband's said "got guns" - nice
Oliver's mom - a permanent resident who disappeared in the night - weird

I had no idea how beautiful the Oregon wine country is; rolling hills of vineyards in every direction reminded us of Italy on several occasions.  We started at the Domaine Serene vineyard which was a vendor for Serendipity (my old employer).  It was up on a hill in the middle of the vineyard with a view of the whole valley.  We came in the middle of harvest which was really fun.  We were able to taste chardonnay grapes right off the vine and watch them pressing, and processing.  Tara at Domaine Serene gave us the professional courtesy of a free tasting which was really nice.  The wines of course were fabulous.  Tara also gave us recommendations for several other wineries to visit which was great because there are over 400 to choose from - who could decide!  Our next stop was Stoller vineyards which Peg wanted to see because the tasting room was built from re-milled douglas fir beams from an old barn.  It was fabulous (the word of the day).  The tasting room had a great view of Mt Hood too.  These wines were also delicious and we tasted Riesling grapes on the vine.  We then headed to Bella Vida winery which was perched at the top of a crazy gravel road, but the view was worth it.  That was enough tasting for one day.  Luckily that was the only sunny day we had so glad to have been able to take advantage of the views. 

On the last day we went to Seufert winery in the town of Dayton with a free tasting card I received in the office with the promise to report back.  When we drove up it appeared to be a dilapidated building with dark red drapes in the windows across from city hall in the barrio.  Peg said "I don't think so".  But I had promised to report back so we drove around the block parked and held our breath as we went in.  It was the barrel room of a working winery and was amazing.  We met the owner/winemaker, his wife and new baby Sophia (adorable), watched them process grapes and he taught us how he simulates the ice for ice wine.  So fun.  We tasted at least 12 wines, mostly Pinot Noir's and received a lesson on soil and the geology for the entire region.  We also tasted Pinot Gris grapes on the vine - which were purple who knew.  Needless to say, the best stop ever!  We even got a promise for travel help in New York when we get there.  We would have joined their wine club if we had an address!

Coming soon... Mt St Helens, Issaquah and then who knows!

                                                                  Stoller Vineyards
 

                                                               Bella Vida Vineyards

Raining, Raining, Raining

Eugene, OR Oct 13 - Oct 17, 2012

Our days in Eugene were filled with rain so we used the time to catch up on some business.  Peg added a sheet of plexiglass to our screen door so that the cats can look out, but won't ruin the screen with their claws!  We finally got the correct cable so we could download our shows and watch them on our TV.  We also caught up on our banking... I would like to send a shout out to Carol Nex who has stepped up and become our full-time administrative assistant - Thank you Carol!  We can't tell you enough how much we appreciate all of your help with our mail and banking!  You are the best! 

Although the weather didn't cooperate, the campground we stayed at was beautiful.  It was on the Willamette River and was very wooded.  We stayed in the back and had a really private site.  The cats even loved it.  It turns out there really wasn't much to do in Eugene anyway.  We started giving Zoe a baby aspirin every day thanks to the advice of man angel Mikah we met in Crater Lake and she has steadily improved every day!  Thank you Mikah.

I thought I would use today's blog to share the top 10 things we have learned about our new home in our first two months on the road...

1)  Sunibat is 57' long, 12' high, 8' wide and weighs 17,000 lbs!  In other words she is HUGE!
2)  We have two 7.5 gal propane tanks - You wouldn't believe how long it took us to figure this out.
3)  The generator will only run 11 hours on one propane tank - only about two days worth
4)  Our fresh water tank only lasts four days with minimal showering
5)  The battery is only for back-up not actually usage
6)  Full hook-ups are golden and worth every penny - self-contained not a money saver.
7)  Cell-phones do not work everywhere so neither does the internet
8)  Miciou gets out whenever she wants to but always comes home eventually.
9)  RV parks lie - Wifi and cable rarely work
10)  Ice is very expensive! Ice maker has paid for itself especially since Peg is an ice hog.

This is not to mention all of the things we have learned along the journey.... Canadian geese start migrating at the end of Sept, volcanos are phenominal; Oregon is absolutely beautiful; labradors never get enough chuck it; everyone has at least one butthole (we have seen dogs, cats, rabbits and even ferrets); lots of people live in their RV's and last but defnitely not least - We really miss all of our friends and family!

Coming soon...
Willamette Valley Wine Country, Mt. St. Helens WA, Issaquah, WA to visit my high school friend Suzanne

Armitage campsite.

p.s.  Peg wants me to tell everyone that if you want to post a comment you have to use the link http://bairnhess.blogspot.com/ and there should be a spot at the bottom of each post that allows you to post a comment. 

Rolling, Rolling, Rolling...

Bend, OR - Oct 8 thru Oct 13

It was an easy drive from Prospect up to Bend and we were excited to see all of the things our new friend Jim from Crater Lake RV told us to go see.  We found a beautiful RV Park on the outskirts of Bend which was a little above budget, but super nice.  We got a site in the back corner with grass all around a perfect place for chuck it with Calcite.

