March 16, 2010 · 2:48 pm

Oregon vino

On our prettiest weather day yet of this trip (at last!) we loaded up on goodies from Medford’s Harry and David store (kind of charmless but found some good satsumas) and Central Point’s Rogue Creamery (full of charm and pricey locally made cheese – we got the Crater Lake Blue) and drive a few miles away to the small historic town of Jacksonville, which has a two-or-three block main drag lined with old western brick and wood frame buildings that are all on the National Register of Historic Places. Also walked up a hill to the old cemetery which was worth a wonder, with its unapologetic segregation. At one point D and I found an area with one sign “Jewish” with an arrow pointing one direction and the another sign “Catholic” with an arrow pointing the opposite direction. (Maybe he and I could have been buried side by side on the border between. Does Make one wonder if, with all the cremation, there will be graveyards for our generation that serve – as these old ones do – as a historical record of sorts.

We had a picnic in the tiny city park, fell asleep on the thick green grass in the sun (yes!) and set off w/D’s sister on highway 238 into a green valley with vineyards and trees blooming with pink, white and fuscia blossoms, surrounded by blue-grey mountains  – this is the Applegate Valley wine trail and folks say it’s what Sonoma used to be 30-40 years ago, with about 18 wineries. We stopped at three that had very different characters (and probably wine although I’m no expert.) Fiasco Winery (upscale; we bought a bottle of fig balsamic vinegar and learned that to use it with salad, skip the oil), Devitt winery (not upscale but this is where we bought our wine – called Precipice.) and Troon Vineyard, with very elegant tasting room and grounds filled with perfectly placed picnic tables. Definitely worth of visit, even if – like me – you’re not a wine drinker.

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March 15, 2010 · 4:28 pm

Crater Lake and hip-hop Hamlet

I didn’t think we’d be able to visit Crater Lake  – which graces the cover of many an Oregon tourism brochure – because it’s snow season but we made it there, about 1.5 hours north of Medford, with no problem. The last half hour or so of the trip was like riding through a bobsled run – with 10 to 15 feet walls of snow lining the two-lane road, but the road itself was largely clear of snow and ice. Crater Lake was, as expected, stunning – very still and quiet in the winter sun and just a handful of visitors braving the thick snow. We walked for a little bit on a trail blazed by cross-country skiers – which in addition to snow shoes is the way to go there this time of year. Every few footsteps one of us would suddenly sink a foot or so into the deep, deep snow.  There are daily free ranger-led snow shoe tours (snow shoes provided) – next time!

On the way back, we stopped in a little town near the Rogue River Gorge (which is more like the Ithaca gorges than the Columbia River Gorge) for a late lunch at Beckies’ – an old dark wood roadside place that is the only restaurant or biz for miles, or so it seemed. Good hearty fare – beef stew, blt, very berry homemade pie.

At night, we went to see a modern-day version of Hamlet performed by the Oregon Shakespeare Festival – some definitely strange elements: The King communicated with Hamlet in sign language, Rosencrantz and Guildenstern were women, the players (“the play’s the thing wherein I’ll catch  the conscience of the king” or some such) were hip hop performers. But I thought it worked and the actor playing Hamlet managed to make some of his almost-too-famous lines sound fresh, which is quite a feat. Very nice theater – very intimate, sort of theater in the round and we were in the third row for $36 per tix bought at the last minute. Place was packed too.

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March 14, 2010 · 5:27 pm

In and around: Ashland, Ore

We awoke for the first time of our trip to sunshine – and took full advantage of it, driving first to Central Point to sample some of the local food delights – cheese at Rogue Creamery and chocolate Lillie Belle Farms. Yum. Then onto the pretty tourist town of Ashland, home of the Oregon Shakespeare Festival (where we picked up tix for tonight’s performance of Hamlet.) Charming town with lots of small Victorian houses lining hilly side streets and a healthy main drag with lots of nice shops and restaurants, some surprisingly affordable. Stopped for coffee at an alternative hang out – Eco. Then had very good very light Asian food at Sesame, eating outside in the sunshine. Life is good.

At night, we went to a slide show/lecture in a local high school given by a photo journalist who specializes in Afghanistan and Pakistan – pretty sobering sights of demolished villages, American soldiers, local children but also of the promising schools opened by the Three Cups of Tea guy (the book is Jackson County’s community read book.)

