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Day Two - On the Road with Oregon Bounty: Hidden in plain view

September 28, 2007

Day Two of “On the Road with Oregon Bounty” has made its way to the Mt. Hood/Columbia River Gorge region. Today, Greg takes you to a secret spot in the forest to hunt for the elusive wild huckleberry.
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I have a secret place that I visit only once a year, if that. Somewhere on the south side of Mt. Hood, well off the highway, down a dirt road and through a thicket of brambles and fallen trees, is my huckleberry patch. A hollow surrounded on all sides by protective bushes and middle age timber, you enter by stooping under a decomposing Douglas fir that lies across a dry creek bed. I’m sorry I can’t tell you exactly where, because then you might try to find it. Actually, some years my secret place is so good at disguising itself that even I have a hard time locating the front door.

When it comes to huckleberries, timing is everything. They can appear anytime in August and hang on for just a few weeks. Some years they’re still clinging to their wistful branches as late as the middle of September. The berries can be as small as a currant or as plump as a blueberry. Their skins vary from deep red to near black. Depending on the year, they can be in clumps that require only a gentle tug to send dozens cascading into your pail, or as sparse as a Charlie Brown Christmas tree. That is what makes a successful huckleberry hunt so satisfying.

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Day One - On the Road with Oregon Bounty (A Wine Snob Re-educated, Part II)

September 27, 2007

Today we begin our “On the Road with Oregon Bounty” journey in Portland, a place well known for its food and wine. I’ve hung around a lot of chefs and winemakers in my time, and have a pretty good handle on food and wine pairing. There are the basics: you can go for a complement (the earthiness of Pinot noir goes great with mushrooms) or a contrast (a sweet wine to balance a salty dish), etc. Go a little deeper, and you realize the red-with-red-meat/white-with-fish dogma is rather constraining if not downright boring.

Food and beer pairing? Now that’s another story… one that requires me to digress. You see, beer and I go way back, to my teen years.

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We're Hitting the Road for Oregon Bounty tomorrow...

September 26, 2007

We’re running around, busily making last minute preparations for our annual Oregon Bounty Celebration that kicks off tomorrow! Oregon Bounty is a two-month (October 1 thru November 30) event that invites you to head out and meet local brewmasters, winemakers, innkeepers, farmers and chefs as you taste your way around the state. It’s going to be one big culinary party!

Check our blog for daily updates from the road as we embark on a tasty seven days road trip through Oregon’s seven different regions, meet interesting people in the culinary world, and produce a video diary of your adventures.

And if you're curious about the seriously appetizing food scene in Oregon, read today's New York Times article, In Portland, a Golden Age of Dining and Drinking that explains why chefs flock to a city where "food is the star, produce is stellar and real estate is cheap."

~Cheers!

Old McDonald Had Some Chefs, E-i-e-i-o

September 24, 2007

If music be the food of love, play on! If you've been surfing the Travel Oregon site or perhaps any major travel or food site over the past few weeks, you might have noticed our offbeat ads for Oregon Bounty promoted via the "musical banners" representing the Oregon Bounty Music Department (see sample below).

We've taken some old classics (remember “Old McDonald” or "99 bottles"?) and given them a modern-day, Oregon spin--all in the name of Oregon Bounty. Check out our music department, download the tunes as ring tones or just send us some of your own lyrics!

Jim from Seattle sent us these lyrics this morning...sing to the tune of foodies rejoice (click on the banner to play the music)

Come on out to our fair,
It's more fun when your there,
Breathe some Oregon air...
Yea were willing to share,
Go on rides where you spin in a chair or could win a big ol teddy bear, It's all in Oregon.

Travel Oregon dot com,
It's part of my song,
No it's not all that long...
But the message is strong,
No you cant go wrong when you visit Travel Oregon dot com, Do do doot do do do.

Send us your verses....and you might get your very own Travel Oregon t-shirt! (Jim's getting one!)

Rose Festival Named Best in the World!