Our first stop was the High Desert Museum which was fantastic.  Lots of live animals, really more a zoo than a museum.  We watched a presentation on raptors which was really great and we got to see two Bald Eagles (which spoke to us), a Golden Eagle, a Great Horned Owl and a Barn Owl along with lots of snakes, lizards, turtles and fish.  A rattlesnake took a liking to Peg and slithered over to the glass to try to smell her, it was eerie.  The next day was a little bit of a bust; we did drive the Cascade Lakes Scenic byway which was gorgeous with views of Mt Bachelor and the tons - and I do mean tons of lava fields.  We then went to the Lava Lands Visitor center to find it closed for the season along with the Lava River cave which was one of the reasons we came to Bend darn it.  We thought we would end the day with a beautiful Bend "baptismal" hike to Tumalo Falls, a 97' waterfall surrounded by forests and cliffs.  But the road was closed for construction!  We headed home for cocktails which went according to plan.

The next day we started at the Bend Visitor center to get our Bend Ale Trail maps and passports and we found out that we could still get into the Lava Lands at Lava Butte, but not the caves. So Peg missed Oregon's longest lava tube.  Lava Butte was fantastic!  They had information all along a 1+ mile hike through the actual lava field.  Amazing doesn't quite cut it.  "Hey Bair, how much lava comes out of one cinder cone?"  This one had 8 miles covered with up to 100ft of lava!  This is enough basalt rock to pave a four-lane highway around the earth six times!  Did I say Amazing?  We then took a short hike up to Benham falls which was created from the lava butte eruption when it hit the Deschutes river.  This was Zoe's first hike in almost two months!  Then it was time to hit the Bend Ale Trail.  We only made it to four of the 9 breweries:  Deschutes, Silver Moon, Old St; Francis and Bend Brewing Co.  The beers were delicious and the breweries were all very different and fun.  The bartender at the Deschutes brewery told us about an Obsidian field in Newberry National park that we decided we couldn't miss so we extended our stay by one more day.  This was another huge lava field from another cinder cone from the same volcano only it was different chemical composition (73% silicon dioxide) so the field was made up of Obsidian (black lava glass), and pumice.  Obsidian is very rare because it only forms when the hot lava cools almost immediately forming the glass.  Thanks Bair for the science lesson.  We then went to Volcano vineyards for a wine tasting!  Very fun and delicious.

Lava Butte and Basalt Lava Field

April on the trail through the Lava Field

April and Zoe hiking to Benham Falls - Yeah Zoe!

Deschutes Brewery!

It is getting colder and colder every day.  Not sure how far North we are going to make it.

Coming soon...
Eugene, Willamette Valley Wine Country and the Washington Coast.

Oregon at last

Prospect, OR Oct 1 – 7, 2012

We finally made it out of California, it seems it is as hard to get out of as Texas.  We are staying in a fabulous RV park in a little town called Prospect which is 30 miles south of Crater Lake.  The couple that own the park (Pam and Jim) gave us tons of maps and things to do in the area and we had a great time.  The park is on the Rogue River which is definitely the most beautiful river we have ever seen.  There is a great swimming hole for Calcite and Zoe has even enjoyed the walk to it through the forest.  This entire area is made up of volcanic lava tubes and basalt mountains.  Peg is in science teacher heaven.  We drove the Crater Lake rim drive which is 33 miles around the top of the caldera that forms Crater Lake.  It is magnificent.  We have hiked to several of the waterfalls in the area, all uniquely beautiful:  Mill Creek Falls, Barr Creek Falls, Toketee Falls, Watson Falls, and Fall Creek Falls.  We have also hiked to and seen Rogue River Gorge, Natural Bridge, Avenue of the Giant Boulders, Mt Thielson, Mott Bridge, the colliding rivers and several geological formations.  Yesterday we rode our bikes around Diamond Lake – what a great ride.  Oregon is a beautiful place with dense, lush forests with moss covered boulders and rivers everywhere.  There is evidence of volcanic activity everywhere… lava tubes, columnar basalt, pumice ash it is truly remarkable.  Oregon knows how to do their state parks!  All of the maps have been perfect and all of the trails clearly marked!  We haven’t been lost once!  California could learn a few things.

We finally feel like relaxed, happy, retired people.  We are enjoying our days and seeing beautiful things.  It has taken a while, but I think we can do this!

Zoe Update – She has been up and down over the last couple of weeks, but I am happy to report that she is eating two normal meals a day and has gotten some of her old spunk back.  She is still very weak and super thin, but we are hopeful and thankful for the improvement.  

Coming soon… Bend, Eugene and Willemette Valley

Crater Lake - this picture doesn't do it justice.

Ave of the Giant Boulders and these were the small ones

Toketee falls with columnar basalt

 

                                                                              Rogue River - crystal clear.

Thanks Jon!

Mt. Shasta Sept 27 – 30, 2012

Thanks to our good friend Jon Zieve we added this beautiful mountain to our itinerary.  Shasta is a quiet little town that sits at the base of the mountain.  We drove up the scenic road as far as we could up the mountain, what a view.  Mt Shasta is one of the 7 most spiritual mountains in the world and there were lots of people having fun ceremonies at the top… building rock altars, spreading rose pedals etc.  We also went to the Mt Shasta museum and learned about lenticular clouds which look like big UFO’s over the top of the mountain – they were fascinating.  In the evening we decided to treat ourselves with the Mt Shasta Brewery!  Great beers made with Shasta spring water and great people.  On Sunday we drove to Lake Shasta and took a tour of the Shasta caverns.  It was fun because it included a boat ride on the lake, but the caverns were not spectacular. 

Mount Shasta - those are glaciers not snow.

Shasta Brewery Sampler Yum!