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March 13, 2010 · 6:19 pm

Oregon is gorge-ous

I’m a bit of a gorge snob after all the time I’ve spent in New York State’s Finger Lakes but the Columbia River Gorge, just east of Portland is nothing to sneeze at. The waterfalls are very different from the ones around Ithaca (see the photo above) but just as spectacular in a different way. I think it may have to do with the scale. The waterfalls we saw yesterday during our drive along the old scenic highway30 were very high and a straight shot down, unlike the Ithaca waterfalls which meander, with the water spreading out across a wide rock face. The Oregon falls were very powerful, thanks to the snow melt and spring rain, kind of the effect you’d get draping a hose over a high mountain and turning the water on full force.  At Multnomah Falls and several smaller falls en route, the water came crashing directly downward with furious force, hitting the rocks and pool below with a steady crash that caused water and mist to shoot up.

It’s a sight I wasn’t sure we’d have time to see but I’m glad that rainy weather forced us to take to the car sooner than expected so we had some time to travel along that charming old highway, past heavily moss-coated trees – kind of looked like a green version of andora, or whatever that mythical land is in Avatar. There were surprises along the way including an old observatory with gorgeous marbled stain glass windows and a glorious view of the Columbia River gorge. We ate mediocre – as expected – food at the charming Multnomah Falls Lodge, in a high-ceilinged dining room with walls made of giant rough-hewn grey stones. We made it as far as Stevenson, Wash., crossing over the very cool steel Bridge of Gods spanning the river, and  had hot chocolate at a funky little coffee shop – Bahma Coffee Bar.

Our four-and-a-half hour drive south on Highway 5 to Medford turned into a white-knuckle journey about midway when we hit rain and then, all of a sudden, snow flurries as we drove through high curving mountain passes – we for some reason didn’t realize we’d be driving through mountains. Googlemaps doesn’t really fill you in on the topography – or maybe it does and we didn’t think to ask. But during our trip west to the coast, we’ll definitely have to take the mountains into account. And travel by day not eve.

Dirck’s sister D. lives in a lovely 1920’s bungalow on a quiet residential street – with hammocks on the front porch and a beautiful red-and-white camellia tree (bush?) in the yard. The sky is a flawless blue for the first time during our trip and the grass is so green it looks like the set of the movie “Blue Velvet.” A sight for sore eyes coming from grey snowy/muddy Iowa!

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March 12, 2010 · 4:42 pm

Portland: in the rain

W e shouldn’t be surprised that it’s raining here but what is surprising is that people seemed so pleased about it. As one young hip saleswoman at one of the endless young hip design stores in this southwest Portland neighborhood told me, they need rain after a long stretch of surprisingly sunny weather. (Just our luck.) We’d be better equipped to take the rain in stride if we both didn’t have bad colds that we’re still trying to get over. Walking in cold rain probably isn’t the way to do that.

But we did some walking yesterday because this city is irresistable and we found the Pearl District only a short walk away and, as advertised, full of interesting shops, architecture, restaurants, brewpubs, coffee houses and people.

We dutifully stopped at Powell’s Books which was so  big it was overwhelming. The cashier pointed us to a good brewpub nearby, Deschutes which was packed with a happy Happy Hour crowd – a big open place with lots of wood and woodcut landscapes. Later we had dinner at Clyde Common in the trendy Ace Hotel, sharing a table – as is the custom there – with what turned out to be a friendly group of 7 people. I sat next to Mike, originally from Vancouver but now living in Bend, who appeared to be a successful, albeit modest, graphic designer with accounts like Nike.  We got friendly enough that he dunked his bread in the broth of my main course to give it a try – although I didn’t dare stick my fork in his bowl of lamb and some sort of grain. The food was good – very one-of-a-kind (ex: olive-oil marinated octopus with frisee, fingerlings potatoes, chorizo in a “squid ink vinaigrette” Yum) and the place had a not-irritating alternative vibe.