September 21, 2007

We're excited to wake up this morning and hear that the Portland Rose Festival was declared "Best in the World" by the International Festivals & Events Association (IFEA). The festival took the most awards in its history, with 30 total accolades for separate events, programs and features including the coveted Grand Pinnacle Award.

This iconic Portland celebration takes over Waterfront Park for 18 days each day in June and recently celebrated its 100th year! The festival entices people from all over the world with such attractions as carnival rides, dragon boat races, queen's coronation, starlight parade and the Grand Floral Parade, one of the nation's top two all-floral parades. The Kentucky Derby Festival in Louisville, Kentucky took the next highest honor.

~Cheers to the Rose Festival from the Travel Oregon crew!

PICA's Time-Based Art Festival

September 20, 2007

Photo credit: Juniper Shuey
Featured: Zoe Scofield & company

By Ashley Moran

I have always been intrigued by the idea behind PICA’s Time-Based Art Festival, and was completely ecstatic when I found out I’d have the opportunity to check it out this year. I left my house in Salem at around 7 pm on Sunday night, and traveled up to Portland State University. Note: If you have never visited Portland State, keep in mind that the campus is set up differently than other state colleges (the campus buildings are spread out between local shops and restaurants). Also be sure to find out the name of the hall you are planning to visit before you arrive. I found this out the hard way, by getting lost and running six blocks in high heels to make it in time for the show. By the time I found Lincoln Hall, I’d had quite a nice tour of the PSU campus. Luckily, I made it in the nick of time.

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The Perfect Honeymoon- Hiking The Oregon Cascades

September 17, 2007

By Dawn Tryon

Only rabid hikers would consider taking to the trails to celebrate wedded bliss, but that’s what Brad and I did following our wedding a week ago, being the avid backpackers that we are!

After a small, sweet and simple wedding ceremony, we laced up our hiking boots, shouldered our backpacks and set off on our first adventure as a newly-married couple.

Our destination this time was near Olallie Lake, which is situated in the Oregon Cascades and lies between Mount Hood to the north and Mount Jefferson to the south. It’s a bit of a drive from Portland and involves paying attention to road signs from Hwy 213 (south of Estacada) – in fact the cut-off road isn’t signed- instead there’s a giant arrow painted onto the road pointing left, so keeping an eagle eye out is a good idea.

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Cycle Oregon from the Sidelines

September 14, 2007

By Michelle Westerberg

What do you do when two of your co-workers are involved in an approximate 450-mile cycling trek, camping at some of Oregon’s “hidden treasure” towns and soaking up all of the sun's rays possible, while burning major calories over a seven-day span? Well, you take a road-trip to visit them of course; and experience the 20th anniversary of Cycle Oregon from the sidelines.

A pair of us hit the road for Dorena Lake – a few miles outside of Cottage Grove and stop #4 on the Cycle Oregon adventure. Our goal: Find our fearless leader and Travel Oregon Chief Strategy Officer, Scott West and his partner in crime, Policy and Research Manager – with the emphasis on Policy – Jeff Hampton. The duo had been training for the event for the past several months and both were taking their first shot at riding Cycle Oregon.

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Kayaking The Siletz River

By Noreen Wineland

Standing on the dock of D Lake in Lincoln City, wishing we hadn’t left our jackets in the car, my niece and I couldn’t help but feel discouraged. Our plan was clearly falling apart. Being novice kayakers, we knew that we wouldn’t be able to paddle our way across the wind-whipped water, at least not while having fun. As a back-up plan, we decided to try the Siletz River. With some good advice from a nice gentleman at the Siletz Moorage just off Highway 101, we went up river about 14 miles. We found a great place to launch at Strome Park. Even this far up river, the tides influence the trip. We had noted the tide was out when we left 101 so we headed west toward the ocean to go against the incoming tide while we were still fresh.

Strome Park, in Lincoln County, provided a great place to park, use the facilities and launch the kayaks. The day was overcast but very warm (perfect weather as far as we were concerned). The boat launch provided easy access for the kayaks.

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An Adventure on Mt. Hood

September 7, 2007

By Jeff Hampton

Recently my family and I took a few days together in a cabin we rented on Mt. Hood. I’m not a “blog” guy, but we had such a fabulous time that I feel compelled to tell somebody. We decided that the kids (we have three of them) needed some time with big trees and cold water – it’s got to be a Northwest thing. The countdown to school starting and weather cooling off had begun and we figured that if we were going to do something as a family before Labor Day, we’d better do it right away. Our adventure took us just over an hour east of our home to the forests of Mt. Hood. We drove to the office of Mt. Hood Vacation Rentals in Rhododendron for a brief stop where they were expecting us, had keys ready, gave me driving directions, information on great local retail and restaurants and then sent us on our way. The cabin was easy to find, only about 3 miles from the office, but it felt “a world away”.

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It’s Oregon Bounty Time!

This October 1 through November 30, you’re invited to a huge, statewide celebration of all things culinary in Oregon. For two months there will be non-stop parties, events and festivals where you’ll get to meet local winemakers, sample original craft beer, taste wine perfectly paired with artisan cheese and other signature Oregon foods: chanterelles, truffles, hazelnuts, salmon, Dungeness crab…Is your mouth watering yet?

And it’s all just weeks away! To get in the spirit we hope you’ll tune in to The Oregon Bounty Music Department (right now we’re listening to a catchy little number called “99 Bottles of Pinot Noir on the Wall”).

And thanks to the fantastic new Oregon Bounty Recipe Book, you can plan all your meals through the New Year! How does Wild Mushroom Ravioli with Sautéed pears and hazelnuts sound?

See you at the Oregon Bounty Celebration, where we’ll be sipping Pinot noir and enjoying the beautiful fall colors.

-The Editors

Oregon Hiking Tips: Be A Prepared Hiker

By Dawn Tryon

One of the most common mistakes made when venturing into Oregon’s magnificent outdoor wilderness is to venture forth without a map.

Oregon’s got some great cities and towns, but there’s a lot of wilderness out there that isn’t necessarily close to civilization. If you get lost, in some places you can’t simply just ‘walk down the mountain’ and find a town and assistance. Knowing where you are going and what lies ahead will help keep your hiking fun, safe and enjoyable.

Another thing you should know is that many of the trail systems are linked with paths joining up at junctions. If you don’t remember which direction you came from, you could take a wrong turn. (I know- as a newbie years ago, I’ve been there before and retracing your trail a couple miles on a hot day is not fun!!)

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On The Road With Oregon Bounty

September 6, 2007

By Greg Robeson

When is a job not a job? If you were to chart it out, I guess it would be somewhere near where the Y axis (what you love to do) and the X axis (what you’re paid to do) intersect. As one who loves food and travel, that intersection for me is an annual getaway called “On the Road with Oregon Bounty.” Here’s the assignment: go spend seven days in Oregon’s seven different regions, meet interesting people in the culinary world, and produce a video diary of your adventures. Rough duty.

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What's Going On In Oregon This September?

September 1, 2007

In Oregon, the countdown to fall is on. Sunny skies, crisp mornings and brilliant autumn colors are just weeks away. In honor of this spectacular time of year, we’re excited to share some of our favorite scenic hikes, drives and train rides in Oregon, as well as a fall foliage viewing tip or two.

Also, we’ve got a delicious, fall-inspired recipe of the month from the Mt. Hood area, as well as a few fantastic events to tell you about, including Oktoberfest, the Oregon Covered Bridge Festival, and our award-winning Oregon Bounty Celebration, a two-month culinary extravaganza that will delight your taste buds.

See you in Oregon, where our wineries are preparing for fall crush…

~ The Editors

PS: If you're looking for some uniquely Oregon recipes for your Labor Day cookout, check out the Oregon Bounty Recipe Book (pdf book) featuring 100-pages of autumn inspired dishes from Oregon's top chefs! How does Wild Mushroom Ravioli with Sautéed pears and hazelnuts sound?