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March 11, 2010 · 11:40 pm

Portland at last

We managed to leave foggy,rainy  Des Moines on time and arrived in rainy but not foggy Portland a little early. And there are blossoms here – pink, white, purple branches on the trees and green grass. So nice to see.  The light rail – as advertised – was easy to find and use and took us within blocks of our hotel, a little boutique place called Hotel DeLuxe that has an old hollywood theme with black and white photos of old movie stars (Rita hayworth in the lobby; Marlene Dietrich, we think, above our bed. Our Emma, a movie buff,,  would love this place.,) Hotel staff couldn’t be friendlier and upgraded us to a suite that’s most comfortable, with plush mustard and green colored art deco-ish couch and arm chair.  So after a short rest,we’ll don our raincoats and hit the town. Yipee!

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March 9, 2010 · 10:05 pm

Portland dining indecision

Two days until we leave for Portland and I still have settled on where to eat – there are just too many options. And I just read about yet another one in the Sunday NYT travel section – a Thai restaurant and bar with the unlikely name of Whiskey Soda Lounge (doesn’t that just scream “THAI FOOD”?) that is a spin-off another Thai restaurant across the street that was on my list: Pok Pok. The Lounge serves something I don’t believe I’ve eaten – “Thai pub snacks” which are basically small plates of  things like garlicky frogs legs (no thank you) and dried shrimp salad on a betel leaf (maybe). Since drinks appear to be as important as the food here I may skip – since I”m not much of a drinker (let alone a drinker of anything made with “honey-flavored drinking vinegar.” One thing I have noticed is that few of the restaurants I’m interested in seem to take reservations – don’t know what this means for a Thursday night dinner, not to mention a Friday or Saturday night.

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March 4, 2010 · 10:29 pm

Cleveland: takemewithyou

For my neighbors who are heading to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (BRUCE!!!) over spring break, here are a few finds in Cleveland:

– West Side Market (1979 West 25th Street; 216-664-3387; www.westsidemarket.com) – cavernous old indoor market made of yellow brick (as I recall) and dozens of stands selling good stuff – meat, cheese, middle eastern food, sweets. It’s not  THAT far from the RR Hall of Fame, downtown. It’s a National Historic Landmark to boot.

– Guarino’s, an old-fashioned southern Italian restaurant in Cleveland’s little Italy – There are hipper places but nothing older, apparently. This is Cleveland’s oldest restaurant – opened in 1918 – and has an old world feel, and a mean red-sauce. http://www.guarinoscleveland.com/

– Little Italy isn’t far from Case Western, which we visited briefly to see the Frank Gehry building on campus. (also worth a drive by.)

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February 26, 2010 · 9:00 pm

Art along the Iowa interstates

Inspired by the fantastic new mural we stumbled upon inside a welcome center along Interstate 35 in northern Missouri last December, I started looking into efforts by other states to spruce up their highway pit stops with art. And lo and behold, I find out from several knowledgeable sources that the great state of Iowa – where I live – has one of the more impressive programs.

Which means an estimated 17 million people who stop at an Iowa rest areas each year may be in for a treat – if they stop at the right one. Thirteen rest areas or welcome centers – most along I-80 and I-35 – have been  redesigned as part of Iowa’s “art-in-transit” program to include site-specific, regionally-themed art projects during the past 10 years – the latest in 2009 and more to come. Iowa has even printed “rest area posters.” For more info see: (www.iowadot.gov/maintenance/restareaposters.html)

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February 24, 2010 · 11:08 pm

Unplugged on the Oregon Coast

Oops.  For anyone who was enticed by the title of this post and found it empty, I apologize.  A friend called just as I was starting to blog and I inadvertently pressed the “Publish” key rather than the “Save draft” key.  As it turns out, my friend was calling for some advice on starting a blog. (Not sure I’m the best source on that…)

Anyway…we are heading to a quaint inn in Newport, Oregon next month that is unapologetically unplugged – no radios, tvs, or phones. (There is apparently one public phone in case of emergency). Instead there are books, conversation, and really good food. All of which sounds very appealing to me – except that I do need to blog (God forbid you all go without my daily post) and I also need to be on call should my two teenagers – who won’t be with us (one will be in Spain, the other in Arizona) – need to reach us. So we’ll see how this works. Or doesn’t work.

I have never been one of those people who had to be plugged-in during a trip. Sure I need to be accessible to editors I’m working with on various projects and I am by cell phone.  But part of vacationing for me has been about NOT having to check my email constantly and NOT having to drag all my word files. Alas, this seems to be changing – in part because of this blog and also because new technology (like my new Netbook, I hope) makes being plugged in while on the road easier and even cheaper. Again, we shall see.

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